Using Eco-mapping to Understand Family Strengths and Resources

Whilst genograms provide an historical moving-picture show of the family and the links across and between generations, eco-maps locate the family unit in their current social context. They provide a visual map of the family'due south connections to the external globe.

They give workers a comprehensive picture of:

• the family dynamics - relationships that are nurturing or conflictual;
• each individual family members connections to social support systems. For example: housing support, income support, counselling, justice programs etc and the quality of these connections;
• each individual family members connections to their community. For example: significant friends, neighbours, sports clubs, spiritual influences - and the quality of these connections;
• the whole family unit of measurement's level of connectedness to the external world;
• areas of deprivation where resources may need to be mobilized or strengthened;
• and areas of service duplication.

They provide a useful tool for cess of family unit, social and community relationships and the quality of these connections.

They can exist particularly useful in working with migrant and refugee families to get a movie of the latitude of their social and family connections or to map areas of isolation or disconnection that may need to exist addressed.

Drawing an Eco-map

1. Apply a white board or a large piece of paper and draw a large circle in the center. In this circle describe each member of the firsthand family unit - squares to evidence males and circles to prove females. Put each persons name and historic period in the centre of the square or circle.
2. Identify the quality of the relationship between the family members through the utilise of lines:
   
3. Adjacent place whatever significant extended family relationships or of import friendships and the quality of these relationships currently using the lines outlined higher up.
4. Next place the social and environmental systems which touch on the family unit. For example their links to school, work, church, welfare support agency, kid protection services, youth justice, section of corrections etc. Then draw a line to stand for the quality of the relationship between the family fellow member and the ecology system that has been identified as above.
5. Connections tin can exist fatigued to the family unit circle as a whole or to one individual in the family if at that place is one person involved with that system. This helps to show the differing levels of connectedness to the external world amongst family members.
6. Ever put a date on your eco-map.

Using ecomaps as a baseline for discussion

When working with a young person's family, at that place may be some disagreement among family members about the quality of the relationships and level and nature of back up provided past extended family, friends, church, school and other external sources.

As a practitioner, effort to view this sort of discussion as useful. It may help to elicit each family member's beliefs virtually the role of family unit and community and something of the underlying values held by each individual within the family unit.

It tin can be very useful to repeat this practice afterwards a few months of working with a family to assess whatsoever changes in the family unit'due south relationship with the external surround and whether there is increased levels of social and family connectedness and less or more reliance on professional services.

What does an Eco-map tell united states of america?

One time the eco-map is completed you can then assess whether the family'southward needs are being met from their bones needs for food, shelter and an income through to their need for belonging and social connectedness.

Other areas you can explore include:

1. How do family unit members feel nearly the neighbourhood they are living in?
2. Are they reliant on professional agencies for support? Or practise they have family, friends and neighbours who are supportive?
3. If they are reliant on professional agencies for support, what is the quality of support provided? Is it meeting their needs?
4. Are services existence duplicated or is there good advice between services providing assistance to family members?
5. Do they have links with people from their own cultural background? Are their values appreciated or in conflict with the surrounding environment?
6. Practice they engage in any activities outside school or work or belong to any groups?
7. Do they have admission to good health care?
8. Are there areas of need that are not beingness met and is there capcity to access needed back up within the local community?

Family unit boundaries

Eco-maps help workers to appraise whether the boundaries betwixt family and their environment are open up or closed. Families who take flexible open up boundaries have salubrious relationships with people outside the family. They allow individual family unit members to develop independent relationships whilst maintaining family connections.

Families with airtight boundaries have little contact with the outside earth and tend to view the earth with suspicion. Family members become enmeshed and sometimes depressed every bit at that place is no new input to energise relationships and thinking.

Eco-maps provide a clear visual representation of the state of boundaries within a family unit unit and highlight where a worker may need to encourage parents to allow more openness and input so private members can develop relationships both external to the family likewise every bit internal. If a family unit unit remains closed, there is the adventure that information technology may disintegrate altogether.

Boundary questions to enquire include:

1. Is this family open to new experiences or relationships? To what extent and in what ways is it 'closed'?
2. Are the family boundaries permeable and porous? Are members gratuitous to make individual connections with other people and organizations? Does the family allow others in physically or emotionally? Practise in-laws remain outsiders?
3. Are the boundaries flexible, i.east., can they expand and contract adaptively in relation to the environs? Does the family protect its members when necessary and allow differentiation when appropriate?
4. Are restricted family boundaries primarily due to something nigh the family, something about the globe, or both? ⁱ

Service Support

Eco-maps also help yous to clarify whether the level and type of support the family unit is receiving from health, welfare, employment and other services is adequate and advisable for their needs. Eco-maps tin highlight deficits in service delivery, duplication of service commitment or a lack of co-ordinated service delivery.

1. Are the services the family is engaged with coming together the family'due south needs?
2. Are they communicating with each other? Is there a co-ordinated approach to service delivery?
3. Are there areas of need that are not being addressed?
4. Is there duplication of service delivery and no 1 bureau taken a pb role in ensuring the capability and appropriateness of the response to the family unit'south needs?
5. What is the quality of the relationship betwixt professional and support workers and family members? What energy is going into piece of work with the family and is it having any measurable results?

¹ Metropolitan Country College of Denver, Utilising an Eco Map accessed 2009.

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Source: http://www.strongbonds.jss.org.au/workers/cultures/ecomaps.html

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