The Evolution: Family Driven Care as a Practice Sandra Spencer Executive Director National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
Family Driven, as a value, has long been a cornerstone of our work in Systems of Care. In the guide “The Evolution: Family Driven Care as a Practice” we explore family driven care as a practice. How does what we do match up with what we believe? Are our actions moving us toward our goal of family driven systems?
The mental health care system for children was not working: Families were “blamed and shamed” Families were described as “dysfunctional” The children’s mental health service system was fragmented 1982 –Jane Knitzer’s Unclaimed Children: The Failure of Public Responsibility to Children and Adolescents in Need of Mental Health Services
With time, came progress: Training Families as Allies ( ) 1988 PSU “Next Steps” Conference 1989 Steering Committee Meeting and the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (The Federation) was formed 1992 The Federation received funding and the first executive director was hired
Evolution of language in the Guidance For Applicants (GFAs) for federally funded Systems Of Care “family involvement” “family professional partnerships” Key family contact FTE, Youth coordinator, support for a family-run organization, and family and youth involved in systems evaluation design, interpretation, and reporting of evaluation 2005 “Family-Driven” and financial support to sustain family- involvement throughout and beyond the Federal funding period
What family driven care is “NOT”:
Family-Driven means 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. Notice the word “a” vs. “the” Families have a primary decision making role not the primary decision making role Decision making is a team effort
Sandra Spencer Executive Director National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health