2Gen Relationship Building: Why the “Intake Form” Still Matters

Sarah Haight | April 28, 2022 | Ascend Network

In 2007, the year I graduated from social work school, I worked closely with women who had elected to participate in cognitive behavioral therapy – individually and in groups – as an alternative to incarceration and as an accelerated pathway to reunification with their children. As part of my field placement, I was given a large black binder with “FORMS” spelled on the front in big green letters. It contained all the documents we asked our clients to complete – both on their own and with us case managers – over the course of their treatment, including a large docket of paper for their ‘intake,’ or process of first engaging the client in their needs.

These intake forms were important for me and my fellow clinicians so we had a streamlined process that increased bandwidth, reduced stress, and sped up processing time. These documents were designed for social workers to better understand our clients, but they were only effective if they first met these women where they were and enabled them to effectively communicate their goals and needs. So the success of this process didn’t just hinge upon my ability to digest provided information, it required forms be simple and culturally-competent to build trust and solicit sharing of sensitive, personal information. Do you know how many forms were in my binder? Thirty-seven. Thirty-seven! For one program. That amount of paperwork overwhelms staff, diminishing bandwidth to effectively support families, and can be overwhelming to families, who already face bureaucratic challenges when accessing supports and resources.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Garrett County Community Action Committee

It’s been a long time since I met directly with clients, but over the course of the last decade, I’ve been heartened by many of the Ascend Network’s efforts to streamline and simplify intake processes and human services for families, especially parents with low incomes, who are juggling a range of stressors and challenges. Two-generation (2Gen) approaches face the challenge of aligning forms for whole families, and many are following the lead of the Garrett County Community Action Committee (GCCAC), which has long recognized that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and in “human services, first impressions often begin with the client intake process.” Intake forms become more two-generational when they, for example, capture relevant or essential information on the whole family needed to access a range of services and resources; and/or engage the parent or caregiver in their own goals and their goals for their child.

Recognizing that centering family voice consistently is key to refining intake processes and forms, a group of Network Partners have recently shared their forms and tools in hopes of inspiring and influencing others in the field. You can find those forms and some background on the organizations below:

  • Catholic Charities of Hartford, CT: Catholic Charities is a non-profit agency serving people of all faiths in Hartford, Litchfield, and New Haven Counties since 1920. The organization has a focus on children as our future, families as the backbone of our society, and the elderly as our link to our roots.
  • Washington State Department of Social and Health Services: This department is Washington State’s agency serving families with low incomes, with a focus on benefits access and resources for food, cash, and medical services, with a specific focus on centering parent leaders and voices in informing their services.
  • San Diego Workforce Partnership: This organization creates partnerships and collaborations to equip adults with workforce development training and skill-building, with the goal of moving them toward living-wage jobs. The organization has adopted a 2Gen approach in serving parents with low incomes in the region.
  • Garrett County Community Action Committee: GCCAC is a leading community action agency in Western Maryland with a focus on adult and child services supporting economic mobility, early childhood and workforce education, and community building. GCCAC has been a leading 2Gen organization since 2014.

We invite you to share your intake forms with us, and we can upload them to this blog post or our 2Gen Toolbox for others to review and adapt or utilize. Please reach out to us at Ascend.network@aspeninstitute.org.

Related Posts

This Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Week session discussed two-generation (2Gen) strategies to achieving improved outcomes for families.
Ascend NetworkJuly 19, 2023
A photo of students and their children at Santa Fe Community College
On May 9, members of the Ascend team had the opportunity to visit Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico. Here are three takeaways from our site visit.
Ascend NetworkJune 14, 2023
Ascend at the Aspen Institute builds intergenerational family prosperity and well-being for children and the adults in their lives through a two-generation (2Gen) approach. This mean we intentionally and simultaneously focus on supporting children and the adults in their lives together. We center racial, gender, and economic equity in all our work along with the …

Meeting Young Parents in LA County Where They Dream Read More »

