Moving from Initial Conversations to Productive Team Meetings

Prior to team meetings, it is important for the facilitator to review information obtained during the initial conversation(s) so that a productive planning meeting can take place. This includes identifying similarities and differences in perspectives of various core team members and organizing this information for productive planning and problem-solving. Planning meetings become more productive and solution-focused when core team members feel they have been heard before the meeting. This allows meeting time to move quickly as the facilitator guides team members into consensus about student and adult needs and identification of skills and replacement behaviors that must be taught and reinforced.

Potential wraparound facilitators often have questions (and anxiety!) about that first wraparound meeting with the youth/family team. As part of the purpose of the initial conversation is to engage people in planning a different type of meeting than maybe they have had in the past, the initial meeting is the time to deliver on that promise. The Guidelines for Smooth Team Meetings provided below can be not only used by the facilitator, but shared with all the team members to ensure a smooth and productive team meeting.

Guidelines for Smooth Team Meetings

Who are We and Why are We Here?
1. Clarify roles/goals and team mission

How Will we Work together as a Team?
2. Determine logistics, agenda.
3. Agree on rules of interaction, meeting norms/rules

What Information Do We Have or Need to Make Decisions?
4. Summarize strength profile
5. Summarize issues and perspectives profile

What Do We Want/Need to Accomplish?
6. Identify needs across life domains
7. Prioritize needs for immediate action planning

What Action Do We Need/Want to Take and When?
8. Action planning: Designing Strategies
9. Ensure commitment, document outcomes, actions & timelines for each action

How Will We Decide if it Working and What to Do Next?
10. Set next meeting date and any follow-up activities needed

Organizing and Documenting Information Needed at the Team Meeting

The Collaborative Team Planning Form (CTPF) can be used to document/organize information in preparation for as well as at team meetings. The information on pages 1-3 of the CTPF is obtained through initial conversations as well as on an ongoing basis at and between team meetings. Page 1 addresses team composition. Page 2 of the CTPF includes strengths and page 3 of the CTPF addresses issues/perspectives for team planning across multiple life domains. Although this information is initially generated through initial conversations, team facilitators should continue documenting new information about current/potential team composition, strengths, and issues/perspectives throughout the team process. For example, new strengths will emerge as the youth makes progress and issues/perspectives may change over time as initial problems are solved and others are identified. Team composition may change over time as well.

Pages 4 and 5 of the CTPF are for documenting the actual planning meeting. Page 4 indicates which team members are present for the action planning and their role. Page 5 indicates the actions of the team including the strategy, outcome, strengths used, timelines, persons responsible, and targeted review date (next meeting date). The next meeting begins with page 5 of previous meeting and a review and documentation of the progress for each action taken at the previous meeting. See Appendix F for a sample completed CTPFs.

Creating a Team with the Youth and Family

• The team members represent strengths, needs and choices of the youth and family.
  
• Natural support persons are important team members to ensure cultural fit, independence and sustainable change over time.
  
• The team focuses on needs identified and prioritized by the family, student and teacher(s).
  
• The family needs to feels like it is their team and their meeting instead of feeling like they are attending a meeting a system is having about
  

The wraparound team for an individual student, frequently called the “child and family team” looks different than typical school-based planning teams for students with complex needs. Team membership is determined with the youth and family rather than assuming the team will be the usual predetermined set of service providers available at the school or agency(s). The student and family are asked about who they would like to have on their team. They are encouraged to identify persons who represent or who could confirm and validate their strengths, interests and goals.

As discussed in earlier chapters, it is important for wraparound teams to clearly understand the role of each team member and their goal. When teams are first developed, the facilitator will need to assist team members in defining their role separate from their job title. Questions such as: “What do you do with…” “What are you trying to achieve when you spend time with this child/family?” will provide insights into how people view their role with the youth and family. Sometimes a team may find they have several team members attempting to fill similar roles. Agreed upon changes in team composition or roles of individual team members may expedite positive outcomes for the youth/family. Also, roles of team members can change over time as skills are developed and progress is made. It is important that team members have open discussions about roles and the culture of the team should encourage and support these discussions as needed throughout the process.

Guiding Principles for Designing Wraparound Teams

Collaboration is when people with diverse expertise work together to problem-solve around mutually identified needs. Sometimes people on teams think they are collaborating when they are merely having meetings where they share information. Effective teams must truly collaborate which involves not deciding on specific interventions or services before the team meeting, but collectively brainstorming strategies with team members after the team goes through the process of coming to consensus on needs. Good collaboration requires and yields consistency. Consistency among the adults is necessary to achieve outcomes for youth with intensive emotional/behavioral problems (Scott, 2002).

Assisting team members in true collaboration is a constant focus of a team facilitator. Part of establishing and maintaining a collaborative team is ensuring the right people are on the team and team members understand the various roles needed, and who plays what role on the specific team. Below are guiding principals for developing wraparound teams that may be helpful for facilitators to share with people they are orienting to the process.

• People aren’t automatically assigned or invited to be on wraparound teams because of their job titles.
  
• Team members are chosen because of the support and/or assistance they can provide to the student or family.
  
• Some team members are chosen simply to provide support to the student and/or family.
  
• Every person on the wraparound team should have a clearly identified role on the team connected to a strength or need of the student and/or family.
  
