Defining dimensions of family‐oriented services in early childhood intervention

Carina Carlhed

doi:10.1080/15017410309512621

Defining dimensions of family‐oriented services in early childhood intervention

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Volume 5 (2003): Issue 2

By: Carina Carlhed

Open Access

|Jul 2003

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine process dimensions in a model regarding family‐oriented services in early childhood intervention. The purpose was to capture a broad picture of Swedish habilitation services from a professional point of view. Professionals in habilitation from different parts of Sweden participated (n‐237). A hypothesized model was tested with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling procedures. The resulting hierarchical model had two main dimensions, the first having to do with relationships, and the second concerning involvement/information‐exchange. The process of intervention comprises efforts in building relationships, enhancing effective information exchange between parents and professionals, and finding different ways of involving parents/families. The findings of this study call for multiple perspectives in order to work effectively in a family‐oriented way, and they also call for a distinction between relational and participatory elements when referring to family‐ oriented services.

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