(a) Partnership between families, teachers and the wider community

There are various types of supports for children with CP at home, childcare, kindergarten,
primary school and other relevant settings. In saying this the first and most important
partnership that should be built and kept stable is the family itself and any other extended
member involved. This is extremely vital as they will always be there to provide support and
is generally malleable to various situations that may occur. The efficiency of childrens
learning strongly depends on the interactions between their teacher, parents and community.
upport can also be gained through the teachers and other personnel such as support
managers, social workers and psychologists. upport managers can act as respite in
assisting !arcuss parents in looking after him at home for a short period of time, while the
parents have "some time away #cope, $%&%' to relieve some stress and en(oy some
personal time for themselves. )t home, !arcuss parents have full access to the internet and
can gain support from specially made websites, such as Cerebral Palsy )ustralia, Cerebral
Palsy )lliance or Cerebral Palsy upport *etwork +CP*,. uch websites are "committed to
providing information, resources and support services #CP*, $%%-' to people with a CP
member in their family, along with direct links around issues and experiences that can
impact their everyday life.
In relation to kindergarten or school settings, teachers must be "aware of the childs level of
attainment in all developmental areas #.own yndrome /), &012', in order to support them
throughout their education. Centre for Community Child 3ealth #$%%&' and tonehouse 4
5on6ale67!ena #$%%8' both mention that partnerships between educators and families are a
"perspective that underpins everything that happens in an educational setting. Information
nights can be held within the centre, where professionals in Cerebral Palsy are present,
delivering knowledge and awareness to staff. If teachers understand the characteristics
involved with children like !arcus and strategies to best support them then they will be
e9uipped to deal with many situations, and in turn provide the best education for them.
It is vital to form a positive and effective partnership between !arcuss parents and his
teachers as it allows them to collaborate and "define the problem, articulate goals, expand on
solutions, notice and highlight progress and plan to maintain progress #Porter, $%%1'.
Through this partnership, the teachers will be able to gain an insight into the childs needs
and build a Individual :earning Plan +I:P,. Through the use of I:Ps, !arcuss needs can be
catered for whilst being included in all activities throughout the classroom.
(b) Application to professional values
The family systems theory views the family "as a complex and interactive social system in
which all members needs and experience affect the others #;riend 4 Cook, $%%$, as cited in
eligman 4 .arling, $%%-'. This system does not view a family as being complete individuals
coming together to simply form one party. Instead families are viewed as "interactive,
interdependent and reactive #eligman 4 .arling, $%%-' and if something happens to one
member in the family then all members of the system are affected. <eeping in mind that
being part of a family is the most powerful system into which one can belong, as a
professional it is important to gain an insight into the various structures that are involved in
the family system. Through such insights, for example into !arcuss family, the teacher will
be able to understand what that family has already experienced and in turn continue to meet
his needs as well as provide support for the family.
)s a pre7service teacher, some professional values include all children having the right to a
proper education. 3owever if the school does not have the proper e9uipment to meet the
needs for !arcuss case, or if the teachers involved with him do not have the proper training
or 9ualifications to be able to ade9uately teach him, then that is not providing him with the
e9ual opportunity to be educated. This may become problematic when forming relationship
with children or colleagues as they may not believe in this value to the extent that I do or
they may not be interested in participating in educational activities like others. This can also
affect the building of a professional partnership with a family in which there is a child with a
disability because the family may not prioritise their childs education first, therefore no
matter how much you try, you will always be underappreciated. To ensure a positive and
successful relationship is formed between the child and their families I need to gain an
insight into the familys history and culture, with the disability in mind, and ensure I provide
the child with the best education to suit their needs. This means that I too will need to be a
ongoing learner and be prepared to face a various situations and cases.