The Family Check-Up addresses the specific needs and strengths of each family. Providers use motivational interviewing to help parents identify things they can change to improve their relationships with their children and their children’s behaviors. The first step in the process is the initial interview. The second step is a comprehensive, ecological family assessment to identify a family's needs and strengths. The final step is the feedback session when the provider and parents meet to discuss the family’s needs and goals for follow-up services.
Initial Interview
The focus of the initial interview is to build rapport, explore parent concerns regarding parenting and family management practices, discuss how these practices influence their child’s behaviors, and learn about parents’ motivation for change.
Assessment
The Family Check-Up assessment is strengths-based and ecological, integrating information about child behavior, parenting skills, family dynamics, and life stressors and is used to inform follow-up intervention services.
Feedback
Information from the initial interview and the assessment is integrated and presented on a FCU Feedback Form, representing the family’s strengths and challenge areas. The provider uses motivational interviewing strategies as key process skills to present the family profile to the parents and to develop a menu of family-based interventions that are tailored to the family’s needs. The provider and parents collaboratively decide follow-up intervention services that are optimal for the family after the Feedback session.
Follow-Up
Follow-up services may include Everyday Parenting, which is a parent management training program, and other clinical and case management supports. Follow-up services may also include interventions that offer parents support around their child’s school success. In some situations, services to address parent stress, depression and anxiety, substance use, limited social support, or challenges with co-parenting may be beneficial. In these situations, follow-up work helps the parent actively address these areas, while maintaining a focus on helping parents improve their parenting skills and family relationship processes.
Family Check-Up® is a federally registered trademark owned by the University of Oregon.