Impact Consulting

In the realm of family work, one of the most impactful frameworks for understanding the depth and level of family participation is the Ladder of Participation. This model not only outlines the various stages of involvement but also emphasizes the importance of elevating families from passive recipients to active contributors. As we navigate this landscape, let’s think about the significance of enhancing family participation and where we stand in this journey.

Understanding the Ladder of Participation:

The Ladder of Participation, originally proposed by Sherry Arnstein in 1969, portrays a spectrum of engagement ranging from non-participation to full partnership. This ladder consists of several rungs, each representing a different level of involvement:

1. Non-Participation: Families are excluded from decision-making and have no influence.
2. Therapy: Families are treated as objects of change, without any real influence on decisions or actions.
3. Informing: Families are informed about decisions and policies, and their opinions are collected, but their influence is limited.
4. Consultation: Families’ opinions are sought, and their input is considered, but decision-making remains with professionals.
5. Placation: Token efforts are made to involve families, often through superficial consultation, without genuine collaboration.
6. Partnership: Families are involved as equal partners, actively contributing to decision-making and implementation.
7. Delegated Power: Families hold significant decision-making power, with professionals acting on their behalf.
8. Control by Families: Families have complete control and autonomy in decisions and actions.

Current State of Family Involvement:

While progress has been made in recognizing the importance of family involvement, many family-oriented initiatives still hover around the lower rungs of the ladder. Families often find themselves confined to roles of being informed or occasionally consulted, missing out on the opportunities to actively shape policies and practices that affect their lives.

The Importance of Progression:

The journey up the ladder is not merely symbolic; it holds transformative potential. Genuine family involvement has a profound impact on the effectiveness and sustainability of family work:

1. Empowerment: As families climb the ladder, their sense of ownership and agency grows. They become empowered participants who can effect positive change within their communities.
2. Relevance: Collaborative decision-making ensures that family services and programs align with the real needs and aspirations of the families they serve.
3. Trust and Respect: As families ascend the ladder, they experience a shift from being recipients of decisions to being valued partners, fostering trust and mutual respect.
4. Innovation: Families bring diverse perspectives and insights to the table. Their involvement encourages innovation and creative solutions.
5. Sustainable Impact: Family engagement at higher rungs ensures that changes and improvements are sustained over time, as families are invested in the outcomes.

Uplifting Family Participation:

To enhance family involvement in this work, several strategies can be adopted:

1. Education and Awareness: Raise awareness among professionals and families about the benefits of collaborative participation.
2. Capacity Building: Equip families with skills and knowledge to actively engage in decision-making processes and perhaps even more importantly support professionals on how to genuinely welcome all stakeholders, value their expertise, and share (which means relinquishing some of the) power.
3. Cultivate Relationships: Foster open, trusting relationships between professionals and families, creating a conducive environment for partnership. Always take great care in making sure families are as safe as possible in these situations and equity exists amongst all stakeholders; e.g. is everyone being compensated for their time?
4. Accessible Information: Ensure that families have easy access to relevant information to make informed decisions. Avoid “gatekeeping” or making decisions “for” others because of preconceived notions and / or biases.
5. Feedback Mechanisms: Develop structured mechanisms for collecting feedback from families and integrating it into program improvement.

The Ladder of Participation serves as a good roadmap for elevating family involvement in family work. Progressing up this ladder is not only crucial for creating impactful interventions but is also rooted in principles of social justice and equity. As professionals, advocates, and families, we need to collectively work to lift up the voices of families, ensuring they are not just heard, but also valued and acted upon.

As we scale the ladder, we inch closer to a world where families are not merely recipients of support but active architects of their own destinies. We will all be better off when we are working together and truly co-creating and co-designing.