Family Team Meetings
Family Team Meetings (“FTMs:”)…what are they?
Family Team Meetings are being used in every DFCS program area, from CPS/Family Preservation to Foster Care to OFI. We know from our own experience and from decades of international research that FTMs are effective whenever a formal plan needs to be created or a formal decision made.
Lets look at some quick “FTM facts”…
- The Family Team Meeting is different from any other type of family meeting or staffing done by DFCS
- The Family Team Meeting is a structured meeting, and follows a sequence of stages lasting a total of 1.5 – 2 hours
- The FTM is facilitated by a “DFCS Approved” FTM Facilitator Facilitating the Family Team Meeting requires an advanced skill set, especially group facilitation skills
- The FTM Facilitator is supported by a Co-Facilitator, who records key planning/decision making points on Easel Pads for every Team member to read
Why are FTMs so effective? Simple… It’s human nature for people to respond better to any plan or decision which involves them when they are actively involved in creating the plan or making the decision.
Here are just a few of the results well-facilitated FTMs can achieve…
- More effective planning: Writing case Plans during the FTM, results in plans which integrate the family’s resources and input, so the family is more engaged with completing the plan
- Increased appropriate relative placement through identifying and engaging extended family members at the FTM
- CPS cases being closed sooner with less recidivism
- OFI TANF clients creating effective plans for self-sufficiency at 24 months of eligibility
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