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Social work is guided by values which prioritize the quality of relationships. Attunement in relationships operationalizes the long-held values of social work and brings them more broadly into the practice of other disciplines and across service sectors. Erikson Institute's Facilitating Attuned Interactions (FAN) approach provides a conceptual framework and practical tool for relationship building and reflective practice. The FAN has been carefully adapted and implemented widely, and promotes collaboration in provider/client relationships across sectors. The theory guiding the FAN is attunement; that is, if a person feels connected and understood, they are open to engagement and change. FAN trains providers to read the cues of the persons with whom they are working and respond flexibly, respecting what the other needs in the moment. Providers also learn Mindful Self-Regulation, an internal pause to check our reactions and rebalance during an interaction. FAN promotes equity by integrating critical self-reflection into provider practices in the service of building respectful, collaborative relationships that draw on the strengths and context of each participant.
The FAN is used in child-serving systems in 39 states and 7 countries. Systems include early prevention home visiting, child welfare, health and mental health, early intervention, and youth mentoring. Fifteen studies have examined the impact of the FAN; positive findings resulted in its designation as a promising practice by the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs. This presentation introduces the FAN, presenting findings on its applicability in multiple systems. Through our discussant, we share the impact of the FAN on the front lines--how it is used to transform practice, creating caring, equitable, and collaborative relationships.
Methods:
The first presentation will address the FAN conceptual framework and practice model, and present results in prevention home visitation; the second will expand the frame to examine the impact in youth mentoring and the influence of culture on its implementation. The third presentation will bring insights across settings together through results from a qualitative meta-synthesis of FAN, highlighting how and why the tool has been successful across three sectors. Our discussant, a social worker, will present the community voice, and describe how the FAN transformed practice in service programs in a large urban area, reaching families who have historically been marginalized.
Results:
Home visitors increased their reflective capacity, moved from "fixing" to collaborating with families, and reported decreased burnout. Mentors showed increased empathy and collaboration in their relationships, moving from a more traditional directive model to a partnership approach. In meta-synthesis, across groups, relationships were experienced as more collaborative and more effective. Providers were more able to perspective take and understand differences. Across cultures and settings, collaboration was linked with effectiveness.
Conclusions and Implications.
Across service systems, the FAN offered a guiding framework which trained providers to engage in more collaborative and equitable relationships. Work presented through this symposium represents the democratization of social work knowledge toward the betterment of the helping relationships core to our work, and to the work of other systems of care.