Chapter VIII:Protective Services 1412 - CPS IN-HOME SERVICES

III. CHILD AND FAMILY TEAMS AND THE TEAM APPROACH

The main vehicle for delivering the CPS In-home Services practice model is through Child and Family Team (CFT) decision making. A Child and Family Team (CFT) are family members and their community supports that come together to create, implement and update a plan with the child, youth and family.  The plan builds on the strengths of the child, youth and family and addresses their needs, desires and dreams. CFT meetings utilize a team approach to improve the agency’s process; to encourage the involvement, support and “buy-in” of the family, extended family, and the community to the agency’s decisions; and to develop specific, individualized, and appropriate interventions for children and families.

CFT meetings recognize and respect the family as the expert on its own children. A CFT meeting genuinely engages families in the planning process, jointly develops specific safety plans for children at risk, and designs in-home or out-of-home services and supports for families.

To learn more regarding the required use of CFT meetings, please refer to Chapter VII - Child and Family Team Meetings.

It is important that the CPS social worker begin talking with the family about CFT meetings even prior to a case decision being made. Beginning discussions during the CPS Assessment should include conversations regarding who is included in the family, and who is important even if they are not related. Laying this ground work will help ensure that at the face-to-face meeting within 7 days following the case decision the family will be prepared.

Child and Family Team meetings should be discussed during every contact thereafter to assist the family in identifying and sustaining appropriate supports. Please refer to Chapter VII - Child and Family Team Meetings for guidance on the frequency of CFT meetings.

For policy guidance on conducting a Child and Family Team meeting with a family that has experienced domestic violence, please refer to Chapter VIII; Section 1409 - Domestic Violence. It provides discussion questions for county DSS and facilitators to consider when deciding whether to go forward with a joint CFT meeting including the adult victim/non-offending parent and the perpetrator of violence. Also, it discusses some examples of safety preparations for the meeting.