A goal was set for the core competencies that 85% of the content would apply to the work of every Home Visitor and Supervisor regardless of the early childhood home visiting service or program model implemented. To achieve a high level of applicability for the core competencies across the continuum of home visiting services in Washington, practitioners were first asked how they wanted to be involved in the process. Based on responses, a variety of opportunities were created to cultivate field expertise, lived experience and a range of perspectives.
Strategies for workforce engagement included “listening and learning sessions,” surveys, culturally specific focus groups and two drafting teams. Home Visitors, Supervisors and model experts volunteered in drafting teams to create, edit, and approve the current version of the competencies. Their questions, ideas and concerns were addressed in FAQs and are represented in plans for implementation and guidance for the use of the competencies.
The drafting teams centered equity as the guiding principle, and the entirety of Washington’s home visiting workforce was invited to participate in the process to ensure the competencies were informed by, and representative of, the rich experiences of a workforce serving diverse families. Each stage of competency development included processes to ensure equity, statewide representation, and relevancy to the different models of home visiting services offered in the state. Liberatory Design mindsets, modes, practices, and questions were used consistently to ensure the decisions involved in competency development lead with equity in both the process and product.
