Team Meeting FAQ's
- What is a Family Team Meeting?
- What goals can I work on?
- Who is invited to the Family Team Meeting?
- What will happen at the Family Team Meeting?
- Making a referral?
1. What is a Family Team Meeting?
A Family Team Meeting is for people who care about you (and your family) to get together and support you with working on goals you have identified for your family. A Facilitator will meet with you to talk more about the Family Team Meeting and help you set it up.
2. What goals can I work on?
You get to decide which goals will be the focus of your Family Team Meeting.
3. Who is invited to the Family Team Meeting?
- You get to decide whom you would like to have invited to your Family Team Meeting
- We encourage you to invite family members, friends, and others from your neighborhood, community or church that you can count on for support.
- You may want to invite Family Support Workers, counselors, teachers, or others involved with your family as service providers.
- People you don't work with now but may be able to help you on working toward your goals or who can provide you with information, services, or resources.
- There may be people who must be invited because of legal reasons and are necessary to have input from if you are involved with them (JFS or JC staff).
4. What will happen at the Family Team Meeting?
- Everyone will introduce themselves to each other.
- The Facilitator will go over ground rules, such as: Be respectful of all participants, One person speaks at a time, It is okay to disagree... You may make suggestions for other rules you think the team needs to follow at your meeting.
- You will be able to tell everyone the goal(s) you have chosen to work on.
- You will have the chance to tell "your story" (what has been going on? What brought you here today?) You may share as much or as little as you would like. This can be used as an opportunity for you to help others understand your situation and give them a bigger picture of what's going on with your family.
- Everyone in the group will help list you and your family's strengths that you already have that will help you reach your goals.
- You and the team will list the needs and concerns you and your family have in order to meet your goals.
- Everyone will help list resources and steps that may help meet your goals at the same time addressing the needs and concerns you and the team listed.
- Using the lists made, a Plan that everyone agrees on is written out. The Plan will show who will do what and when they will do it in order for you and your family to accomplish your goals.
- Everyone you invited to be part of your team will get a copy of the Plan mailed within 10 working days of your meeting.
5. Making a referral?
In order for any agency or family seeking service coordination they must contact Central Intake and Referral at (419) 624-6355. An initial assessment of a family's need for service is made by the contact agency/Central intake.
This assessment will determine the eligibility and Level of Service Coordination needed. A Level One Service Coordination referral is those parents who are not involved in multiple agencies, yet are seeking services that they are having difficulty accessing through one agency. Level One referrals will be referred to an appropriate agency for assistance prior to Service Coordination being considered as an option. Level Two is those children who are already multi-system involved. If the needs of the family cannot be met through already existing collaborative efforts, the needs to form a Family Team for Service Coordination will be evaluated and initiated if appropriate. The referral will then be given to the Family & Children First FCF Service Coordinator in the County.
To obtain a copy of the Erie County Service Coordination Mechanism or to make a referral contact:
Erie County Family & Children First Council
414 Superior Street, 2nd. Floor
Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: (419) 624-6355
Fax: (419) 4-6357
