Table 1.

Potential principles of the village approach.

Village principle	Practice and policy implication
Interdisciplinary	Practitioners from various professional disciplines, including but not limited to physical health, psychology, social work, and education, are provided with the training and time to work collaboratively
Interagency	Coordinated interagency support is provided to families depending on need, including but not limited to housing, employment, child care and education
Strength based	Family, parenting and children's strengths and resources are identified, recorded and celebrated.
Prevention focused	Support aims to prevent immediate and long-term problems.
Developmental, lifespan approach	Different support is provided to parents/caregivers and children at different times, depending on key developmental milestones.
Promoting parents' agency and empowerment	The views and perspectives of parents is actively sought when defining problems and solutions. Parents are partners in the planning and delivery of services.
Giving children a voice	Children of all ages are encouraged to present their perspectives on the issues and potential solutions to existing and future family issues
Culturally sensitive	Individual, familial and communal cultures are acknowledged and considered when addressing problems and solutions.
Feedback and evaluation	Feedback and evaluation processes are built into Village-focused policies and practices