The Whole School Approach (WSA): Working with Parents

Astrid Mona O’Moore and Stephen James Minton

“VISTA School Bullying and Violence: Taking Action” project

Bulgarian

English

training, module, parent, school, approach

training module

Parents, Policy Makers, Teachers, Young People, School Directors.

1 - 20 pages

The contents of this unit are as follows:
- Description of the objectives of the document, which are to: understand and appreciate the key role that parents have in the application of the ‘whole school approach’ in addressing school violence; be familiar with the skills involved in planning and conducting work with parents in school communities; consider strategies for engaging parents in activities that will support them in taking their part in the promotion of non-violence and the reduction of violence; be able to motivate and support parents in developing an understanding of the central role that parents themselves and young people play in countering and preventing violent and bullying behaviour in schools; enable parents themselves to work productively at home with their children/teenagers in promoting anti-violence/pro-social attitudes; consider, and to facilitate, parental and school collaboration against violent and bullying behaviour amongst young people in school communities.
- Presentation of the facilitation skills to be developed through this unit, which are (1) knowledge and understanding of: the VISTA whole school approach; the range of underlying causes of challenging, aggressive and antisocial behaviour; the importance of creating a supportive and caring school community; how to include parents/carers in decisions about their child; up-to-date knowledge of current thinking in the area of the promotion of non-violence; effective promotion of non-violence interventions, systems and management approaches; (2) personal qualities and attributes which include: being an effective communicator; being an effective trainer of and adviser to staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils; being a strategic thinker; having empathy for and providing specialist support to parents and carers; managing time effectively and being well organized; being an effective communicator; being able to facilitate and value parents’ opinions about their children’s/teenager’s education.
- Pre-unit reading.
- Summary of current thinking and knowledge about working with parents
- A sequence of activities to be implemented: Activity 1 Understanding Parents’ Concerns and Perspectives around Violence in Schools; Activity 2 Understanding the Signs and Symptoms of Being Victimized; Activity 3 Considering what Parents Can Do if their Children/Teenagers Report Having Been Victimized; Activity 4 Considering what Parents Can Do if their Children Teenagers Have Been Involved in Victimizing Others;
- References for further reading materials.
- Resources – 2 answer grids.

The role of parents has been identified by the authors as an essential part of the whole school approach towards the prevention and reduction of bullying and violence in schools. In order for the whole school approach to be effective, together with school personnel, parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children and young people are not involved in inappropriate behaviors such as bullying or harassing other school pupils. It has been proven that bullied students are more likely to report their unfavorable experiences to their parents rather than to staff at their school, which is a proof that parents can play a critical role in a school community's efforts to address bullying and violence. The unit, which is consideration/evaluation here, focuses on the role of parents in addressing bullying and violent behavior in collaboration with their child's school. Users of this material and participants in the activities it proposes will become familiar with the skills involved in planning work with parents in school communities and with the strategies for engaging parents in activities that will support them in taking their part in the promotion of non-violence and the reduction of violence. The whole school approach provides guidance to parents themselves in working productively at home with their children in countering and preventing violent and bullying behavior in schools.

http://www.vista-europe.org/downloads/Bulgarian/B4f.pdf

B4f BG.pdf

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