Family Team Decision-Making

Family Team Decision-Making - sometimes referred to as Individualized Course of Action (ICA) represents a philosophy and practice strategy for child welfare services.  This approach includes various types of family team meetings, such as family unity and family group conferencing.  These interventions continue to be effective in the decision making process for families, extended family, community participants, services providers and legal representatives.

Whether you subscribe to one methodology or use core components of many, the basic premise of each promotes family involvement and empowers families to come together to generate a plan that first promotes safety and then works to engage other members of the family, and community.  This in turn leads to resolving conflict and promotes strengths and hope.

If communities are to work together to reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect, no one response can serve each and every family's needs.  In Community Partnership sites, a family team meeting is convened with families, neighbors, and local service providers that result in tailor-made plans designed to support the family and ensure the safety and well-being of the children in that family. These plans identify the specific activities to be carried out by parents, friends, extended families, and other formal and informal supports.  Action plans build on the strengths of families - as opposed to focusing on their weaknesses - and adapt to cultural and racial norms that vary from family to family.

Family Team Meetings (FTM) in Iowa

Family Team Meeting Seminar Call Newsletter

Tools for facilitating the FTM

Planning and Preparation Interview Tools

Meeting Follow-up Tools

Other Tools

Community Partnerships FTM Quality Assurance Survey April 2006

Please click on the following for more information

• Quality Assurance Survey Summary

Return to Top of Page