KEEPING FOCUS ON YOUR VISIT
Good preparation is key to staying focused on your visits. There are many things that can interrupt your plan and take the focus of the visit in a different direction.
For example:
Children often get noisy and disruptive when a visitor arrives
Provider may be dealing with a personal problem and provider sees an opportunity to share it with another adult.
Provider may have another agenda and want to vent about a parent or child in her care
Provider may be trying to redirect visit from uncomfortable correction..
Your responsibility as a Monitor is to focus the discussion on your purpose of the visit. This is not easy to do. There are some important factors that you should consider when making your visits.
1. How fast do you get to the point of your visit? While it is appropriate to spend a few minutes greeting and making small talk, you should not allow more than a few minutes before you focus the conversation to your purpose for visit. There are times when you encounter a very ‘chatty’ provider. After all, these providers spend all day with little ones. You are often the only adult they have had the chance to talk to in a while. Allow this provider a few minutes to chat and then go directly to your purpose.
2. Have you set professional boundaries with your providers? If you have not, the provider may feel that your visit is more social than business.
For example: Do you ‘friend’ your provider’s on social media. When you visit, they may want to talk about a recent post that you made.
3. Have you prepared or do you arrive to the provider’s home with no plan or goal? If you are not prepared you are leaving your visit’s focus up to the provider. Always know in advance what you want to accomplish on the visit. If you are there to check attendance records, then asking for the records is a good way to refocus the conversation.
4. Do you need to correct the provider for a regulatory issue?
For example: The provider knows she does not have her attendance records up-to-date. She may try to refocus the visit away from your purpose. This is a common avoidance strategy and when you are aware that this can happen, you can refocus the conversation to your purpose.
There are times when you may need to refocus your visit when you find children are in danger. You may then have to shift your focus onto dealing with the situation you are facing. If a provider has information about suspected abuse or neglect of a child, then you need to respond immediately. In these situations, you need to make the provider aware of her responsibility as a mandated reporter. It is a good idea to carry copies of the mandated reporter legal responsibilities with you to show the provider.
You would never want to engage in gossip or breach the confidentiality of any of your other providers. Your behavior and example can help to keep your visit focused and successful.