Areas of Work

CCSI Family Involvement and
Strengths-based Practices

Learn about Family Involvement within CCSI from the topics below:

• Definition
• Guiding Principles
• Family/Provider Collaboration
• A New Framework
• Family Support and Empowerment Resources
• Law/Regulation Resources
• Publications
• Foster/Adoptive Resources
• Other Resources

One of the defining qualities of CCSI is the role that parents and families play in the service planning and delivery for their children. The governing and policy making structures of CCSI are inclusive of family representatives at all levels. For example, there are family representatives on both the Tier III Committee and Tier III Workgroup.

The purpose of the CCSI legislation is to ensure that systems and agencies work together to create a comprehensive delivery of services that allows children with serious emotional or behavioral disorders to be treated and schooled in their home communities. To accomplish this, all planning must incorporate the role of families and be based upon the strengths of the child and family. Traditionally, families were viewed as the cause of their child’s emotional and behavioral challenges. Needs were identified by professionals and families were “treated.” To look only at family deficits compromises the ability to create and implement a plan that will successfully meet the distinct needs of the child and foster success in the family unit as a whole. Empowering families and building on their strengths, nurtures cooperation and long term changes necessary to keep families together in their communities. Integrating natural supports within the community will foster self-reliance. To construct an appropriate individualized service plan and ensure the comprehensive, coordinated delivery of services for a child with serious emotional disorders, the plan needs to be driven by the strengths, interests and needs identified by the child and family. This shift from provider driven to family driven practice requires a change in our thinking and a change in our roles. To negate these is to ignore the very foundation upon which all services and interventions should be based.

A Definition of Family

“Families are big, small, extended, nuclear, multi-generational, with one parent, two parents, and grandparents. We live under one roof or many. A family can be as temporary as a few weeks, as permanent as forever. We welcome part of a family by birth, adoption, marriage, or from a desire for mutual support. A family is a culture unto itself, with different values and unique ways of realizing its dream; together, our families become the source of our rich cultural heritage and spiritual diversity…Our families create neighborhoods, communities, states and nations.”

A Definition of Family Support

An array of formal and informal services with an emphasis on self-determination and family control. Family Support Services are those services needed to live with and care for a child or adolescent with emotional or behavioral disorders.

A Definition of Family Involvement

Any role or activity that enables participating families to have direct and meaningful input into and influence on systems, policies, programs, or practices affecting services or community life for children and families.

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Guiding Principles

There are several principles that guide the family involvement mandate in the CCSI legislation. They are as follows:

• Agencies serving children and families must believe in the potentiality within every child and recognize their family’s positive contributions and endless commitment to that child, regardless of any extenuating circumstances;
• Parents are crucial partners in the treatment, education and servicing of their children, as both the legal representative of the consumer of services and as the person who knows the most about the child. Traditionally families were viewed as the cause of their child’s difficulty, therefore the focus was to change, train, and treat the parent. Based upon their training it is understandable why providers have difficulty viewing the role of families as an ally/partner with an expertise to contribute to the problem solving process. To perceive families as allies is to view them as competent members of the team.
• Clear definitions of the family member role are necessary. Families take on a diversity of roles in the system of care as consumer, service provider, policymaker and researcher. Policies and practices related to family/professional collaboration need to be outlined in each agency with the involvement of family members. Strong ties to family support agencies at the local level are crucial.
• Respect for the participation of family members in a system of care, and agreement of how collaboration is defined & practiced within a system of care, specifically how power is shared is needed. Agencies need to develop policies and practices that support family-provider collaboration and provide the staff and consumers with the tools.
• An integrated knowledge and skill based training approach is recommended so professionals can partner with parents and learn how to relinquish their expert role without relinquishing the contributions of their expertise. Using parents as co-trainers is an effective approach that demonstrates collaboration and integrates material throughout educational trainings. Parents selected must be parents of children involved with the mental health system. Co-training as equal partners lays the groundwork for collaboration at all levels.
• All agencies are recommended to begin with an evaluation of how their organization currently engages families at the team and organizational level. A Self-Assessment Tool of the active participation and partnership of families who receive services can be obtained from David Diehl of the Family Resource Coalition of America, ph: 512-327-9313. They publish Guidelines for Family Support Practice, a useful resource that can be ordered from:

• Another valuable tool is the Family-Professional Partnership Scale available from:

• A tool useful for measuring family participation in service planning and educational planning can be found at:

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Family/Provider Collaboration

A Definition of Family/Provider Collaboration

Family/Provider Collaboration in systems of care is the process that participants (including family coordinators and advocates, therapists, administrators, social workers, and case managers) in systems of care engage in to improve services for children and their families, and requires:

