Family Friendliness of Community-Based Services for Children and Adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders and Their Families

Abstract

In systems of care, the term family friendly is used to describe services that are aligned with the needs of the families and delivered in a manner that shows professionals value and respect family involvement, empowerment, and cultural differences. The authors devised a 42-item structured observation instrument to rate the family friendliness of one component of the systems of care in Virginia for children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and their families. The instrument covers typical aspects of the meeting process, such as meeting management, case presentation, and formulation of service plans. It also allows for the collection of data on relevant characteristics of the meeting participants as well as demographic information on the children and their families. This instrument was used to rate the family friendliness of Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) meetings, the purpose of which is to develop community-based service plans for children with EBD who are referred to the team. These teams meet in local communities and typically consist of representatives from the local juvenile court, education, health, mental health, and social service agencies. The authors observed 79 case presentations at 31 FAPT meetings in 7 localities. Although there were variations within, between, and among localities, the overall rating of family friendliness across all case presentations was good (63%). Improvements in the FAPT process are needed to assure increased family friendliness in the planning of services for children with EBD and their families.

Psychometrics, Reliability, and Validity of a Wraparound Team Observation Measure

“…Results of this study extend those of previous research (Nordness & Epstein, 2003; Singh, et al, 1997) and suggest that wraparound fidelity as assessed by observation of team meetings can be conducted reliably. The study also reinforces previous research (Bruns, Sather, et al, 2010; Snyder, et al, 2012) that indicates overall scores from the TOM associate meaningfully with other criteria.…”

“…Although not specifically designed to assess fidelity to the wraparound model, the Family Assessment and Planning Team Observation Form (FAPT) was designed to be used in multiple service delivery settings. The FAPT measures the family friendliness of the individualized treatment planning process for youth with severe emotional and behavioral problems and their families, and demonstrated good interrater reliability (Singh, Curtis, Wechsler, Ellis, & Cohen, 1997). The Wraparound Observation Form (WOF), adapted from the FAPT and designed to garner information on adherence to eight principles of wraparound as demonstrated in team meetings, was found to have good interrater reliability (Epstein et al, 1998; Nordness & Epstein, 2003).…”

Assessing the Wraparound Process During Family Planning Meetings

“…Singh et al 25 reported on the development of the Family Assessment and Planning Team Observation Form (FAPT). The FAPT is a 42-item instrument used for measuring the treatment planning process in Virginia's system of care for children with SED and was designed to assess professional courtesy extended toward family members during team planning meetings.…”

Effects of Role-Play and Mindfulness Training on Enhancing the Family Friendliness of the Admissions Treatment Team Process

“…Family friendliness describes services that include at least three basic elements: family involvement, family empowerment, and respect for the families' cultural characteristics (Singh, Curtis, Wechsler, Ellis, & Cohen, 1997). Two studies have measured family friendliness of services provided to children and adolescents with EBD.…”

“…Two studies have measured family friendliness of services provided to children and adolescents with EBD. In the first study, Singh et al (1997) used a 42-item direct observation instrument to rate family friendliness of communitybased service planning for children and adolescents with EBD across seven localities in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They observed 79 case presentations (see Note) in 31 Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) meetings.…”