Selecting Candidates

5 Ways to Spot an Intergenerational Family-Supportive Candidate

Adapted from Shamara Riley article,
former director of communications at Family Support America

Elections present family support advocates with opportunities to raise awareness- in their communities and states, as well as on the federal level- about the needs and strengths of America’s families. A lot of work remains to be done in this area, and one of the main jobs of intergenerational family support advocates is to start asking politicians the right questions.

Following are some strategies for assessing a candidate’s intergenerational family-supportiveness throughout election seasons.

1. Are the candidate’s vision and agenda aligned with intergenerational family support? Ask the candidate what intergenerational family support means to him or her. Research whether the candidate’s vision emphasizes building on the strengths of families, as opposed to focusing on punitive measures. Does he or she accentuate the role of prevention services when discussing issues such as child or senior abuse? Assess how families fare in the candidate’s agenda on such issues as community development, crime prevention, child welfare, and long-term care. In addition, evaluate whether the candidate will implement his or her agenda in an intergenerational family-supportive fashion. Does the candidate independently mention working with families and residents to promote particular legislation or resolve social challenges?

2. What specific commitments has the candidate made on behalf of intergenerational family support? For example, does the candidate favor increased funding for intergenerational family support centers? Ask about any specific contributions the candidate has made to community building efforts. Research his or her voting record and any specific pledges made on issues such as child and adult day care, education across the life span, youth development, welfare reform, and violence prevention. See if the candidate will commit to participating in a forum on intergenerational family support issues. Encourage the candidate to sign a pledge outlining changes that you’d like to see in your community or state.

3. How much of a champion has the candidate been for the intergenerational family support cause? Determine the ways in which the candidate has spread the word about intergenerational family support. Has he or she played a role in propelling any legislation that enhances family capacity, or that responds to emerging family and community issues? If so, evaluate whether the candidate was a primary mover and shaker for the legislation, or merely a supporter. This assessment will help you determine whether a candidate will go the extra mile on behalf of intergenerational family support.

4. Does the candidate acknowledge the diversity of today’s families? Does the candidate acknowledge two-parent families, single parents, grandparents raising grandchildren, stepfamilies, adoptive families, and sandwich caretaker families just to name a few, when making presentations? Judge how well the candidate’s visual and written material communicate this diversity.

5. If the candidate is new to intergenerational family support, is he or she willing to increase his or her knowledge about intergenerational family support? Set up site visits for candidates so they can see intergenerational family support in action and meet with program participants about the benefits of intergenerational family support. Invite candidates to your agency’s events to further develop the relationship. Offer to provide accurate information to candidates and their staff on the benefits and impact of intergenerational family support, and where it is happening in their communities.

It is critical that intergenerational family support advocates inform candidates at all levels about intergenerational family support services.