We’ve seen a significant benefit in the increased family team meetings and the addition of “nontraditional” participants. In fact, we’ve seen that these additional people feel empowered when they find out that their participation can positively impact the children’s future and the parents’ success.
It’s exciting for all of us, though, to see each other discarding the silos of roles and getting back to the basics of focusing on results. When we partner together, we push up our sleeves, jump in and rely on each other to focus on solutions and not roles. Even better, we’ve gone even further and explored the potential of new roles for families’ personal network.
We’ve been able to address barriers more quickly, so it provides results more quickly. And who can’t appreciate that?
The natural advantage to bringing in more people is that we’re also building an informal support system for the family. Our work is intensive while the case is open, so you can imagine what an adjustment it can be when suddenly we’re out of the picture. Those additional people and the informal supports they create are key, because they will be involved with the family long after we are gone. We have to identify people in the families’ lives that can take the ball when we step aside.
Heidi
Monday, December 20, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Family Team Meetings
Utilizing family team meetings has been a great way to come together to support a family. Uniting everyone is so beneficial, especially on a complicated case.
Family team meetings are a critical way to engage parents, attorneys and other stakeholders. However, through collaboration, we began holding them more often, evolving past the one-time-only engagement. When we held additional family meetings, we were able to engage “nontraditional” members in the meetings like people from the family’s church, school staff, friends and relatives.
Traditionally, cases started with a family team meeting, the assessment and case plan was written, and that was it for family meetings. As we get to know the families after the team meeting, we learn about more people who are influential in the lives of the families - people who can potentially make a significant impact in the success of the family. But we only find out about those individuals by blending the work and knowledge of everyone on the team.
We’ve also recognized that to reach our mutual goals, we have to step out of our comfort zone and break free of traditional roles. A common barrier has traditionally been client transportation, especially when it comes to resources. In the past we may have walked away from the issue because it was someone else’s responsibility. Now we look at these other people in the families’ personal network and seek out those individuals and identify how they can fill in that gap – a gap that can be so detrimental to the families’ success.
Jody
Family team meetings are a critical way to engage parents, attorneys and other stakeholders. However, through collaboration, we began holding them more often, evolving past the one-time-only engagement. When we held additional family meetings, we were able to engage “nontraditional” members in the meetings like people from the family’s church, school staff, friends and relatives.
Traditionally, cases started with a family team meeting, the assessment and case plan was written, and that was it for family meetings. As we get to know the families after the team meeting, we learn about more people who are influential in the lives of the families - people who can potentially make a significant impact in the success of the family. But we only find out about those individuals by blending the work and knowledge of everyone on the team.
We’ve also recognized that to reach our mutual goals, we have to step out of our comfort zone and break free of traditional roles. A common barrier has traditionally been client transportation, especially when it comes to resources. In the past we may have walked away from the issue because it was someone else’s responsibility. Now we look at these other people in the families’ personal network and seek out those individuals and identify how they can fill in that gap – a gap that can be so detrimental to the families’ success.
Jody
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Getting the whole team involved
Working in a partnership model has been a great boost for employee morale. When we’re meeting as a team, supervisors for both public and private agencies have an opportunity to model for staff. When Heidi is in a meeting with staff from both agencies, she will provide great input and consultation. Her staff sees that and can feel comfortable speaking up and giving their input. They are inspired to take part in the conversation and the solutions. My staff sees that it is a partnership and that it takes information from everyone to make the best solution.
We are also in a position to help each other support our staff. We’re all working with the same family, and since we’re communicating, we experience the ups and downs of a case together. That enables staff to respond to issues on the case quicker, but also to support each other. The unique perspective we each bring to the case is important, which is why case management is structured the way it is.
Jody
We are also in a position to help each other support our staff. We’re all working with the same family, and since we’re communicating, we experience the ups and downs of a case together. That enables staff to respond to issues on the case quicker, but also to support each other. The unique perspective we each bring to the case is important, which is why case management is structured the way it is.
Jody
Monday, October 18, 2010
Communication and Trust
The benefits of consistent communication have been clear. When people are involved, there is naturally opportunity for change. When things change or when issues arise, it’s critical to have everyone involved in the problem-solving process. Our best ideas are born when we have more information, so we make communication a priority.
When we’re communicating regularly, we all know who is doing what, and we have the freedom to talk about the why. When you’re building trust with a family, it’s so important to all be on the same page. It’s important for the family to know that everyone is working toward the same goal, which is the best outcome for everyone.
When we work together and everyone knows what the other is doing, we also know that when we come back together, we can predict where the family will be in their progress. This minimizes the need for problem solving and makes it easier for the family and everyone involved in the case to see where we made progress and what we need to work on.
It’s been great to see the collaboration between our staff.
Heidi
When we’re communicating regularly, we all know who is doing what, and we have the freedom to talk about the why. When you’re building trust with a family, it’s so important to all be on the same page. It’s important for the family to know that everyone is working toward the same goal, which is the best outcome for everyone.
When we work together and everyone knows what the other is doing, we also know that when we come back together, we can predict where the family will be in their progress. This minimizes the need for problem solving and makes it easier for the family and everyone involved in the case to see where we made progress and what we need to work on.
