Observing and documenting parent-child interactions using CHEERS can frequently feel like an exercise in “make-work”, a task that simply needs to be checked off so that we can get on with our work. However, decades of research show the quality of parent-child interactions significantly impacts child development and the course of parent-child relationships. The bottom line is caring, attentive, and supportive parental responsiveness helps establish a healthy and firm foundation for a child’s brain architecture and their lifelong health and wellbeing. CHEERS can be an extremely useful tool to promote such positive, supportive and adaptive parent behavior. This presentation will explore the observational skills and interpretive attitudes and values necessary for CHEERS observations and documentation to provide the information needed to support parents in improving and maintaining the quality of their parent-child interactions. Representative CHEERS observations and documentation help practitioners promote parents’ awareness of their behavior; realization of the impact of their responses on their children’s behavior and development; and integration of new parenting behavior into their daily routines. The workshop will review HFA’s requirements and intent for CHEERS, provide opportunities to practice CHEERS observations, discuss the barriers to representative observations, explore the influence of a strength-based approach on CHEERS observation and documentation, look at areas to consider for using CHEERS observations in effective home visit planning, examine effective communication strategies for promoting parental supportive responsiveness, and discuss effective CHEERS documentation. Group discussions will reinforce the information presented.