Welcome to

Child and Family Teams

Child & Family Teams bring families together with service providers, trusted community members, professionals, and others with the goal of providing safety and stability for the children and families.

Child and Family Teams (CFTs) bring together loved ones and experts to support the child in reaching their potential and are dedicated to helping the family thrive.

- CFTs draw on a child and family’s strengths, experiences, knowledge, and network of support to create a plan for the safety, stability, and well-being of the children and family.

- The CFT process is intended to be inclusive of multiple formal support systems a family may need, as well as the informal, community, and natural supports that surround a family.

- The CFT process provides children and families opportunities to use their experiences and contribute their ideas to help them reach their goals.

Every child and family is unique, requiring support be tailored for them. To help with this work, CFTs use a proven tool called the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool. The CANS, developed by the John Praed foundation, helps teams organize shared information and make collaborative decisions.