Lifetime
Members
Focus Group
"Will
PLAN be able to care for our children after we're gone?"
Lifetime Member Focus Group - Lifetime Member
Key Issues
(What
lifetime members want the social audit to measure)
- Continuity
of PLAN and sustainability of networks and
lifetime members' role in PLAN
- Communication
among lifetime members, persons at the centre of networks, network
members, facilitators and PLAN
- Facilitator
standards and qualities
Dialogue
-
Continuity of PLAN and Sustainability of Networks
and lifetime members' role in PLAN
Participants
identified the continuity of PLAN, the sustainability of networks
and the role of lifetime members in PLAN as their number one priority
issue. Lifetime members wanted to know what safeguards or procedures
were in place to ensure networks were functioning. Network building
was identified as slow work requiring patience and parents needed
to realize that it takes time and flexibility to build relationships.
Parents'
degree of involvement in the network was discussed with one family
sharing that their son spoke up more often if they did not attend
the meetings.
Families
wanted to know, after they were gone, would the facilitator take
charge, would the mentor be there to support the facilitator and
would the network pull together?
These
two questions were asked: how do network members communicate with
PLAN after they were gone and what were the safeguards ensuring
PLAN would still be there? It was suggested PLAN needs to find a
way to keep parents involved and it was pointed out that family
direction and leadership is one of PLAN's core values. These questions
lead into the second identified key issue: communication.
- Communication
among family, person at the centre of networks, network members
and facilitator
Communication
among lifetime members, network members, facilitators and PLAN was
identified as the second priority issue.
Parents'
involvement in PLAN was identified as key to sustainability and
good communication. Regional meetings were suggested as a way to
support a strong connection amongst lifetime members. Parents who
attend the lifetime members meetings pointed to poor attendance
as a cause for concern. Families felt PLAN should be key in ensuring
lifetime members involvement.
A
lifetime member suggested shared success stories along with shared
struggles would help parents measure the success of their relative's
network. The newsletter was reported as welcomed and it was thought
additional newsletters would be helpful in connecting families to
PLAN and families to families.
Some
lifetime members were unaware of PLAN's family mentorship as a support
resource. Facilitator and lifetime member communication was identified
as an issue. Some parents felt confused and unsure as to how to
communicate with their facilitator, and wondered if they had a clear
understanding of the role of facilitator. This discussion lead to
the third identified key issue, facilitator standards and qualities.
- Facilitator
standards and qualities
The
third key issue for lifetime members was facilitator standards and
qualities.
Families
wanted to know, if there was a standard? They wanted to know who
monitored the performance of the facilitators, and if there was
a training manual. This lead to the question, "what do parents expect
from facilitators"? One participant said "the role of the facilitator
needs to be made clear to families - they don't know what to expect".
A lifetime member suggested a common understanding of expectations,
might be facilitated by bringing families and facilitators together
on a regular basis.
Lifetime
members suggested more focus should be made by facilitators to bring
new members into their relative's network.
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