Child & Family Team Membership 624-05-15-20-08

(Revised 2/1/2024 ML #3792)

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The custodial agency director or designee and the foster care case manager will co-chair the Child & Family Team Meeting (CFTM). The foster care case manager shall select and invite pertinent members to join the CFTM committee.

 

Local circumstances must be considered in selecting the Child & Family Team. Cooperation between the members is essential. The common goal must always be to arrive at a joint decision and provide the child's legal custodian a recommendation which is in the "best interests of the child.”

 

Permanent CFTM members include:

  1. Custodial agency director or designee
  2. Department representative (Field Service Specialist) to engage in an administrative review. The administrative review must occur by the department every six months;
  3. Parents or legal guardian;
  4. Foster care provider where child is placed;
  5. Foster child (when appropriate). When a foster child is age 14 or greater they have the opportunity to personally invite two additional members to join the CFTM.
  6. Developmental Disabilities coordinator of designee when any case involves a child who is developmentally disabled or if there is a reason to believe the child may be developmentally disabled.
  7. AASK Adoption Specialist when any case involves a child whose goal includes adoption (singular or concurrent).
  8. ND Post Adopt Coordinator once adoption finalization is scheduled.

Other CFTM members may include:

  1. A treatment or therapeutic professional working with the child and/or family;
  2. Juvenile court supervisor or other court representative;
  3. Tribal Government personnel (if appropriate);
  4. Additional case management from partnering agencies (therapeutic foster care)
  5. School teacher or special education coordinator;
  6. School designated foster care liaison;
  7. Chafee Coordinator, if applicable;
  8. Others identified by the child, family or case manager who has appropriate interest in the child or family.

 

Goal of adoption:

Adults Adopting Special Kids (AASK) must be invited to meetings for children whose parental rights may be in the process of being terminated or where there is concurrent or singular plan that includes adoption. If the child has a concurrent plan involving adoption as an alternate plan, AASK must be invited to the CFTM  when a goal of adoption is added. Prior to inviting AASK, parents should be informed about concurrent planning and the roles and responsibilities of AASK. The adoption specialist will have information regarding the potential for the child to be adopted and the availability of a potential adoptive family for the child.

 

It is appropriate for a representative from AASK to be at the CFTM when adoption is not an added goal. The child placing agency could provide information to both the team and the birth parents to aid in the case planning for the child. This gives teams another opportunity to explore every avenue possible in developing permanency plans for children in foster care.

 

A ND Post Adopt Network Coordinator should be invited to CFTM when an adoption finalization hearing is scheduled or if there is a goal of guardianship.

 

The foster care administrative review completed by the Department must assure that the intent of permanency planning and the requirements of this chapter are carried out.