Barriers to partnership working
There are many potential barriers to establishing a working partnership with parents, which can apply to both parties.
Here are some of them:
Time and availability
- Finding a mutually convenient time and venue to meet
- Other demands from family and work
- Access and transport for some parents Language, culture and religion
Cultural and/or religious attitudes towards disability
- Language barriers (there are no words for Downs syndrome in Punjabi or Urdu)
- What is culturally acceptable
Parents own education
- Negative feelings towards school and authority
- Feelings of inadequacy
- Fear of being judged
Communication
- Poor communication channels (e.g. through the child only)
- Poor information sharing (what does go on in school?)
- Automatic use of jargon
- Shyness
- Lack of confidence
School and staff
- Personal relationships between teacher and parent
- Limited facilities for meeting with parents
- Lack of empathy with the role of parent
- Lack of staff skills and confidence
- Access to relevant information
- An unwelcoming environment
Parent and school
- Who to talk to?
- Lack of acceptance or awareness of child’s difficulties
- The value placed on education
- Young people not wanting parents involved
- Lack of information around transition periods (from one school to the next)
- Disinterest/lack of clear responsibility
- Lack of consensus between parents
Previous experience
- Negative previous experience
- Feelings of being judged
- Lack of action or follow up
- Being patronised
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