Tell me more about the role of families
in Systems of Care?

It is impossible to talk about treatment plans for youth and improving outcomes for youth without including families and caregivers in the goal setting and the decision making process. 

System of Care is a philosophy that is at the root of a movement across the country which is funded by the federal government under the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and is rooted in the belief that families, with the right supports, can have an equal role in the decision making and care of their children.

Monroe County's System of Care is based on a shared set of values; one of which is "family driven" and is defined as -

...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.

What does "family driven" mean or "look like"?

Think of "family driven" as more of a verb "to be family driven" instead of an adjective... basically, families are meant to participate in the entire process of what it takes to create, manage and sustain services and supports, at all levels, across all child-serving systems.  It means (including but not limited to) the following:

• Choosing culturally and linguistically competent supports, services, and providers;
• Setting goals;
• Designing, implementing and evaluating programs;
• Monitoring outcomes; and
• Partnering in funding decisions

Specific examples can be found here.

Below are the "Guiding Principles" of family-driven care.  

1. Families and youth, providers, and administrators embrace the concept of sharing decision-making and responsibility for outcomes.
2. Families and youth are given accurate, understandable, and complete information necessary to set goals and to make informed decisions and choices about the right services and supports for individual children and their families.
3. All children, youth, and families have a biological, adoptive, foster, or surrogate family voice advocating on their behalf and may appoint them as substitute decision makers at any time.
4. Families and family-run organizations engage in peer support activities to reduce isolation, gather and disseminate accurate information, and strengthen the family voice.
5. Families and family-run organizations provide direction for decisions that impact funding for services, treatments, and supports and advocate for families and youth to have choices.
6. Providers take the initiative to change policy and practice from provider-driven to family-driven.
7. 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, and where family and youth run organizations are funded and sustained.
8. Community attitude change efforts focus on removing barriers and discrimination created by stigma.
9. Communities and private agencies embrace, values, and celebrate the diverse cultures of their children, youth, and families and work to eliminate mental health disparities.
10. Everyone who connects with children, youth and families continually advances their own cultural and linguistic responsiveness as the population served changes so that the needs of the diverse populations are appropriately addressed.

Learn about Family Support.

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