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A service team is established for each youth in placement. The team usually consists of the WhimSpire treatment coordinator, family care providers, referring agency caseworker, youth, and birth parents (unless prohibited). Therapists and GAL's are always invited to participate; school officials, probation officers, and others are invited as appropriate. The service team develops specific objectives that are to be accomplished in the next three months. Written monthly progress reports are made to referring agency caseworkers, GAL's, and therapists. The team meets again, after three months, to review progress towards the objectives and to modify and/or set new objectives.
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Service plans.
WhimSpire recognizes that each youth is a multi-dimensional and complex human being. With an emphasis on strengths and progress, service plans are a written in an open-ended format, allowing teams to tell the entire story.
Objectives are set to address safety, health, social/emotional development, and to ensure that measures are being taken to assist the youth in reaching his or her full potential. Teams are encouraged to assess the youth's strengths, and in line with the WhimSpire Model, Sevice Plans measure progress in the four Reclaiming areas: Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity.
Quarterly monitoring of the objectives keep youth, families and engaged systems accountable for safety and for promoting positive change.
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Service coordination.
WhimSpire works with care providers and other members of the service team to determine the best community resources available to meet the youth's individual needs. Often, there is much work to be done in healing emotionally. In those cases, psychotherapy is a priority, and experienced mental health providers will become part of the team. Sometimes, there are medical issues, necessitating frequent trips to a doctor. In helping young people to connect to their communities, participation in extracurricular activities (sports, library, rec centers, etc.) is encouraged. WhimSpire staff will help to coordinate all of these events in the most efficient manner. As the primary support for the youth in their care, foster parents will be expected to facilitate transportation to all of the resources that are in the service plan. |
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Birth parent participation.
Maintaining contact with birth parents is important for youth in care for two equally important reasons. First, this is necessary for reunification when reunification is the permanency plan. Second, youth, especially adolescents, need contact with parents to assist in the process of identity formation. WhimSpire encourages birth parents to participate as members of the service team and to visit with their youth regularly unless prohibited by courts or by the direction of a referring agency caseworker. |
Other Approach to Practice Pages:
 Behavior Management Model
Reclaiming Model
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