Course overview
This half-day course focuses on quality Child and Family Team Meetings and the integration of Integrated Practice Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths practices in alignment with fidelity guidance contained in All County Letter No. 25-54. The course prepares participants to accurately assess and document meeting quality using the Child and Family Team Meeting Observation Tool while maintaining impartiality and supporting fidelity to the statewide practice model. Grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, individualized and consensus-driven engagement, participants will explore best practices for using the observation tool, including promoting family voice and choice and ensuring informed consent.
Through scenario-based application and structured skill-building activities, participants will practice selecting observation ratings, developing quality summaries and facilitating debriefs that center the experiences of children, youth and families.
What will I learn in this training?
After attending this training, participants will be able to:
- Explain the purpose of the Child and Family Team Meeting Observation Tool.
- Describe the item instructions within the Child and Family Team Meeting Observation Tool.
- Select appropriate observation ratings using scenario-based examples.
- Facilitate a structured debrief based on observation scenarios.
- Articulate the value of meeting observations as a meaningful tool for assessing county practice fidelity to Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths and Child and Family Team processes.
Prerequisites
Participants are expected to have knowledge of trauma-informed and culturally responsive practices for partnering with child and family teams by demonstrating behaviors aligned with the principles of the California Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM). It is recommended to participate in the following foundational experiences prior to attending this course:
- Participated in/Observed child and family team meetings of varying focuses across the placing agency continuum of care - a minimum of 10 meetings
- Completed the Child and Family Team Meeting Observation Tool eLearning – 30 minutes
- Completed training on the IP-CANS tool as a vehicle for collaborative decision-making and other consensus driven processes
- Attended a Child & Family Team Meeting Facilitation training series (4 or 5 days)
- Attended Integrating the CANS into CFT Meetings and Case Planning (2 days)
- Read All County Letter (ACL) No. 25-54 regarding fidelity to IP-CANS and CFT practices