The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
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The cases in the Create Your Own Case Toolkit were developed by the Community Engagement Team (CET) outreach workers in the Department of Human Service Programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You can use the cases to draw inspiration for your own case writing or as a basis for discussions with others to improve your family engagement skills and knowledge. |
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| CASE 1: When You Need to Change Your Strategy Carrine Bury
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THE BACK STORY:
Ginette is 44 years old. She moved from Haiti to the U.S. 7 years ago with her son, Chris, who is 3 years old. When she first arrived, she did not speak or understand any English. She lives in public housing in a mid-sized city on the East Coast with her husband, Frank. He is 12 years older than her and has resided in the U.S. for 25 years. Right after she immigrated to the U.S., she got pregnant and had a daughter, Anny.
Ginette’s been invited by, me, Carrine, an outreach worker, to attend parenting workshops and join a playgroup, but she’s never attended. I offered her taxi vouchers so that it would be easier for her to attend events. I also offered to go with Ginette to these activities so I could translate anything that she did not understand, but Ginette always calls at the last minute to cancel. I explained to her why it was important for her son to interact with other kids and why it was also important for her to go out and interact with other moms in her position. She never went to the groups. I finally decided to visit her and brought toys and books for her children and also brought her flyers. When I got to Ginette’s house, she tried to hurry me away and even prohibited me from coming into her house.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
Should Carrine stop contacting Ginette and focus on someone else on her wait list, or persevere and continue to reach out to her?
THE FULL STORY:
I called Ginette one day, and she informed me that her husband was home, so I asked to talk to him. I gave him information about upcoming events and also about resources that are available in the city. As the conversation went on, Frank asked me why I was so intent on helping his wife. He believed that my goal was to get his wife to leave him. That was when I realized that I needed to change my outreach strategy. I started calling him instead of his wife. I made visits to the house while he was present, and little by little, I gained his trust. Now both Frank and his wife are taking English classes at the Community Learning Center, and Ginette comes to parenting workshops when she can. She also participates in some school activities and other events. Anny is in pre-K and Chris is in 4th grade. Ginette plans to apply for a job when Anny starts kindergarten. Ginette calls me whenever she needs help with things.
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