Child and Family Team
A Child and Family Team is made up of a group of persons identified by and with the family who are committed to the child and family and are invested in helping them change. These teams recognize the family as an expert. The purpose a Child and Family Team meeting is to identify and coordinate appropriate community services and supports for children at risk of school failure or out‑of‑home placement in order to address the physical, social, legal, emotional, and developmental factors that affect academic performance. At times, school employees are involved in these teams to help ensure that all of the family's needs are being met.
The principles on which the initiative is based include:
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The development of a strong infrastructure of interagency collaboration;
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One child, one team, one plan;
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Individualized strengths‑based care;
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Accountability;
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Cultural competence;
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Children at risk of school failure or out‑of‑home placement may enter the system through any participating agency;
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Services shall be specified, delivered, and monitored through a unified Child and Family Plan that is outcome‑oriented and evaluation‑based;
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Services shall be the most efficient in terms of cost and effectiveness and shall be delivered in the most natural settings possible;
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Out‑of‑home placements for children shall be a last resort and shall include concrete plans to bring the children back to a stable, permanent home, their schools, and their community; and
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Families and consumers shall be involved in decision making throughout service planning, delivery, and monitoring.
View the Child and Family Team Brochure 
(.pdf - 158kb)
If you have any questions about this process, please contact
your Social Worker or Case Manager
or
The System of Care Site Coordinator
Gary Ander
at the Alamance County Department of Social Services
(336) 513-4769