It’s been great to see the collaboration between our staff.
Heidi
Monday, October 4, 2010
Partnership in Permanency: consistency and communication
This next series of posts gives some insight to partnership within Iowa's Family, Risk & Permanency services...
To public and private agency employees, partnership can be seen if you look into the core of a relationship. It’s how well you know the person on the other end.
The next series of blog posts will take you down the path of two supervisors involved with FSRP (Family Safety, Risk, and Permanency) services which are designed to provide support to families and connect them to resources when they’re involved in the child welfare system. The services help them manage self sufficiency and child safety. Jody is a supervisor on the public side and Heidi is a supervisor for a private agency. They have worked together on cases and seen the real benefits of partnership and collaboration.
Jody: The most obvious way we collaborate is consistent communication. Supervisors from both the public and private agencies meet on a regular basis to discuss how things are going. While that always seems like common sense in theory, the tricky part is to make it happen.
There are many sides to keeping each other up-to-date on a case that you are mutually responsible for. First of all, the start of a case is immediate and everyone has to mobilize in a quick timeframe. In the beginning, there is so much discovery involved, and it’s important to keep communication open so that we can decide the best strategies to meet the defined goals.
We literally come together to staff cases – it’s not just a matter of being assigned to the same case. Everyone has an equal voice when we talk about hurdles and what we can do about them. It’s all about being solution-focused. In the past there wasn’t a forum for clinical consultation, but working in the model of partnership, we come up with better solutions because of the inclusive working environment. We’ve gone from a crisis-driven mode to a collaborative mode, and our staff is doing their best work ever.
To public and private agency employees, partnership can be seen if you look into the core of a relationship. It’s how well you know the person on the other end.
The next series of blog posts will take you down the path of two supervisors involved with FSRP (Family Safety, Risk, and Permanency) services which are designed to provide support to families and connect them to resources when they’re involved in the child welfare system. The services help them manage self sufficiency and child safety. Jody is a supervisor on the public side and Heidi is a supervisor for a private agency. They have worked together on cases and seen the real benefits of partnership and collaboration.
Jody: The most obvious way we collaborate is consistent communication. Supervisors from both the public and private agencies meet on a regular basis to discuss how things are going. While that always seems like common sense in theory, the tricky part is to make it happen.
There are many sides to keeping each other up-to-date on a case that you are mutually responsible for. First of all, the start of a case is immediate and everyone has to mobilize in a quick timeframe. In the beginning, there is so much discovery involved, and it’s important to keep communication open so that we can decide the best strategies to meet the defined goals.
We literally come together to staff cases – it’s not just a matter of being assigned to the same case. Everyone has an equal voice when we talk about hurdles and what we can do about them. It’s all about being solution-focused. In the past there wasn’t a forum for clinical consultation, but working in the model of partnership, we come up with better solutions because of the inclusive working environment. We’ve gone from a crisis-driven mode to a collaborative mode, and our staff is doing their best work ever.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Looking back (the private agency perspective)
There is perhaps the misconception that partnership means we’re buddies. That’s not what it’s about - this partnership is a redefined, clearly understood shared accountability. A conversation about results is not just whether or not something is working. It is what do we do differently? And why?
Again, note the “we.” Talking about what “we” can do frees us up to acknowledge our own challenges, because we know the focus will be on how we can solve problems, rather than pointing out each other’s faults.
One of the values of being part of this team is now I understand my public agency partners and the context in which they work better. I have a clearer sense of their challenges unique to that world, and how they differ from mine. This understanding helps inform my future interactions.
Again, note the “we.” Talking about what “we” can do frees us up to acknowledge our own challenges, because we know the focus will be on how we can solve problems, rather than pointing out each other’s faults.
One of the values of being part of this team is now I understand my public agency partners and the context in which they work better. I have a clearer sense of their challenges unique to that world, and how they differ from mine. This understanding helps inform my future interactions.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Looking back (from the public agency perspective)
The work is done; the recommendation has been implemented.
Reflecting on the team’s work together, this experience has already impacted agency interactions outside of this task force.
Statewide public and private agencies will continue to have issues of challenging each other, but this opens up the door for clinical conversations which enhance and make the partnership more effective. There’s less finger pointing and talk of “You’re not doing this right…” We talk about how we can come together to figure out how we can do “that’ better.
Nationwide we’ve found there is not much insight on how to move performance contracting forward. The one thing we’ve heard over and over is that the communication and the relationship makes or breaks it.
When all parties commit to open communication, it creates an understanding that leads us to a better working relationship. Taking that relationship to a higher level exposes the reality that we really can see better results.
Reflecting on the team’s work together, this experience has already impacted agency interactions outside of this task force.
Statewide public and private agencies will continue to have issues of challenging each other, but this opens up the door for clinical conversations which enhance and make the partnership more effective. There’s less finger pointing and talk of “You’re not doing this right…” We talk about how we can come together to figure out how we can do “that’ better.
Nationwide we’ve found there is not much insight on how to move performance contracting forward. The one thing we’ve heard over and over is that the communication and the relationship makes or breaks it.
When all parties commit to open communication, it creates an understanding that leads us to a better working relationship. Taking that relationship to a higher level exposes the reality that we really can see better results.
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