By Haley Hegwood, MS FLE, ARPA Program Specialist/Training Coordinator, Potts Family Foundation
The Oklahoma State Department of Health recently hosted a Brazelton Touchpoints Center training, The “How” of Child and Family Engagement, and I had the opportunity to attend. I recommend this training to direct service providers. As a former home visitor, I wish this training had been available to me earlier in my career.
The training explores 13 touchpoints that are pivotal development periods in the first three years of a child’s life, and they begin in pregnancy. The primary goal of the training is to help parents and early childhood professionals work together effectively so caregivers have confidence in their parenting skills and are better able to build lasting, resilient relationships with their children.
The Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) partners with providers, organizations, institutions, care systems, and communities that recognize the importance of effective family engagement for improving child outcomes. Based at Boston Children’s Hospital’s Division of Developmental Medicine, BTC continues to embody the philosophy of renowned pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton, MD, who believed that strong families lead to strong communities.
Direct service professionals can use the Touchpoints framework for encounters with families to assist in engaging them in a more effective strength-based mindset during the critical and challenging periods of child and family development. When parents understand these touchpoints and how to navigate them, this approach can also prevent child abuse and neglect.
Dr. Brazelton’s concept of “touchpoints’” highlights the predictable periods of developmental growth during which children often experience behavioral challenges such as when they are learning to walk or feed themselves. Right before the new development occurs, parents may notice their child’s typical behavior being disrupted in various areas such as waking in the night when the child had been sleeping through the night. This behavior may seem like a setback to parents and result in the child’s behavior being difficult to understand. This can then lead to frustration and confusion for both child and parent. To navigate these touchpoints effectively, it’s essential to recognize that what worked previously may no longer be suitable. When the parents understand how to effectively meet their child’s evolving needs, a more harmonious environment develops.
Ultimately, when a parent understands the touchpoints, parental stress is reduced and this can play a pivotal role in preventing child abuse and neglect, which studies have linked to periods of developmental disruptions. Touchpoints emphasizes the importance of understanding the experiences of parents at risk of abuse. By recognizing that most parents do not intend to harm their children but may be overwhelmed by stress, providers can establish a collaborative partnership to support them. Instead of resorting to drastic measures like child removal which should only be used in cases of immediate danger, focusing on improving parenting skills can be a more effective approach to safeguarding children.
More than a decade of extensive and in-depth evaluation shows that Touchpoints-informed practice is proven effective in a variety of organizations and settings, including early care and education centers, pediatric healthcare, mental health, early intervention and home visitation, child welfare, public health, healthcare institutions of higher learning and Tribal communities.
If your agency is interested in learning more about touchpoints, please click here.