Family Driven

Families are the driving force for initiating, planning and implementing change in our children’s mental health system.

Creating a family driven system of care leads to more effective and accessible services and supports. In order for a family driven system to be successful, family input needs to be viewed as a critical component and given an equal voice.

The goal of a family driven system of care is to reach a level where families are empowered to share their opinions and ideas, be active members of decision and implementation processes, and are viewed as experts on the family experience. It also means that professionals are empowered to act as partners with families, and take action on the needs and ideas voiced by families.

Family Engagement

A family driven system involves family engagement across all levels of participation at every stage. It also needs to occur at each system level including individual organizations, counties, regions, tribes and state agencies. Not every family is going to have the ability to engage at the highest levels, and families’ circumstances fluctuate so it’s important to have a variety of opportunities for involvement.

Opportunities to participate need to be culturally responsive and participation should reflect the community being served, including, but not limited to socioeconomic status, race, age, education, etc. Inclusion and equity are a priority at every level of engagement.

Arrow pointing in two directions. Arrow consists of words: informed, consulted, actively involved, and empowered. The arrow points to the left and right. On the left there is boxes that read: State, County, Region, Tribe, Organization. On the right there is boxes that read: Implementation, Planning, and Initiation.

Informed

This is the most basic level of involvement; a family is the recipient of information, but did not partake in the development, decision making or implementation. Some families are not able to serve on boards, participate in focus groups or complete surveys, but want to be informed of changes that might affect their family including policy or service changes. Information should be provided in a format that is appropriate and accessible for all families and should not contain too much technical terminology.

Example: A family receives a quarterly newsletter from their local Children’s Mental Health Collaborative with information on any new or expanded services and legislative changes that may affect their child’s mental health care, opportunities to be involved in system change, and any other pertinent children’s mental health info.
Consulted

At this level, a family might complete a survey, phone interview, or participate in a focus group. This is a short-term opportunity to provide input into system development. If possible, families who participate should be provided with the outcomes and information after a report is completed. It is also recommended that participants be compensated for their time and knowledge.

Example: A boy’s mom completes a 45-minute phone interview on Minnesota’s intensive mental health services and receives a $25 gift card. Two months later, she participates in a focus group to provide feedback on proposed changes to the mental health system based on initial interviews. She again receives a $25 gift card and receives an electronic copy of the report after the findings are published.
Actively involved

Being actively involved is a high level of commitment. This may include committees, boards, councils or collaboratives and involves regular attendance for long periods of time. In order to make these opportunities available to families, groups need to consider the time of day when meetings occur, child care needs and transportation barriers. Families are not generally able to attend meetings during traditional working hours and frequently need to bring their children. Offering transportation options greatly increases access for many families and can help ensure equitable opportunities for participation.

These groups are most effective when there are multiple family representatives and parents/caregivers receive training and support prior to participating. It is important they understand the purpose of the group, how meetings are run and feel empowered to contribute. Alternatively, non-family participants need training on understanding the family perspective and the importance of family driven systems. All members need to have equal voice and value to be effective.

Example: A girl’s family therapist tells her about their Local Mental Health Advisory Council (LAC) and mentions they are currently looking for more members. She is able to commit to the monthly meetings and attends an orientation class with four other family representatives. This class provides her with information about the purpose of the council, how the council functions and empowers her to be a valuable member of the council. Kate’s county board members frequently utilize recommendations from the LAC, and they have been able to make significant impacts in the community.
Empowered

When all community members are empowered to make change, the family experience and outcomes improve. Providers need to feel empowered to take families’ concerns seriously and have the ability to communicate with the proper decision makers. Families need to feel comfortable and empowered to make their voices heard and have the ability to speak with the appropriate people.

Example: A family has a negative experience with the mobile county crisis response team. They are given the information for the team supervisor who works with the department head to establish a focus group of families who have reported concerns related to the mobile crisis unit. It is determined that their staff need additional training related specifically to crisis intervention for children in both the home and school context. The county is able to secure funding and make appropriate changes to their policies and trainings to improve the family experience.