Conclusion
There are clearly many challenges in establishing effective partnerships with parents.
However, there are clear benefits of partnership working for families practitioners and children.
A focus on enhancing partnerships also provides opportunities for the development of practice.
To establish and maintain effective partnerships will require time and effort.
This may be in terms of acquiring skills, developing practice and exploring new ways of working as a team.
A key driver for establishing partnership is that it will help to ensure that children are more likely to reach their potential and that the expecta tions of parents are realistic.
To develop effective partnerships, the starting point needs to be linked to the current position of parents and then to move forward in an enabling manner.
To achieve this, it is vital to establish trust, show respect, provide encouragement and maintain two-way communi cation.
There are challenges in this approach, but a collaborative approach will benefit children both today and far into the future.