Strategy
Engaging with families works best when it is deliberate. This page sets out how a strategy gives that work direction, consistency and a clear way to judge progress.
Why a strategy matters
Good intentions rarely hold up on their own. Staff who want to work well with families still need a shared sense of what the work is for, who it reaches and how its results will be recognised. A strategy turns scattered efforts into a sequence of decisions that people can understand, explain and repeat.
Starting from a shared purpose
Every strategy should begin with a short statement of purpose that families and practitioners can both recognise. The statement names the outcomes the work is meant to support, such as children settling well into learning or parents feeling confident to ask for help. Without that anchor, activities drift toward whatever is easiest to organise. With it, each new idea can be tested against a simple question: does this bring us closer to the outcome we agreed?
Building the strategy in stages
Stage one
Listen before planning
Gather views from parents, carers and staff about what already works and what gets in the way. Record these views in their own words before any targets are set.
Stage two
Agree priorities
Choose a small number of priorities that the setting can resource properly. Explain why others have been set aside so that nobody is left guessing.
Stage three
Assign roles and routes
Name who leads each priority, how families will be contacted and which channels will be used. Make sure routes suit working patterns and languages spoken at home.
Stage four
Review and adjust
Review progress at set points, using both numbers and stories. Change the approach where evidence shows it is not working, and say so openly.
Choosing approaches that fit
No single method suits every family. Some will value a short message at the school gate, while others will want a longer conversation in a quiet room or a visit at home. A strong strategy sets out a range of approaches and explains the reasoning for each, so that practitioners can adapt them without losing the purpose behind them.
Keeping the strategy practical
A strategy should be short enough to read in one sitting. Put the purpose, priorities, named responsibilities and review dates on a single page, and share it with families in a format they can easily access. When the strategy is kept practical, it becomes a working tool rather than a document that sits on a shelf.
This guide describes general principles. Adapt the stages and language to your own setting, and check any local requirements that apply to your work.
Where to go next
The pages below develop the parts of the strategy in more detail. Read them in any order, depending on which stage your setting is working through.
Keeping families at the centre
Strategy documents can drift into jargon. Check every draft by asking whether a parent could explain the purpose and their own role in plain language. If the answer is no, rewrite the section until it is clear. Families who understand the plan are far more likely to take part in it.
Image: return to the top of this page to read the stages again.