1. Understanding and Communicating With Families<br />Family Support Systems Report: Individual Reflection Paper<br />November 8th, 2010 – Kayla Clyke 300565900<br />As a group we went to visit the Canadian Mental Health Association agency located on Markham Road. This was an eye opening experience not only for my group members but for me as well. Having a personal connection with someone with a mental illness I received a lot of helpful information I can relay to my family. One element of this experience that had a huge impact on me was when Tara McKay was explaining to us the barriers some of the clients face. One of the barriers I felt had the most effect on me was family support and education on mental illness. Not having the family support behind you when going through a recovery stage in your mental illness can affect your ability to help yourself. Also not having the knowledge of your illness is another huge obstacle because it can prevent a lot of people of finding help and can prevent the person’s ability to identify their problems. <br /> Some of the issues regarding families I have been exposed to living in a middle class or low class area are that the many are in need of Childcare, Employment, Health Insurance and Stable Housing. A lot of families are either new to the country or don’t have a stable income to support their families so gaining access to things such as health care and childcare facilities is a major setback. Childcare is one that is tough for a lot of families’ especially single parent homes or teenage mothers. In these situations, working isn’t an option because there is no other means of childcare. Employment is another hard topic for some because either they don’t meet employer’s qualifications, language barriers, minimal education or criminal records. Having family community services to aid with these issues it allows for families to provide for their families and themselves. <br />As an Early Childhood Education, I have to tools and responsibility to help families and their children with skills and resources to overcome certain situations. By becoming a part of a child’s life you are that role model, that bridge to direct them on the right path to make decisions that will benefit their life. Building trust with a child and their family is another resource is providing alternate support for their needs. As a Early Childhood Educator and Global Citizen the choices and decisions that a person makes throughout life can benefit them and others around them or hinder their life. <br />