Parenting Pioneers and Parenting Teams: Strengthening Extended Family Ties in Family Support

Starting with the premise that extended family members often have great influence on family functioning, this article describes social work practice techniques for helping families utilize resources available in the extended family network. Two key concepts are presented: "parenting pioneers," who, while attempting newly learned parenting skills, may struggle with resistance from extended family members; and "parenting teams," in which the focal family is giving to or receiving from extended family members substantial family support. The article presents these practice techniques in the context of family support services, which are characterized as voluntary, preventive, developmental, and based in the concept of empowerment and the ecological perspective.