Family Support Services Goals & Referrals 

 Goal Setting with Families  

Each family will be encouraged to set at least one goal for the program year.  Families are to determine what their goal will be with the assistance of the Family Support Specialist (FSS). Families can choose to work on similar goals that are already established by other agencies such as the Department of Social Services, Children’s Developmental Services Agency (IFSP Goals), Chicago Public School System (IEP Goals), etc. to avoid duplication of effort. The FSS is responsible for helping families brainstorm and determine long-term goals (or ongoing) from short-term goals. The goals should support family well-being and should be based upon the Family Outcomes Assessment and correlated to the family’s needs, interests, and strengths.  

 Once the family has agreed to engage in goal setting, a formal Family Partnership Agreement will be developed alongside the FSS. During this process, the FSS will: 

• Enter the new goal statements into CARES and/or Earlybird

• Provide parents with a copy of goals for personal accountability, if requested 

•  As the school year progresses, the FSS and family members will review individual progress, revise goals, evaluate and track whether identified needs and goals are met, and adjust strategies on an ongoing basis, as necessary.

•  Families will be referred to community resources based on the urgency and intensity of identified family needs and goals. This information is also logged in the data management systems. 

• Once a goal(s) is identified, it will be uploaded into CARES and/or Earlybird. Goals may be carried over to the following program year. 

Family Engagement & Partnership Building 

The family partnership-building process begins at intake and includes many activities, such as the enrollment process, family assessment, home visits, and the family partnership agreement process. Building partnerships with enrolled families entails learning their goals for their children, families, and themselves, through the establishment of a collaborative relationship. Family partnership building continues throughout the family’s enrollment in the program. By building positive relationships with families, programs can better implement the HSFCE Framework and the parent and family engagement curriculum. FSS staff should strive to engage families in family goal-setting. GHC offers all parents opportunities to develop and implement individual FPAs that describe their family’s goals, including responsibilities, strategies, and timetables for achieving them. 

The process depends on the family’s readiness to engage in establishing a partnership agreement/goal plan. The FPA is a document that must be updated with the family throughout the family’s enrollment in the program. For parents who may not be ready to enter into an agreement, there must be documented contact with the parents to encourage their participation in the process. Returning families can build upon their existing agreements from the previous year, however, they must have a current/updated FPA on file. 

There are several steps to creating an FPA or family goal plan: A. Family Assessment Follow-Up — At or within the first 45 days of enrollment, staff must offer the family the opportunity to create an FPA and set goal(s). 

Home-based /home-visiting staff must offer the opportunity within 45 days