Child and Family Team Meetings
Intended Audience
- Child Welfare Workers
- Child Welfare Supervisors
- Caregivers and Potential Caregivers
- Youth
Targeted Age Group(s)
- 10-12
- 13-17
- 18 or older
QIC-EY Engagement Model Components (i) The engagement model components were identified through the QIC-EY Environmental Scan as critical to the support of youth engagement in the attainment of permanence.
- Engage Specialized Staff
- Support Youth Empowerment
- Utilize Youth-guided Team
- Prioritize Legal, Relational and Cultural Permanence
Description
Child and Family Team Meetings (CFTM) is a child-centered, family-driven, strength-based practice that is deliberate and structured to involve youth, families and caregivers in case planning through a facilitated meeting of family members and their identified supports. Child and Family Team refers to a team composed of family members, friends, foster parents, legal custodians, community specialists and other interested persons identified by the family and the agency who join together to empower, to motivate and to strengthen a family and who collaboratively develop a plan of care and protection to achieve child safety, child permanency and child-and-family well-being.
The Child and Family Team Meeting (CFTM) should be based on the needs of the family and the youth. It is a shared decision-making process to assist with the initial and ongoing assessments of children and their families. The CFTM process includes gathering formal and informal supports to assist the family in achieving goals identified by the family. This process allows child welfare workers to hear and to understand the family’s voice and to assist the family with building a support system that will remain in place after their child welfare case has closed.
CFTM training is intended for all persons who may interact with and participate in a CFT or in a CFT meeting (e.g., child welfare services, juvenile probation workers, short-term residential therapeutic programs, resource, educators, behavioral and physical health professionals, parent/family/youth partners, community-based organizations). Topics covered include the historical context of team-based models and practice, what a CFT is and regulations and requirements. In addition, the course will provide the requirements and best practices of the CFT. Counties may contract with providers for facilitation, train social workers not carrying cases or train case-carrying social workers to become skilled facilitators who are responsible for ensuring that the CFT process has fidelity.
Implementation Considerations
A skilled and trained CFT facilitator is essential to ensure that the CFT process is strengths-based, child/youth/family-centered, individualized, collaborative, culturally reflective, trauma-informed and outcomes-focused in the development of individual case plans.