Family-Centered Approach means that families are a family of choice defined by the consumers themselves. Families are responsible for their children and are respected and listened to as we support them in meeting their needs, reducing system barriers, and promoting changes that can be sustained overtime. The goal of a family-centered team and system is to move away from the focus of a single client represented in systems, to a focus on the functioning, safety, and well being of the family as a whole.
Consumer Involvement The family's involvement in the process is empowering and increases the likelihood of cooperation, ownership, and success. Families are viewed as full and meaningful partners in all aspects of the decision making process affecting their lives including decisions made about their service plans.
Builds on Natural and Community Supports Recognizes and utilizes all resources in our communities creatively and flexibly, including formal and informal supports and service systems. Every attempt should be made to include the families' relatives, neighbors, friends, faith community, co-workers or anyone the family would like to include in the team process. Ultimately families will be empowered and have developed a network of informal, natural, and community supports so that formal system involvement is reduced or not needed at all.
Strength-Based Strength-based planning builds on the family's unique qualities and identified strengths that can then be used to support strategies to meet the families needs. Strengths should also be found in the family's environment through their informal support networks as well as in attitudes, values, skills, abilities, preferences and aspirations. Strengths are expected to emerge, be clarified and change over time as the family's initial needs are met and new needs emerge with strategies discussed and implemented.
Unconditional Care Means that involvement with the family is not dependent on something the child or family does or doesn't do. Rather, it's a commitment on the part of system partners to be there when the family needs them. It's a pledge on the part of the family and providers to work collaboratively to determine appropriate services, support or interventions. Team members do not unilaterally assign or terminate services.
Collaboration Across Systems An interactive process in which people with diverse expertise, along with families, generate solutions to mutually defined needs and goals building on identified strengths. All systems working with the family have an understanding of each other's programs and a commitment and willingness to work together to assist the family in obtaining their goals. The substance abuse, mental health, child welfare, and other identified systems collaborate and coordinate a single system of care for families involved within their services.
Team Approach Across Agencies Planning, decision-making, and strategies rely on the strengths, skills, mutual respect, creative, and flexible resources of a diversified, committed team. Team member strengths, skills, experience, and resources are utilized to select strategies that will support the family in meeting their needs. All family, formal, and informal team members share responsibility, accountability, authority, and understand and respect each other's strengths, roles, and limitations.
Ensuring Safety When child protective services are involved, the team will maintain a focus on child safety. Consideration will be given to whether the identified threats to safety are still in effect, whether the child is being kept safe by the least intrusive means possible, and whether the safety services in place are effectively controlling those threats. When safety concerns are present, a primary goal of the family team is the protection of citizens from crime and the fear of crime. The presence of individuals who are potentially dangerous requires that protection and supervision be sufficiently effective to dispel the fears of the public.
Gender/Age/Culturally Responsive Treatment Services reflect an understanding of the issues specific to gender, age, disability, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation and reflect support, acceptance, and understanding of cultural and lifestyle diversity.
Self-Sufficiency Families will be supported, resources shared, and team members held responsible in achieving self-sufficiency in essential life domains. (Domains include but are not limited to, safety, housing, employment, financial, educational, psychological, emotional, and spiritual.)
Education & Work Focus Dedication to positive, immediate, and consistent education, employment, and/or employment-related activities which results in resiliency and self-sufficiency, improved quality of life for self, family, and the community.
Belief in Growth Family improvement begins by integrating formal and informal supports that instill hope and are dedicated to interacting with individuals with compassion, dignity, and respect. Team members operate from a belief that every family desires change and can take steps toward attaining a productive and self-sufficient life.
Outcome Oriented From the onset of the family team meetings, levels of personal responsibility and accountability for all team members, both formal and informal supports are discussed, agreed-upon, and maintained. Identified outcomes are understood and shared by all team members. Legal, education, employment, child-safety, and other applicable mandates are considered in developing outcomes, progress is monitored and each team member participates in defining success. Selected outcomes are standardized, measurable, based on the life of the family and its individual members.
1960's - 1980's: Growing recognition that children with mental health needs were not being adequately served by "the system"
1984: The National Institute for Mental Health (NIMH) created a mental health model for serving children with SED. Core values included: child-centered and family focused; community-based; and culturally competent
1984: Wisconsin received an NIMH grant to assess service needs of children with SED and promote a model/approach among counties in WI
1987/88: DHSS awarded grant to Dane & Kenosha Counties to implement intensive case management projects
1989: Wisconsin's CCF Act: State Statute 46.56 defines structures & processes for Integrated Services
1991: Six Counties were selected as "Children Come First" counties
1993 - 1998: Wisconsin rd promote a model/approach among counties in WI
2000: Eight Women-Specific Treatment Grants issued in January 2000 to support Urban/Rural Women's AODA Treatment Project
2002 - 2007: 30 Counties and 2 Tribes received CST Implementation grant funding. 18 Counties received ISP grant funding. Several other Counties and Tribes received training and technical assistance to develop their collaborative systems of care.
Present: Expansion of CST continues...
WI State Statute 46.56: Integrated service programs for children with severe disabilities