ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some practical ideas for working in partnership with the whole
family group. Since most thinking on partnership work has focused on the one-to-one
relationship with the parent, methods of working with the whole group are at a more
rudimentary stage of development. As we will see in this chapter, the Negotiating Model
can be applied to working with the whole group, but there are some particular challenges
for the professional and the family. Ideas from family systems thinking will be drawn on
to consider family functioning and the impact of the professional on the family and vice
versa.
