Family‐centred care in early intervention: A systematic review of the processes and outcomes of family‐centred care and impacting factors

Abstract

Family-centred care (FCC) has been established as a best practice model for child disability services internationally. However, further empirical support is required to explore the operationalization and efficacy of FCC, in the absence of a universal practice model. This review aimed to identify the key processes and outcomes of FCC in early intervention (EI) settings and the factors that impact FCC. A systemic review was conducted exploring the processes and outcomes of FCC delivered to children predominantly aged 0-6 years with disabilities/suspected disabilities and families as part of EI or early services. The search procedure was informed by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (Moher et al., 2009). Narrative analysis of data was guided by Clarke (2006, 2014). Data were presented as per the standards for reporting qualitative research (SRQR; O' Brien et al., 2014). Forty-two studies were included. The majority (90.5%) outlined the processes of FCC, with 59.5% of studies detailing outcomes.Processes were largely reported as qualitative data and/or subscales of the Measure of Processes of Care (MPOC; King et al., 1995), which were subsequently collated.Findings indicated eight key operational processes and corresponding outcomes. Variables that hinder or facilitate FCC included family/professional characteristics, family/service resources, and parent attitudes, engagement and agency. FCC was largely conceptualized as the application of services to children and their families. Critical perspectives on FCC are discussed. It is hoped this research will contribute to the development of a framework of FCC in EI to inform services provided to young children with complex needs and their families and future research.

Accessing hearing‐health services for deaf and hard‐of‐hearing children during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Parent and child perspectives

“…Furthermore, family‐centred early intervention (FCEI) has widely been accepted as best practice for children who are DHH (McCarthy et al, 2020 ), a practice that is centred on the belief that ‘the child's well‐being and care needs are best supported within the family context through effective collaboration with professionals and services’ (Mccarthy & Guerin, 2022 ). This approach appears to be more common with younger children (i.e.…”

Training Intervention and Program of Support for Fostering the Adoption of Family-Centered Telehealth in Pediatric Rehabilitation: Protocol for a Multimethod, Prospective, Hybrid Type 3 Implementation-Effectiveness Study

“…Family-centered care is recognized as the best practice approach in pediatric rehabilitation [ 44 ]. Described as a partnership approach, family-centered care is based on the belief that the child’s well-being and care needs are best supported within the family context through effective family-provider collaborations [ 45 ]. A central family-centered care tenet is the assumption that the processes of care delivery are as important to child and family outcomes as the specific characteristics of the clinical intervention delivered [ 45 ].…”

“…Described as a partnership approach, family-centered care is based on the belief that the child’s well-being and care needs are best supported within the family context through effective family-provider collaborations [ 45 ]. A central family-centered care tenet is the assumption that the processes of care delivery are as important to child and family outcomes as the specific characteristics of the clinical intervention delivered [ 45 ]. Family-centered care is characterized by practices that promote clinical flexibility; respect and dignity for families’ perspectives, knowledge, strengths, and characteristics; effective information sharing (general and specific), partnership, and collaboration among parties to support decision-making; and coordinated and comprehensive care delivery [ 30 ].…”

Overcoming the barriers towards a family-based occupational therapy: A call to action

“…As a response to these demands, we have long embraced family-centred practices (FCP) in our discipline. FCP key aspects include building collaborative partnerships based on mutual trust and respect, sharing effective information, and enabling families to play an increasingly active role in identifying their own needs, making decisions about their child’s therapeutic process and being able to create learning opportunities according to their daily routines (McCarthy and Guerin, 2022).…”

“…Additionally, barriers in families include those related to stress and a sense of incompetence, disengagement and lack of agency (Hanna and Rodger, 2002; Pereira and Seruya, 2021). In both cases, attitudes, perceptions, characteristics, resources and supports will also be variables that can facilitate or hinder FCP (McCarthy and Guerin, 2022).…”