Your Voice in Your Family’s Plan

In this article

• Begin with what matters to you
• Make participation workable
• When people see the situation differently
• Questions you can use during a meeting
• After the meeting

A family’s plan should reflect the people who will live with it. In Wraparound, youth and caregivers help identify priorities, consider options, and decide how progress will be recognized. Their knowledge of daily routines, relationships, interests, and difficult experiences is essential to useful planning.

Participating can still feel uncomfortable, especially when a family has worked with many agencies or has felt judged in earlier meetings. Preparation, understandable information, and follow-through can make it easier to speak. The team has a responsibility to create those conditions.

Begin with what matters to you

You can bring a short list of things you want the team to understand. Describe a concern in your own words and include something you hope will improve. “We need evenings to feel calmer” or “I want to stay connected to my friends” gives the team useful information.

Tell the facilitator what has helped before. You might describe a trusted person, a routine that works, a cultural or faith connection, or a way your child prefers to communicate. You can also explain an approach that made a previous situation worse and ask the team to consider that history.

Make participation workable

Ask for the meeting’s purpose and proposed participants ahead of time. Request interpretation, accessible information, communication support, or a meeting arrangement that helps you take part. If a young person would prefer to write, draw, speak privately beforehand, or have a chosen support person help communicate, discuss those options with the facilitator.

Participation arrangements should fit the young person’s age, development, preferences, and safety. A youth may want to attend only part of a conversation. The team should explain how the youth’s views will be included and how private information will be handled.

When people see the situation differently

Youth, caregivers, school staff, and other team members may describe the same event differently. Ask the team to slow down and identify what each person observed, what they are concerned about, and what they need. This can uncover a workable option that was missed when the discussion focused only on positions.

Illustrative example: A caregiver wants a teenager to attend every family gathering. The teenager worries about repeated questions concerning foster care. The team explores ways to maintain family connection while respecting privacy. A smaller gathering, an agreed response to personal questions, or support from a trusted relative may become part of the discussion. The actual decision depends on the family’s circumstances and any applicable requirements.

Ask which choices the team can make and which matters are governed by a court order, law, or authorized agency decision. When a requested option cannot be used, ask for the reason and for an explanation of available alternatives. The plan should record meaningful concerns and the decisions reached.

Questions you can use during a meeting

• “How does this action connect to the goal we identified?”
• “What would this require from us during a normal week?”
• “What other options have we considered?”
• “Who will follow up, and when should we expect an answer?”
• “Can we explain our concern before the plan is finalized?”
• “How can my child speak with someone privately?”

After the meeting

Review the agreed actions and raise any misunderstanding promptly. Let the team know when an arrangement is difficult to use. A service scheduled during work hours, a long trip without transportation, or instructions in an unfamiliar language can prevent a well-intended plan from succeeding.

If you believe a concern has been dismissed, ask the facilitator or supervisor about the program’s feedback and complaint process. KFA’s Rights & Confidentiality page explains our published approach to raising concerns and authorized disclosures. Questions about an individual case should be discussed privately with the agency and the people responsible for the relevant decisions.

Family and youth voice continues throughout the process. As circumstances change, the team should return to the people affected and ask whether the plan still fits.

For KFA’s current certification, funding, and service availability, visit our HFW program page. For questions about a particular family or situation, contact info@mykfa.org to arrange a private conversation.