It is the child welfare professional’s responsibility to practice in a way that fosters family engagement. Family dynamics and history may make this difficult, but ongoing efforts are required. Closely linked to effective family engagement is the use of the family’s resource network and the creation of a family team. All people involved with the family, the resource network need to function as a unified team to engage the family and collaborate in assessment, case planning, on-going monitoring, and support.

Family Team Meetings are defined by Florida Administrative Code 65C-30.001 (48) as follows:

• Highly individualized process that enables families to solve problems by focusing on strengths and underlying needs.
• Heavily reliant upon family input and cooperation, as well as participation of the family’s support system and community resources to assist with safety and/or case planning.
• Families participate actively in the process by assessing their own strengths and needs, developing action plans and setting goals and timeframes.

The family’s team is actively involved in the planning and service delivery process. The team helps to ensure the skills, abilities and technical assistance needed to assist the family in achieving their goals are available.

The family team always begins with the children and family. The participation of other team members will vary; however, it is based on the individual needs of the children and family and the direction they are moving in. Team members may include formal service providers, Children’s Legal Services, teachers, therapists, foster parents, and Guardian Ad Litem team. Teams may also include informal supports such as relatives, friends, and other community resources. Effective teamwork requires coordination across the family’s team to improve the integration and quality of service provision. 

Family teamwork draws upon a family’s strengths, experiences, knowledge, and resources to create a plan that provides for the safety and well-being of children in the family. Collectively, the family team should have technical and cultural competence, family knowledge, and authority to act on behalf of community resources, and the ability to assemble resources and supports in response to specific needs. 

When planning/facilitating a family team meeting:

• Ensure time for careful planning in initial implementation efforts
• Support family teamwork implementation with strategic alliances and diverse community partnership
• Ensure adequate preparation of participants
• Support a balance in the number of family members and the number of professionals

All team members should understand the family’s goals, strategies to achieve goals, and their current status throughout the course of the case.

Efforts are made to hold team meetings at times and places conducive to meeting attendance by the family and other key partners. When key persons are not able to attend, the child welfare professional ensures that knowledge and information from the missing team member is shared before and after the meeting.