I completely agree! I think my struggle with the visit was between wanting to set that tone and build the relationship and learn about the child…all at once. Lots to juggle in a first visit but like you said, when it goes well, it really makes a difference in your relationship!

To me, one of the key objectives on a first/initial visit is all about making sure the family understands where I (may) fit into the team the child may already have or how am I going to help/contribute to building that team around the family/child.

Also, the first visit is to me about starting to build a good and trusting/respectful relationship with the family in order to successfully working together. I am there to help right? 🙂

So, I do not have a set agenda when I “go in”. This is not “my” meeting. I have my objectives to take with me, however how the actual visit will go, can/will be different in each case. There is no one size fits all as far as my experience goes (only 30 years, so I have a lot more to learn J, learning never stops no matter what our profession is).

If I find myself playing/interacting with little Johnny, that is fine as far as I am concerned, as long as it fits the purpose of the visit, our meeting with the family. I take it as part of my relationship building with the family, as the family includes little Johhny as well. 🙂 I make sure playing with the child does not “wash over” our discussions with the adults, however it will only benefit and help the parents to build trust in you and your knowledge when they see you actually know what you doing and what you are talking about.

This is a complex topic to talk about, the conversation could go on for hours and the topic still would not be exhausted.

I strongly believe, first visits can set the tone for the rest of your relationship with the family, so if I do my part right, it helps. Hope I am making some sense, I do not often contribute to discussions online. Thanks for reading my comment. Have a great day!