Ascend NetworkApril 27, 2023
We are delighted to share a new research report in partnership with Child Trends: Data on Families with Low Incomes Across America Can Inform Two-Generation Approaches. In this new analysis, research experts Elizabeth Wildsmith and Marta Alvira-Hammond paint a detailed picture of how families in households with low incomes in the United States have changed …

Data on Families With Low Incomes Across America Read More »

PublicationMarch 1, 2023
Magazine cover reading Kansas Child
In a recent article for Kansas Child Magazine, Ascend executive director and founder Anne Mosle discusses the how 2Gen approaches can build on family resilience to meet the moment for children and families.
Media MentionsOctober 19, 2022
Mental illness affects 1 in every 5 Americans, however, inefficiencies, siloes, and disparities among systems make it challenging for families with low-incomes to access the health supports that are essential for them to live their healthiest lives. Health and well-being is foundational to individuals’ and families’ ability to reach their full potential, which is why it’s one …

The Family Partnership’s 2Gen Approach to Mental Health Read More »

Ascend NetworkOctober 11, 2022
As an organization with a vibrant Early Head Start program and a two-generational approach to alleviating poverty, All Our Kin has been a proud partner in Ascend at the Aspen Institute’s Family Prosperity Innovation Community. Being part of this group among 20 partnering organizations has given All Our Kin the opportunity to bring its innovative model …

Mom and Son Duo Reflect on Family Prosperity Convening Read More »

Aspen Family Prosperity Innovation CommunityAugust 11, 2022
To help families cope with loss, trauma, and isolation, community leaders and practitioners are using the two-generation (2Gen) approach that honors their experiences and builds off their strengths as a whole family.
Ascend NetworkJune 28, 2022
In episode 14 of the City of Kalamazoo's Shared Prosperity podcast, Ascend's Sarah Haight sits down with Kevin Ford, the city's Shared Prosperity Kalamazoo Coordinator. Throughout their discussion, they speak about the two-generation (2Gen) approach to improving family and community well-being.
Media MentionsMay 2, 2022
Although Black women continue to make significant contributions to their families and society, including being the top breadwinners and the most educated demographic earning a postsecondary education, the road to economic recovery and well-being is still further from their reach than their counterparts.
Ascend NetworkMarch 24, 2022
A commitment to rigorous learning and evaluation is fundamental to the implementation of a two-generation (2Gen) approach so that we’re measuring how well programs and policies serve the whole family. This is reflected in research being the first principle of a 2Gen approach, and it’s embedded in the day-to-day work of Ascend’s 450+ nationwide Network Partners. These visionary practitioners and systems …

From Proof Points to Building Evidence: Creating A Two-Generation (2Gen) Research Agenda Read More »

Ascend NetworkMarch 10, 2022
Think of how much our families evolve in 10 years. A seven-year-old will move from second-grade spelling tests to walking down the hallways of their dream university. At the same time, their parents may transition from school pick-up lines to their own school successes and career advancement. We don’t traverse our lives alone. We build …

A Family Story, One Decade in the Making Read More »

Ascend NetworkFebruary 21, 2022
Mayor Muriel Bowser has officially proclaimed today, December 1st, 2021, as Two Generations, One Future Day in Washington, D.C.!
BlogDecember 1, 2021
Anne Mosle and Marjorie Sims co-authored an op-ed in Penn Live/ Patriot News discussing the accomplishments of Ascend Network partners in Pennsylvania and present opportunities ahead to advance family well-being by centering families through two-generation (2Gen) approaches. We are at a moment in the nation – and in Pennsylvania – when a paradigm shift is in …

We’re entering a new era that will provide stronger support for struggling families in Pennsylvania Read More »

Ascend NetworkOctober 19, 2021
Two-generation approaches (2Gen) meaningfully engage and listen to families as equal partners in setting and achieving family goals. Family expertise and advice drive the design of two-generation policies, programs, and services. The voices and perspectives of people affected by policies and programs are essential elements of making them work. The words of parents and caregivers animate and reinforce what we learn from the data and the facts on the ground about these policies.
BlogAugust 3, 2021