Definition of Family-Driven Care
Family-driven means families have a primary decision making role in the care of their own children as well as the policies and procedures governing care for all children in their community, state, tribe, territory and nation.
This includes:
- choosing supports, services, and providers;
- setting goals;
- designing and implementing programs;
- monitoring outcomes;
- managing the funding for services, treatments and supports; and
- determining the effectiveness of all efforts to promote the mental health and well being of children and youth.
Guiding Principles of Family-Driven Care
- Families and youth are given accurate, understandable, and complete information necessary to make choices for improved planning for individual children and their families.
- Families and youth embrace the concept of sharing decision-making and responsibility for outcomes with providers.
- Families and youth are organized to collectively use their knowledge and skills as a force for systems transformation.
- Families and family-run organizations engage in peer support activities to reduce isolation, gather and disseminate accurate information, and strengthen the family voice.
- Families actively participate in the decision making process around funding
- Providers embrace the concept of sharing decision-making authority and responsibility for outcomes with families and youth.
- Providers take the initiative to change practice from provider-driven to family-driven.
- Administrators allocate staff, training, support and resources to make family-driven practice work at the point where services and supports are delivered to children, youth, and families.
- Community attitude change efforts focus on removing barriers and discrimination created by stigma.
- Communities embrace, value, and celebrate the diverse cultures of their children, youth, and families.
- Everyone who connects with children, youth, and families continually advance their cultural and linguistic responsiveness as the population served changes.
Characteristics of Family-Driven Care
- Family and youth experiences, their visions and goals, their perceptions of strengths and needs, and their guidance about what will make them comfortable steer decision making about all aspects of service and system design, operation, and evaluation.
- Family-run organizations receive resources and funds to support and sustain the infrastructure that is essential to insure an independent family voice in their communities, states, tribes, territories, and the nation.
- Meetings and service provision happen in culturally and linguistically competent environments where family and youth voices are heard and valued, everyone is respected and trusted, and it is safe for everyone to speak honestly.
- Administrators and staff actively demonstrate their partnerships with all families and youth by sharing power, resources, authority, responsibility, and control with them.
- Families and youth have access to useful, usable, and understandable information and data, as well as sound professional expertise so they have good information to make decisions.
- Funding mechanisms allow families and youth to have choices and hold providers accountable.
- All children, youth, and families have a biological, adoptive, foster, or surrogate family voice advocating on their behalf.
March 2005
9th Draft Definition of Family-Driven
Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
1101 King Street, Suite 420, Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 684-7710
www.ffcmh.org
Child, Adolescent and Family Branch
Center for Mental Health Services
1 Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857
(240) 276-1980
It is estimated that there are 2,818 children and youth with serious emotional disturbances residing on Androscoggin, Franklin, and Oxford Counties. Over the next five years, the THRIVE- Trauma-Informed System of Care initiative will transform how these children and families receive help.
THRIVE is building a seamless 'system of care' that is family-driven, youth-guided, culturally and linguistically competent, and trauma-informed. A system of care is a network of local services and supports for children and youth in our community.
What it means to families
They are matched with a Family Partner who will offer
- Assistance in learning about choices available to them
- Support from another parent who knows what it's like
- Empowerment and a support to find their voice
- A chance to improve the system for themselves and other families
What is the difference between the Family Partner and a Case Manager?
- The Family Partner works with the family as a peer, not a clinician.
- She is an advocate from the THRIVE Initiative, not a state or provider agency.
What it means to youth
- Assistance in learning about choices available to them
- Support from another youth who knows what it's like
- Empowerment and a support to find their voice
- A chance to improve the system for themselves and other youth
What it means to providers
- Streamlined referrals
- Help with planning and facilitating family team meetings by Family Partner
- Training and support in trauma-informed service delivery, cultural and linguistically competent services, and other technical support
- Training and support for providing evidence-based practices
What it means to the community
- Healthier kids & families
- Families report decreased stress, fewer days missed from school/work
- Families feel supported