Maine Families CUES Messaging

100%

Maine Families CUES Messaging

Confidentiality, Universal Education and Empowerment, Safer Supports Guiding Principles:

Home visitation is a dynamic, innovative model grounded in perspective taking, attunement and authenticity among a myriad of other elements.

Each family is unique. Each relationship is unique. While there are universal tools to be shared with all families, the way they are shared is through the authentic relationship between family and visitor.

CUES was adopted by Maine Families to support the goals of home visitation and provide templates for communicating with families about how to reduce isolation and safely get help to address domestic violence. Visitors can adapt the specific language of the scripts and texts to their individual voice and style.

Context:

The intention of CUES is to enhance the work that visitors are already doing with families. All of the work in Maine Families is based in the relationships that are created with the families served. The CUES approach is intended to be embedded in the conversations that visitors are already having with families and to create opportunities for a family to tell their visitor if they feel unsafe. It is a strategy for addressing safety that is effective when it is combined with what the visitor already knows about a family and their professional judgment as a visitor.

Visitors should be cautious when using the words 'domestic violence' with families. Some people may think domestic violence only refers to physical violence, not all the other ways in which power and control happen in a relationship that affect well-being, parenting, safety, coping and stress. Consider using proxy language such as "complicated relationships," "stressed relationships," "struggles in relationships," or "all relationships have their struggles" to understand where your client is in their relationship and understanding of its impact on their own well-being. Using the words they use to describe their relationship and situation with a partner will demonstrate attunement with them. Our goal is to reduce feelings of isolation, help them know it's ok to talk about these kinds of situations, and open the door for them to go further with discussions when they choose.

In addition to introducing two hundred eleven as a universal resource, we encourage each site to reach out to local domestic violence organization to understand what supports are available for participants who may disclose risk factors or are interested in receiving support.

To better understand the resources we provide to families, Visitors should call two hundred eleven to learn what families will experience when they use the resource and can describe it to their clients. The website two hundred eleven maine dot org is available in over one hundred languages, and other language services may be available for phone calls. Staff should learn what information the two hundred eleven operators would give a client if they said they were struggling in a complicated relationship and ask about a direct referral from two hundred eleven to alternate hotlines such as suicide prevention or domestic violence hotlines.

CUES Messaging

Confidentiality Message:

Universal Message:

Universal Text Messages:

On-Going CUES Scripts and Texts

Universal Education:

Sample Text to Support Healthy Relationships:

Disclosures

Disclosure Scripts:

Disclosure Text message:

CUES Documentation Guidance

Overview

The Maine Families CUES Messaging document provides guidelines for home visitors to develop authentic relationships with families while addressing complex issues like domestic violence through careful communication. It emphasizes the importance of personalizing conversations and using supportive language to empower families seeking help.

Key Points

1CUES supports home visitors in building trust and addressing sensitive topics with families
2Language used should reflect the family's context to ensure comfort and understanding
3Visitors are encouraged to adapt messaging based on their relationship with the family
4The document includes specific scripts for communicating about resources and safety
5Confidentiality is prioritized when discussing sensitive topics with clients.

Details

Category: Social Sciences

PDF
(Dis)ability: The Relational Dynamics of Disability and Social Structures
This document explores dominant narratives surrounding disability, analyzing how language and societal structures perpetuate ableist attitudes and devalue disabled bodies within the context of colonialism, capitalism, and social norms.
PDF
Depathologization from the Left
This document critiques mainstream psychiatric practices and argues for a leftist perspective on mental health, emphasizing the need to reject the medical model of distress in favor of alternative approaches that address social and economic factors.
PDF
Psychosocial Support and the Oriental Other: A Postcolonial (His)Story
This document critiques the role of psychology and psychosocial support within the frameworks of colonial histories, exploring how these systems function as mechanisms of governance while obscuring the violence of displacement and forced migration.
PDF
Collective rumination: When "problem talk" impairs organizational resilience
This conceptual article explores how collective rumination—repetitive discussions focused on negative aspects of adverse events—can negatively affect organizational resilience by fostering a shared negative situational assessment among members.
PDF
Resolving and Transforming Conflicts
This document explores the nature of conflict, its causes, and methods for constructive resolution. It discusses interpersonal conflicts, the emotions such as anger involved, and offers practical strategies for managing and expressing anger effectively.