3.4 Acknowledging family structures

Practitioners and governors need a good knowledge of the many forms that family structures now take. It’s important not to assume that most children live with a mother and a father who are married. The image below (adapted from Tassoni, 2000, p. 272) summarises the main kinds of family arrangements that provide care for children. Click on each one for more details:

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Family structures: ‘In a nuclear family, a mother and father live together with their children but separately from other family members. They may be married or “co-habiting”.’ ‘In a same-sex family, a same-sex couple takes care of children. They may be gay or lesbian.’ ‘In a reconstituted family, children live with one natural parent and a step-parent. Families may also include step-sisters and brothers, and/or half-sisters and brothers.’ ‘In an adoptive family, children may live with adopted or foster parents.’ ‘In a communal family, children may live with their parents in communes where other members are also involved in the childcare.’ ‘In a nomadic family, parents do not have a permanent home, and travel from place to place with their children – traveller families, for example.’ ‘In a lone-parent family, a single parent takes care of children, either through choice or for other reasons. This may be, for instance, because of divorce or separation, or the death of a partner.’ ‘In an extended family, family members live together and share the care of children.’

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These represent just a range of some of the ways that a child may live with their parent(s). Many children also live with carers, such as grandparents and other family members, or may be in some form of care. Those arrangements may change over time.

It is important to avoid making assumptions about the nature of families when working with parents and carers. A practitioner’s knowledge of a child’s family arrangements depends upon what children and their parents or carers feel that they want to disclose.

3.3 Working with ‘challenging’ parents and carers

4 Teamwork and leadership