Family & Youth Involvement

In family-centered practice, families are recognized as experts in determining what is best for themselves and their children. Agencies and professionals enter into partnerships with families and youth, who are given equal voice in all aspects of policy, program, and service design; decision-making; implementation; and evaluation.

Agency, Court, and Youth Collaboration During the Second Round of the Child and Family Services Reviews
Hornsby, Stanton, & Smollar (2009)
Shows a video of a presentation held at the Conference for Agencies and Courts in which youth share their experiences with the child welfare system. It also explores topics such as court involvement, onsite reviews, and Program Improvement Plans. Also see Part 2 of the video.

Families as Evaluators: Annotated Bibliography of Resources in Print (PDF - 249 KB)
Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health (2004)
Summarizes references about family, consumer, and community participation in research and evaluation.

Family-Centered Community Building (PDF - 380 KB)
National Human Services Assembly (2005)
Explores a process of engaging family residents and other stakeholders in sustained collaborative efforts to strengthen and improve conditions for families with children in an identified geographic area.

Family Engagement: A Web-Based Practice Toolkit
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (2010)
Makes promising practices, programs, and resources on family engagement available for programs, States, and Tribes. The toolkit is updated continuously to reflect current practices, programs, and resources in the field.

Family Participation in Systems of Care: Frequently Asked Questions (And Some Answers) (PDF - 215 KB)
Jivanjee, Friesen, Kruzich, Robinson, & Pullmann
CWTAC Updates, 5(1), 2002
An overview of research on child and family outcomes affected by family participation, how outcomes may be influenced, implementation challenges, and strategies that promote participation in service planning and delivery.

Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in After School
Harvard Family Research Project & Build the Out-of-School Time Network (2006)
Guide to understanding how to engage families in after-school programs. Research on why family engagement matters, strategies, case studies of promising efforts, and an evaluation tool for improving practice. (PDF - 870 KB)

Integrating Youth Voice in Service Learning
Education Commission of the States (2001)
Examines the rationale for implementing youth voice in service-learning initiatives, examines challenges practitioners may face, and offers strategies for success. Provides recommendations and resources for schools, organizations, and policymakers.

Learning from Families: Identifying Service Strategies for Success (PDF - 480 KB)
Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health (2002)
Family success occurs when systems of care focus on the entire family, meet families "where they are," and emphasize the connection between family and community. The importance of strong bonds between families and providers is emphasized.

Mentoring as a Family Strengthening Strategy (PDF - 372 KB)
National Human Services Assembly (2004)
Discusses how mentoring services can strengthen families by involving parents in adult-youth relationship programs and by applying mentoring concepts to family services.

Outreach to Birthfathers of Children in Out-of-Home Care
Franck
Child Welfare, 80(3), 2001
View Abstract
The nature and value of more specific outreach toward birth fathers of children in care, and the risk of ignoring men in the birth family system.

Parent Involvement in Family Support Programs: An Integrated Theory
McCurdy & Daro
Family Relations, 50(2), 2001
View Abstract
Outlines a conceptual model of parental involvement in family support programs anchored in ecological and family systems frameworks, and explores factors that influence parental decisions to enroll and remain in support programs.

What Hurts and What Helps: Listening to Families to Build 21st Century Child Welfare Reform
Briar-Lawson & Wiesen (2001)
In Innovative Practices With Vulnerable Children and Families
View Abstract
Input from families for designing programs and developing their own service plans is vital to the success of child welfare service delivery. The efficiency and effectiveness of services are also improved with cross-system collaboration and interagency case planning for families with multiple problems.