• ongoing dialogue on vision and goals;
• attention to how power (administrative, financial, etc.) is shared;
• attention to how responsibilities in planning and decision-making are distributed;
• open and honest two-way communication and sharing of information;
• and that all participants in systems of care are seen as mutually respected equals.
• The view and opinions of parents must be acknowledged, incorporated and utilized in the CCSI planning process regardless of the family’s ethnicity, culture, socio economic status, family composition, education level and/or past history; Remember the child’s mental, emotional, and behavioral health is intricately connected to the social, economic and spiritual health of the child and family.
• Parental inclusion in the service sector as advocates or family support workers, who are parents of children with a mental illness, are invaluable resources to bring to the table. They can be the linkage to foster communication between families and professionals. They are able to prepare families for their role as advocates of their children, they can help identify family strengths, clarify barriers, and provide the emotional support necessary for families to fully participate in the treatment process.
• Family members in the role of providing advocacy and support should be compensated for their time and expertise. We strongly advise creating family support worker positions within agencies, or for agencies to contract with independent family support organizations for these services. Family members who fill these positions should be perceived as equally contributing members and treated accordingly. This can only occur when a family members’ expertise is viewed as valuable and thereby worthy of compensation like professionals are compensated for their expertise.
• Family participation at the Tier I level of CCSI requires that the family member be present. Family representation at the Tier II and Tier III level of CCSI requires family advocates who are parents or caregivers of children with mental health challenges.
• In order to participate families need access, voice and ownership. This means meetings need to be accessible and held during times family members can attend. In order to have a voice in the proceedings it is important that families have knowledge (all information needs to be shared in a timely manner before the meeting so families can participate fully) and they participate in decision making at all levels (they are invited to the table at all meetings, “nothing about me, without me”). To have ownership implies the family member has been integrated at all levels when designing treatment plans or programs, and they have buy in to the final outcome which was shaped by their involvement.
• “There needs to be a meaningful level of representation of families – not just a “token” parent on a board or committee – and a cultural, racial and linguistic diversity of families represented. Families must be full members, not just advisors and be seen as having knowledge and expertise that is vital to creating effective services and supports in the community.” – Georgetown University Communities Can!
• Full involvement and partnership of families in the planning, development, implementation, management and evaluation of the local service system and the care of their children is necessary.
• Parental inclusion in administrative and policy making mechanisms across systems in all local jurisdictions can improve treatment, services, access and opportunities for children;
• Parent involvement in research and the evaluation of services is crucial if we are to develop best practices which address the needs of our families.
• Parental participation must reach the state level and be relevant in promoting improved system collaboration and efficacy of services to SED children throughout New York State.

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Changing Existing Patterns in Working with Families: A New Framework

Family members and professionals need tools and strategies to make the shift from provider driven to family driven services. To involve families in every aspect of service delivery, from identification and implementation of individualized services within the treatment team to the development and oversight of services at the county and state level, we need to embrace a new framework. This framework needs to reflect the change in our thinking and the change in our roles through the policies, procedures, goals and objectives that drive the work of these partnerships.

Let’s start with how we have been conditioned to think, and the roles we have traditionally assumed in the human service field. Service providers have been trained and are expected to “fix” the problems in the child and family. They are placed in the role of being an “expert” with the knowledge and skills to provide interventions and “treat” the child and family. Families, viewed as the “client” or recipient of services, have been conditioned to yield to the expertise of professionals. The treatment needs of the child and family are then assessed by the expert and goals are established according to the “problems” presented. The professional then asks how existing services can be used to meet the client’s needs, and all evaluations are based upon the needs and function of the agency. This is business as usual.

To move toward a family driven system we need to challenge this traditional view and transform our roles so that we do not promote business as usual with token parents involved. Within this framework family members and professionals come together in partnership, each with “expert” knowledge to jointly examine the needs of the family and how to best meet those needs. An ecological approach focused on family strengths guides the development of strategies to support the family in the community. Families participate fully in all treatment decisions, from assessment and goal setting, to evaluation of whether goals are being met. Guided by the expert knowledge of the professional and the families’ preferences, hopes and dreams the treatment plan is owned by all parties, and all parties are held accountable for the outcomes of the plan. Outcomes are based on the quality of life and desires of the family as opposed to the needs and function of the agency.