• Recognize that key players may change over time as needs change and as new strengths emerge.
  

Below are strategies for ensuring strong teams throughout the process. These strategies are adapted from an Advanced Wraparound Training Curriculum developed by Patricia Miles, (Miles, 2001):

• Document successes in the plan and refer to those accomplishments in team meetings: The strength-based approach not only applies to consumers but to entire Wraparound Teams. Effective plan management requires the Wraparound Facilitator to often point out the team successes as well as documenting those successes.
• Clarify Agendas Openly: Wraparound Facilitators have to constantly be on guard about hidden agendas. Effective Facilitators model open and honest communication as well as the ability “hear” points of view that are different from the prevailing team point of view. When people are assured that their perspective will be treated with respect they are more likely to take a risk in sharing their perspective.
• Create Concrete Communication Strategies: Lack of communication can get in the way of effective team functioning over time. Communication has to be managed both within meetings as well as outside meetings between regular schedules. Many Wraparound teams find it effective to have written communication strategies including the order in which people are called in the event of an emergency.
• Expect the plan to change over time: Wraparound Plans and teams are not static but are constantly evolving. Wraparound Facilitators need to set the expectation early that when the plan changes it doesn’t mean failure. Instead it means that the team is getting more information and the plan is adapting to the life of the family.
• Stop doing what’s not working: It’s been said that one of the best aspects of Wraparound is the ability to stop what’s not working for a consumer and family. All too often, consumers who are not doing well in services may get assigned even more of the services, which aren't working. As part of a learning experience, Wraparound Facilitators may be called on to lead the team in stopping a service that is not proving effective. This saves the team’s energy for things that may work.
• Follow the team rules you developed early: It is important for Wraparound teams to continue to follow the process as they work together on over time. Once the team is through the initial plan development they run the risk of falling into the former problem solution structure. The best tools available are the ones used early in the process. These include strengths, mission, needs and strategies.
• Use the team in revising the plan: During the ongoing phase, Wraparound Facilitators run the risk of becoming “turbo case managers” whom are solely responsible for the plan. When this happens, the team perspective was solicited during the initial plan development phase but once the plan is developed the burden for implementation falls to the Facilitator and consumer. The team should be prepared to continually plan, look at data about what’s working and what’s not and not take it personally when first attempts fail.
• Continue Team-based leadership over time: Many team members may think their job is done when the initial Wraparound Plan of Care is completed. It is important that the Facilitator continue to rely on team members for ongoing decisions and planning even after the initial plan is completed.
• Teams need to maintain commitment: Team members may have a notion that when the first plan is completed the Wraparound work is done and it is up to the Facilitator and Consumer to make the plan happen. The problem with this approach is that typically the first plan is not the last or the best plan. It takes uncommon creativity to finally hit on the right plan. Wraparound Facilitators should set this expectation for the team early and often during the process.
• Orient New Team Members to the Team Culture: Wraparound Teams can struggle when new members join the team. This is often because new members are not clear about the emerging culture of the team itself. Wraparound Facilitators assure that new team members are welcomed to the group and are given information about how the team operates.
• Celebrate Successes: Wraparound teams should continuously seek team motivators and use them over time. This includes listing team and individual member accomplishments at the beginning of every meeting. Other motivators will vary from team to team but strategies that have been used include bringing treats, sharing meals, having one meeting during which people simply get to know each other as well as letters of commendation to a boss for a staff member who has contributed a great deal.
• Renew Commitments: It is helpful for team members to renew their commitments to this process at regular junctures in the planning process. This prevents team members from feeling trapped in the process and allows the youth/family to see commitment maintain over time. For those who can’t make the commitment, it creates a way to move on without having to cause a stir.

Features of Effective Teams

Effective wraparound teams:

a. adhere to the strength-based, family-centered, unconditional values of wraparound,
b. use proactive and productive communication,
c. stick to a systematic process to achieve outcomes
d. and remain flexible and dynamic throughout the process. Examples of these key features of effective teams are included below.

Adhere to the value-base

a. Daily contact people actively engaged.
b. Roles of team members are clearly defined and understood
c. Team recognizes differences between needs and services
d. Remain strength-based and proactive
e. Establish student/family ownership of the plan

Proactive Communication Guides Team Interactions

a. Rules of interaction are clearly defined and understood
b. Clear Process for information-sharing and decision-making.
c. Team can articulate its goals.
d. Differences resolved in clearly defined manner.

Stick to the Process

a. Actions are systematic and coordinated.
b. Planning process clearly followed
c. Plan is developed and documented
d. Clear and realistic timelines are established and followed
e. Plan is implemented, monitored, revised
f. Outcomes are carefully monitored

Flexible and Dynamic

a. Members understand and work with each other’s system abilities and constraints.
b. Team evaluates and negotiates logistics.
c. Team adapts and responds to change when presented with the unexpected.
d. Team anticipates and addresses specific safety needs

• The wraparound process requires a team facilitator with specific skill sets to ensure the highest degree of efficiency and effectiveness.
  
• Potential wraparound facilitators include those who already coordinate planning meetings in schools or through community agencies.
  
• Effective wraparound facilitators guide the team process rather then do everything for the youth and family.
  
• Wraparound facilitators need to be able to identify successes and challenges of guiding the team process.