Family Centered Engagement Meetings 607-05-35-25-10-05

(New 12/1/20 ML 3601)

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Family Centered Engagement (FCE) meetings are a front-end engagement strategy designed to create a participatory and inclusive process that brings together those with relationships to the children and service providers to improve child welfare agency decision-making and outcomes for eligible children. Eligible children include those who are:

The CPS worker or case manager will complete a referral for an FCE meeting when it is confirmed the child is eligible. A link to the FCE referral form is included within 607-05-70-80 “Child Welfare Practice Appendix 17: Safety Framework Tools and Forms.” The FCE meeting referral must be completed once present danger has been assessed and the present danger plan is in place so that the child is safe and protected. Eligible referrals should be made, and meetings convened, according to the following timeframes. If an eligible referral has multiple reports across multiple categories, the referring agency and facilitator will follow the timeframe of the highest category.

 

 

The referral timeframes are best practice; however, there may be situations where the referral occurs outside of these timeframes. The agency should use discretion, erring on making a referral for a FCE meeting even when it is beyond the timeframes listed in the table.

 

Cases that are criminal in nature (e.g. sexual abuse or serious physical abuse) by a parent/caregiver would generally not be eligible for an FCE meeting. However, there are times when criminal child abuse and neglect charges have occurred, and an FCE meeting would benefit the children and potentially divert them from entering foster care. Human Service Zones have discretion when determining appropriate cases to refer for an FCE meeting, which can include cases that are criminal in nature. When making the decision on whether or not to refer such a case, the agency should carefully consider whether or not an FCE meeting would impede a criminal investigation.

 

The FCE meeting is arranged and held by a neutral facilitator and the referring agency staff participate as members of the team to share safety concerns, strengths and needs, bottom lines, etc. The referring agency retains decision-making authority in the event consensus cannot be reached. If the FCE meeting is scheduled for a dual status youth, both the Human Service Zone and juvenile court will have a decision-making authority.

 

The purpose of an FCE meeting is to make a critical decision regarding child safety and protection through achieving the least restrictive and safest placement for the child. The values of Wraparound apply during the FCE meeting. Child safety and permanency is best achieved through engaging the family, their support network, and the community. It is critically important for the child to maintain family and cultural connections throughout involvement with the agency. The child and parents/caregivers belong to a wider family system that can be resources for the child; therefore, they should be considered as potential safety service providers or placement options when a plan is developed during the FCE meeting.

 

Required participants during an FCE meeting include:

Parents/caregivers are seen as the experts of family needs and strengths. Their presence and involvement in the FCE meeting is critically important. Parents/caregivers can choose to opt out of the FCE meeting in which case the FCE meeting referral would not be completed, nor would a meeting be held. Children age twelve and over, or as developmentally appropriate, should be supported to attend the FCE meeting. Children younger than age twelve should be considered for participation on a case by case basis. When the child is an Indian child and ICWA applies, the tribe should be invited to attend the FCE meeting. When an ICWA Family Preservationist (IFP) is assigned to the family, the IFP should participate in the FCE meeting.

 

Certain circumstances necessitate that an individual be excluded from participation in the FCE meeting. These circumstances include a perpetrator of domestic violence, a “no contact order” in place, or when it has been determined that participation could create an unsafe situation for other participants. The referring agency must be diligent in considering risks related to having both the child victim and parent/caregiver subject attend the FCE meeting by ensuring any concerns are appropriately addressed prior to the meeting. The agency must guard against putting child victims into an uncomfortable situation with parent/caregiver subjects who may try to coerce or retraumatize them. If it is not appropriate for the child to attend the meeting due to such circumstances, or when there is a “no contact order” in place, the FCE facilitator should talk to the child separately about his/her wishes rather than have the child attend the FCE meeting. If exclusion of a participant is necessary, the referring agency should consult with the FCE facilitator when making the referral.

 

During the FCE meeting the referring agency staff (decision maker) needs to be prepared to share the following:

The plan developed during the FCE meeting will be put into writing by the facilitator and all participants will leave the meeting with a copy of the agreed-upon plan. The facilitator will contact the referring agency six months after the FCE meeting to collect outcomes data on referred cases.