When working with families staff within human service systems often falls into deficit-oriented patterns, which we can change through the skill of reframing. Family members are labeled and then subjected to low expectations that negate potential improvement. For example, when we use words such as “lazy,” “dysfunctional,” “unmotivated,” and “resistant” to describe family members, we are, in effect, saying that their situation is unworkable. We are not seeing the individual as a “whole person.” Mobilizing a family’s strengths requires the skill of reframing. Reframing helps you to “discover” the family in a unique way, by recognizing their skills, gifts and capacities rather than just their problems and diagnoses. In contrast, when we use the skill of reframing, we see the family member as a person with skills, talents, and capacities – we emphasize what the person does well. Reframing provides a forum for a worker to “build a new window” and generate hope around a person, by highlighting their strengths, skills and abilities. (From “NYS-CCSI Training Manual Developing Child and Family Teams”)

To use a strength-based approach state and local health, mental hygiene, social services, education, juvenile justice, probation and other human service agencies must develop methods of identifying, incorporating and utilizing the areas of interests and capabilities within the child, family, and community they seek to serve. This type of systemic change will require the following:

• Establishment of standards and best practices exemplifying family engagement across systems;
• Professional development, strategies and materials to make parental inclusion in treatment and planning a reality;
• Identification of parent leaders, advocates and volunteers across systems, throughout the state, to provide direct support to families and create a mechanism for outreach;
• Resources that are accessible, useful, culturally relevant and collectively broad enough to be used across systems and throughout the state;
• A compilation of existing laws, regulations, and protocols to ensure family driven practices across systems;
• Additional Family Involvement and Empowerment Resources and Tools;
• Strength-Based Planning Resources;
• Access to Training Modules directed at families and professionals that can cross systems, including: Individual & Systems Advocacy; How to Engage Families, Provide Family Support, and Promote Family Involvement on Multiple Levels; Cultural Competency and Family-Centered Services; Collaboration Strategies, and the Philosophy of Family Support & Involvement in a System of Care which provides the framework for our work;
• Research tools to measure the outcomes of strength-based interventions and family engagement in systems of care so we may promote the ongoing development of best practices for our children and families.

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Family Support, Involvement and Empowerment Resources

• Families Together in New York State—Families Together in NYS, Inc. is a non-profit, parent-run organization that strives to establish a unified voice for children with emotional, behavioral, and social challenges. Families Together in NYS, Inc. is the state chapter of the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. Families together can help you with information and referral services, and link you up with family supports in your area!

Contact: Laurie Rivera, Family Support Coordinator
Telephone: 518-432-0333 x20
e-mail: lrivera@ftnys.org
Website:: www.ftnys.org

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• Family/Professional Collaboration Scale
• Family Involvement Measurement Instrument
• Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health—In support of this vision, the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health serves, with humility and determination, to provide and sustain leadership for a broad and deep nation-wide network of family-run organizations. We harness the passion (and we honor the cultural diversity) of our national membership and help focus it as a potent force for change in behalf of children with mental health needs and their families. We are passionate advocates at the national level for the rights of these children and families. We are equally passionate in transferring our insights and experiences to statewide family organizations, local chapters, and other family-run organizations so that skillful and effective advocacy can occur at state and local levels as well. We extend a lifeline to this network so that our partner organizations might draw strength from us and, in turn, better respond to the needs of families requiring guidance, training, support, and personal advocacy. Through our evolving relationships with these organizations, we jointly discover and share new models, new technologies, new tools, and new visions that enrich the capacities of our partners, strengthen our network, and allow us to serve with pride in this leadership role.
• Family Voices —A national grassroots network of families and friends, advocates for health care services that are family-centered, community-based, comprehensive, coordinated and culturally competent for all children and youth with special health care needs; promotes the inclusion of all families as decision makers at all levels of health care; and supports essential partnerships between families and professionals.
• Family Support America —Family Support America is a national organization recognized worldwide as a pioneer in the family support movement. For 21 years, Family Support America has been the nation’s catalyst, clearinghouse, and thought leader in family support, based on a bedrock belief: If you want to help families, ask parents what they want. Family Support America seeks to strengthen and support families and places the principles of family support practice at the heart of every setting in which children and families are present. Their reputation is based on decades of leadership in building on families’ strengths.
• National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education—NCPIE was founded in 1980, at the initiative of what was then the National School Volunteer Program (now National Association for Partners in Education), with funding from the Ford Foundation and Union Carbide. From the outset, the participating organizations included parent organizations and advocacy groups as well as national education organizations representing teachers and administrators. The group meets monthly to monitor legislation, initiate projects, and share information and ideas about research, programs, and policies.
• Keys for Networking —The concerns and voices of families raising children with mental health and behavior issues drive agency and legislative responses and actions. These families connect and speak with passion and the truth of their experience through their state organization, Keys for Networking, Inc. Secure funding, rich talent pools, and broad experience propel Keys staff and board to champion enlightened change processes at federal, state, and local levels. Consequently, when Keys staff or individual family members visit with their legislators and other policy makers, they enjoy informed, sensitive, and action-directed dialogue. When families speak, people listen.
• Federation for Children with Special Needs, MA—The Federation is a center for parents and parent organizations to work together on behalf of children with special needs and their families. Organized in 1975 as a coalition of parent groups representing children with a variety of disabilities, the Federation operates a Parent Center which offers a variety of services to parents, parent groups, and others who are concerned with children with special needs.
• United We Stand—UWS provides parent support groups, workshops, training, and information to parents, in their primary language, to facilitate their effective participation in the educational decision making process for their children with disabilities in order for them to meet the developmental goals and be prepared to lead productive independent lives as adult. Our staff assists the participants with childcare and transportation reimbursement as needed, as a means for enabling parent participation at UWS functions.
• Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center—A division of the Center for Human Investment Policy (CHIP). Mission - To assist educational, human services and health organizations develop policies, programs and systems of care aimed at improving outcomes for children and families. CPIRC is funded by the US Department of Education.

