Delivering family centred services in child-onset disability: a mixed methods approach to understanding health professionals’ experiences and approaches

Family-centred service aims to build family capacity to support their children, but behaviours supporting capacity-building vary. We explored what influences the way service providers think about and approach family-centred service. An online survey drew on experiences, beliefs, and perspectives of Australian providers. Descriptive statistics were applied to quantitative data and inductive content analysis to qualitative, with a comparative discussion to merge data. The 73 participating medical and allied health professionals reflected family-centred service as a way of “knowing”, “being”, and “doing”. There were no observed differences in beliefs, perceptions, or behaviours between those with different professional training, experience, or work contexts. Participants described <i>Collaborative partnerships as a way of working together</i> with families. Work was influenced by (1) <i>Who I am</i>, (2) <i>How I perceive influences beyond me,</i> and that (3) <i>Overlapping values and priorities supports sustained motivation</i>. Findings indicated that providers “way of knowing” influenced their “way of doing”. Education is needed to align providers understanding of family-centred service with contemporary evidence. Strategies tailored to each context are required to support providers to balance competing priorities for themselves, families they work with, and surrounding services and systems, and sustain and promote family-centred service in practice. Development of service providers skills as reflective practitioners will support them to move beyond “doing to” and “doing for” families towards “doing with” families.Organisational provision of time, support and expertise for reflective practice is a strategy that can promote service providers “doing with” families.Service providers and organisations can use contemporary evidence and guidelines to promote “doing with” families including building family capacity and enabling broader supports and connections. Development of service providers skills as reflective practitioners will support them to move beyond “doing to” and “doing for” families towards “doing with” families. Organisational provision of time, support and expertise for reflective practice is a strategy that can promote service providers “doing with” families. Service providers and organisations can use contemporary evidence and guidelines to promote “doing with” families including building family capacity and enabling broader supports and connections.