About Family Service Plan Meetings
A Family Service Plan meeting (FSP) is an opportunity for the family and professionals on the team to create a coordinated and integrated service plan. The purpose of the FSP meeting is:
- to ensure that all the people on the family’s team are working toward the same family-identified goals and objectives
- to ensure that everyone on the team has a clear understanding of what everyone else is doing and why
- to identify strategies that all (or many) members of the team can implement in a variety of environments
The Initial Family Service Plan meeting (IFSP) is held once more than one therapist from RMCDC is involved with an individual family. A Family Service Plan Update (FSPU) meeting is typically held at least annually. The FSP meetings may be held at the Centre, at home, or at a preschool/daycare. The meetings usually last about 90 minutes.
Who attends the FSP meetings?
Parents/guardians are welcome to invite anyone they would like to be at the meeting. Participants usually include the parents, therapist, and community professionals working with the child (e.g., preschool or daycare provider, Infant Development Program consultant, Behavioral Consultants, Supported Child Development consultant). Parents may wish to invite grandparents or other relatives who cares for the child on a regular basis. Typically the children do not attend these meetings.
What happens at an FSP meeting?
An FSP meeting generally follows this format:
- update of medical issues, appointments
- changes in status: strengths of the child and family
- needs and concerns
- family-identified goals and objectives (created by the therapist(s))
- strategies
- plan
An RMCDC therapist will take notes of the meeting and give the family a copy of the notes to take home with them. A typewritten formal report is then generated. The original copy is kept in the child’s main file. Parents/guardians receive a copy. Other participants in the meeting may receive a copy if written permission from the parents/guardian is on file.