This thesis explores the concept of family engagement in education and school-based rehabilitation services and contributes to practice and policy implications. / In pediatric occupational therapy, family-centered service is an essential part of practice. Working with families, occupational therapists facilitate capacity-building to enable parents to participate in their child’s occupational therapy services and make informed choices to best support their child. Family engagement can be particularly challenging in the school-based context, but without this engagement, services are at risk of being less meaningful and impactful for children. In this thesis, I explore the unique nature of the educational context, contribute to the conceptual development of ‘family engagement’, provide an in-depth analysis of family engagement in school-based occupational therapy, and generate stakeholder-informed solutions for occupational therapy practice.
The first manuscript depicts a concept analysis that critically analyzes the concept of family engagement as discussed in the education literature. I suggest implications for professionals working with families and children in educational settings, including a proposed definition to contribute to further concept development.
In the second manuscript, I present a qualitative description study exploring occupational therapists’ experiences on the development of family-therapist relationships using the Partnering for Change service delivery model. Through analysis of the data, I identify several factors influencing family-therapist relationships and recommend strategies to improve relationship-building.
In the last study, I present an interpretive description study exploring family engagement in school-based occupational therapy services from the perspectives of both occupational therapists and families. Based on the findings, I recommend service transformation to improve family engagement, and to increase the value of these services for children and their families.
Specific strategies for therapists, organizations, schools, regulatory colleges, and professional practice groups are outlined in this thesis to facilitate family engagement in school-based occupational therapy practice. Ensuring families are able to engage in services may lead to more individualized and impactful services in the school setting. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Pediatric occupational therapists aim to partner with the family in all aspects of a
child’s service. However, this is difficult for school-based occupational therapists.
Families are not typically present at the school when therapists provide services for
children, making it difficult to build relationships. This thesis explores factors that impact
on how families are able to engage in the school-setting, and on how to provide families
with better support. The first study examines how families engage in children’s education,
and what this means for school-based therapists. The second study explores therapists’
views of what influences family-therapist relationships in a school-based service delivery
model called Partnering for Change. The final study explores family engagement in
school-based occupational therapy from the perspective of both families and therapists.
Findings from all three studies contribute to a better understanding of what family
engagement means in the school-setting, and how to build stronger family-therapist
relationships in school-based occupational therapy services.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/25720 |
| Date | January 2020 |
| Creators | Kennedy, Jennifer |
| Contributors | Campbell, Wenonah, Rehabilitation Science |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
Page generated in 0.0019 seconds