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Laws, Regulations and Protocols on Family Involvement

• Research, Best Practices & Information Related to Family Involvement In Children’s Mental Health—The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children’s Mental Health at Portland State University The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health was established in 1984 at Portland State University, Portland, Oregon with funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education, and the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Center is dedicated to promoting effective community-based, culturally competent, family-centered services for families and their children who are, or may be affected by mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. This goal is accomplished through collaborative research partnerships with family members, service providers, policy makers, and other concerned persons.
• The CASSP Technical Assistance Center at Georgetown University—The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health (TA Center) is an integral part of the Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development at the Georgetown University Medical Center. Since 1984, the TA Center has been dedicated to working in partnership with families and many other leaders across this country to reform services for children and adolescents who have, or are at risk for, mental health problems and their families.
• Harvard Family Research Project—HFRP's work strengthens family, school, and community partnerships and early childhood care and education, promotes evaluation and accountability, and offers professional development to those who work directly with children, youth, and families. The audiences for HFRP's work include policymakers, practitioners, philanthropists, and concerned individuals.
• Family Development and Credentialing Program of Cornell College of Human Ecology —The Family Development and Credentialing Program (FDC) is a training program for human service providers. Cornell college responds to human needs in New York State and beyond through integrated programs of research, education, and outreach. The interaction of individuals, families, and communities with their work, social, and personal environments and the impact of these interactions on their health, quality of life, and environment are the essence of human ecology. To obtain information on the FDC programs throughout the state go to
• Building Strong Families—Strengthening families has emerged as a key public policy goal, but few know how public programs can help stabilize and bolster families. Mathematica's new Web site is designed to keep track of the emerging research.
• CYFERnet—Children, Youth and Families Education and Research Network – Excellent research site with searchable database, try searching for “family strengths”.

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Publications

• The Center for Mental Health Service Systems of Care: Promising Practices in Children’s Mental Health Series, Volume II—Learning From Families: Identifying Service Strategies for Success— examines the success stories of families with children who suffer from emotional and behavioral disorders. Family success, defined from the perspectives of the families and providers, occurs when systems of care focus on the entire family, meet families “where they are,” and emphasize the connection between the family and their community. The monograph emphasizes the importance of strong bonds between families and providers as
  being critical.

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Foster and Adoptive Parenting:

• The National Foster Parent Association— The National Foster Parent Association (NFPA) is a nonprofit, volunteer organization established in 1972. NFPA values the importance of increasing communication and coordination among foster parents, Foster Parent Associations, child care agencies and other child advocates. The organization strives to inform foster parents and the public about child welfare issues.
• Foster Parent Community — The purpose of the Foster Parent Community is to share information with foster and adoptive families, prospective foster and adoptive families and anyone involved in the field of working with at-risk children. The site supplies a chat room to talk with other foster parents, as well as with guest speakers. You can also share information and get questions answered by other care providers on the discussion board.
• Foster Parenting.com — Foster Parenting.com provides useful information to foster parents in a variety of areas. They offer resources, training, and opportunities to ask questions and participate in on-line discussion groups.

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Other Resources

• Operation Lookout —A missing child center (missing, abducted or runaway kids) serving families in the USA and other countries. When the urgent need is to find lost children and recover them, the first priority and ultimate objective at Operation Lookout is to bring about a positive reunion of stolen and located loved ones.
• Study of Father’s Involvement in Permanency — U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation
• The Advocacy Center—The Advocacy Center is a non-profit organization located in New York State that educates, supports, and advocates with people who have disabilities, their families, and circles of support.

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CCSI Resources

Select CCSI Resource... CCSI Annual Reports CCSI Confidentiality CCSI Cultural Competence CCSI Family Involvement and Strengths-based Practices CCSI Flexible Funding CCSI Regional Contacts CCSI Wraparound Training Materials CCSI Related Links