Role of Facilitators

Family group Facilitators are available in each region to facilitate the development of family groups and to support individuals within their families to create an individual plan for a more meaningful and a secure future. These Facilitators take their direction from individuals within the context of their families and are therefore able to provide unencumbered planning support free from any conflicts of interest. Family Group Facilitators also support individuals and their families to build leadership by learning together, mentoring one another and setting educational goals so that they can think differently and plan outside of the box.

Primary Goal of Facilitation:

To support individuals within the context of their family/friends to develop a unique plan for moving forward and creating a meaningful life for themselves. This plan evolves over time and looks at both the immediate and the long-term future.

Form relationship with the individual:

Get to know the individual within different life contexts including family, work and leisure. Determine most crucial issues at hand: Assist the individual within the context of his/her family to determine what issues are most essential to deal with at this time.

Build a planning context:

Discover who the individual wants to be part of the planning. Facilitate bringing those people together in various formal and informal ways. For example: may facilitate bringing people together to do some planning with the intention of developing a Support Circle over time.

Develop a support network:

Find ways for the individual to be supported in taking the next steps in their life. Focus on strengthening relationships and ties to the community. Deal with who will provide support to put the plan into action.

Build Safeguards for the plan:

Develop plans that carefully build in safeguards.

Encourage and Support Monthly Family Group Meetings :

Facilitators attend and support monthly family group meetings in several ways sometimes by supporting the family leadership to develop agendas and to deal with their group process and decision making and at other times to bring important information and resources to the meeting.

Act as a Catalyst for Open Dialogue and Reflection:

Facilitators support the Family leadership to encourage and foster open dialogue so that families feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings about what really matters. Facilitators encourage families to share the steps they are taking in planning with their sons/daughters so that other families can be inspired and can learn what it takes to move ahead.

Facilitate Mentoring:

Connect individuals and families who are facing similar life dilemmas for the purpose of sharing their experiences, inspiring and mentoring each other. Encourage Families to draw on each other's strengths and benefit from each other's expertise.

Encourage celebration and social gatherings within the Family Groups:

Facilitators encourage family groups to find times to celebrate and come together for the purpose of strengthening their social commitment to one another. This strengthens bonds between parents, siblings and individuals living with the disability and other families.

Support Individuals to be part of their local communities:

Support individuals to develop local connections in active ways by becoming members of clubs and associations or by taking part in leisure pursuits that involve meeting people with shared interests. Support individuals to find local jobs or volunteer roles in their communities and to develop relationships out of these roles.

Support for developing and maintaining support circles for individuals:

This directly benefits the individual as well as the family because it not only increases the number of people who understand the issues behind key decision making but it also strengthens the nature of the relationships so that people begin to have a social connection to the individual and commits to that relationship.

Ensure that the quietest voice among us be heard:

Encourage each family group gathering and regional/provincial gathering to pay attention to those members who speak in different ways and to make space for everyone to be heard.

Encourage family groups in each region to invite each other out to meetings where they are having guest speakers or learning about a certain issue:

Families build connections and strengthen their regional network by attending other family group meetings in their region.

Role of Facilitators

Family group Facilitators are available in each region to facilitate the development of family groups and to support individuals within their families to create an individual plan for a more meaningful and a secure future. These Facilitators take their direction from individuals within the context of their families and are therefore able to provide unencumbered planning support free from any conflicts of interest. Family Group Facilitators also support individuals and their families to build leadership by learning together, mentoring one another and setting educational goals so that they can think differently and plan outside of the box.

Primary Goal of Facilitation:

To support individuals within the context of their family/friends to develop a unique plan for moving forward and creating a meaningful life for themselves. This plan evolves over time and looks at both the immediate and the long-term future.

Form relationship with the individual:

Get to know the individual within different life contexts including family, work and leisure. Determine most crucial issues at hand: Assist the individual within the context of his/her family to determine what issues are most essential to deal with at this time.

Build a planning context:

Discover who the individual wants to be part of the planning. Facilitate bringing those people together in various formal and informal ways. For example: may facilitate bringing people together to do some planning with the intention of developing a Support Circle over time.

Develop a support network:

Find ways for the individual to be supported in taking the next steps in their life. Focus on strengthening relationships and ties to the community. Deal with who will provide support to put the plan into action.

Build Safeguards for the plan:

Develop plans that carefully build in safeguards.

Encourage and Support Monthly Family Group Meetings :

Facilitators attend and support monthly family group meetings in several ways sometimes by supporting the family leadership to develop agendas and to deal with their group process and decision making and at other times to bring important information and resources to the meeting.

Act as a Catalyst for Open Dialogue and Reflection:

Facilitators support the Family leadership to encourage and foster open dialogue so that families feel safe to share their thoughts and feelings about what really matters. Facilitators encourage families to share the steps they are taking in planning with their sons/daughters so that other families can be inspired and can learn what it takes to move ahead.

Facilitate Mentoring:

Connect individuals and families who are facing similar life dilemmas for the purpose of sharing their experiences, inspiring and mentoring each other. Encourage Families to draw on each other's strengths and benefit from each other's expertise.

Encourage celebration and social gatherings within the Family Groups:

Facilitators encourage family groups to find times to celebrate and come together for the purpose of strengthening their social commitment to one another. This strengthens bonds between parents, siblings and individuals living with the disability and other families.

Support Individuals to be part of their local communities:

Support individuals to develop local connections in active ways by becoming members of clubs and associations or by taking part in leisure pursuits that involve meeting people with shared interests. Support individuals to find local jobs or volunteer roles in their communities and to develop relationships out of these roles.

Support for developing and maintaining support circles for individuals:

This directly benefits the individual as well as the family because it not only increases the number of people who understand the issues behind key decision making but it also strengthens the nature of the relationships so that people begin to have a social connection to the individual and commits to that relationship.

Ensure that the quietest voice among us be heard:

Encourage each family group gathering and regional/provincial gathering to pay attention to those members who speak in different ways and to make space for everyone to be heard.

Encourage family groups in each region to invite each other out to meetings where they are having guest speakers or learning about a certain issue:

Families build connections and strengthen their regional network by attending other family group meetings in their region.