Child and Family Competencies 1. Apply culturally informed child and family development to practice decisions (e.g.

, understand and consider that developmental capacity, milestones and ways of being are defined by different ways of knowing which are determined by ones social, spiritual, political, and economic values and environments; similarly, understand and consider that a family's composition, boundaries, culture, rituals and needs are defined by different ways of knowing which are determined by the integration of members social, spiritual, political, and economic values and environments) 2. Utilize and prioritize empathic speak a. Identify language that is congruent with the emotional and cognitive capacities of the child and family members b. Engage dialogue with children and families that draws on this common/shared language and understanding. 3. Identify as a member of the child and family's team, participate in facilitating team cohesion, and demonstrate skill in moving the team forward in an adaptive and functional manner 4. Exhibit the skills to engage children and their families and simultaneously identify relevant internal and external resources (e.g., to listen and use the information one is hearing to guide one's client interactions) 5. Assess and evaluate data (e.g., IEP, like psychological reports, case records, etc.) and translate it's meaning to children, families and other providers for the clients benefit 6. Honor multiple points of views and ways of being when interpreting theory and practice paradigms; explicitly apply this understanding to assessment, intervention, and expectations of change with children and families. 7. Establish current knowledge about laws and policies affecting children and families in Mass and your community and inform and educate clients and collaterals about them 8. Draw on a community analysis (e.g., ecoscan) to assess client issues and determine intervention strategies and trajectory. 9. Reveal clear and cogent critical thinking in practice strategies and decisions; show an ability to name and explain one's practice actions in the context of a particular theory or body of knowledge (e.g., through a process recording, videotape, audiotape, or critical incident) and identify its relevance to child and family development 10. Know and critique policies and practice, describe the pathways towards best practices and show the influencing skills to create change. For example: Student can see what isassess what ought to be (based on integration of ones knowledge of best practices which comes from the Simmons programming), and then determine what has to strategically happen to move in the direction of what ought to be (i.e. this is what is meant by influencing skills - which can mean and cover a lot of different things such as dialogue, or action, or research, etc.)