Family-centered Practice
Family-centered practice is a way of working with families, both formally and informally, across service systems to enhance their capacity to care for and protect their children. This practice recognizes the strengths of family relationships and builds on these strengths to achieve optimal outcomes. It focuses on the needs and welfare of children within the context of their families and communities. Family is defined broadly to include birth, blended, kinship, and foster and adoptive families. Informal supports of the family may include non-family members who can assist the family meet their needs.
There are many strategies of family-centered practice, including Family Group Decision Making, Adult Protection Community Teams, Family Partnerships and Hi-fidelity Wraparound. The Department of Family Services offers training and technical assistance in each of these methodologies.