illinois department of children and family services, pathways to strengthening and supporting...

April 15, 2010Division of Service Support, Office of Training and Professional Development

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Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Pathways to Strengthening and Supporting Families Program

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PATHWAYS TO STRENGTHENING AND SUPPORTING FAMILIES IN ILLINOIS

Module 5B – Voluntary Family PlanGroup Process


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Job Competencies

• Enhance ability to create a positive team environment.

• Use knowledge of stages of team development, the facilitator's role, and intervention strategies in each stage to facilitate the work of the team.

• Use knowledge of levels of team functioning to intervene effectively when the team is "stuck" and not able to complete a task.

• Use knowledge of group roles to help create a positive team environment and to facilitate the work of the team.


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Definition of A Group

• A group is a collection of three or more individuals with a common bond.


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Definition of a Team

• A team is a type of group. Three or more individuals come together to achieve a clear and compelling goal that they have participated in defining.


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Team Example: 90’s Bulls


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5 Advantageous Team Building Conditions

1. There's a need to create a high level of cohesion and commitment to a common goal

Why is there a need to create a high level of cohesion and commitment to a common goal on a Family Support Network team?


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2. There's an ongoing task for the group to accomplish

Is there an ongoing task for a Family Support Network team to accomplish? What is it?


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3. A consistent set of people will be working closely over an extended period.

Is there a consistent set of people who will be working on the Family Support Network team for an extended period of time? Who would those people be?


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4. Members need to link and coordinate their roles closely

Is it important for people to coordinate their roles on a child and family team? Why?


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5. Increased empowerment will result in increased effectiveness

Can participation on a Family Support Network team increase a family's sense of empowerment? How?


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Family as a Team

• A family is a specific type of team. How does a family fit the definition of a team?


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Family as a Team (Cont’d)

• When the family joins a Family Support Network team they (the family) are an existing team entering a newly created team1. What are the benefits of imposing the child and

family team on a family?2. What are the risks or pitfalls of imposing the

child and family team on a family?3. What are the risks of approaching a family with

the mindset that you are becoming a member of their existing team?

4. What are the benefits of approaching the family with the mindset that you are becoming a member of their existing team?


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We believe that the benefits of viewing the Family Support Network Team as the

family's team significantly outweigh the risks. We believe that for team to be viewed by the family as useful and

relevant, it must become the family's team and must incorporate and build on the

family's knowledge of themselves, their strengths and their existing ways of

meeting their needs.


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Stages of Development (Example)


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All groups go through specific stages of development whether members are aware of this process or not. As a

facilitator of family meetings you'll need to be able to recognize a particular

team's stage of development so that your interventions can target the

team's needs and help guide the team successfully through each stage.


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Stages of Team Development

• Pre-affiliation

• Power and Control

• Intimacy

• Differentiation

• Termination


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Pre-Affiliation

• Uncertainty about joining the group

• Low level of trust

• Low level of commitment

• Need direction; more dependent on leader


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Pre-Affiliation Activity

1. Select a partner and find a place to sit where you can talk comfortably.

2. Share what it is like to join a new team. (One person tells their experience while their partner actively listens to what is shared; 5 minutes each.))

3. Discuss how your experiences could potentially impact your work as facilitators in the pre-affiliation stage of development. (5 minutes total)


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Pre-Affiliation Role-Play

• Read the case-study and the pre-affiliation scenario

• Select the role you will play

• Role-play an initial meeting– Discuss the team’s goals– Develop the family plan

• Observer will use the checklist to provide feedback later.


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Role-Play Debriefing

• Observers – share the information on the checklist

• Team Members – discuss reactions to what occurred during the family meeting

• Facilitators – discuss what worked well and what barriers were experienced.


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Power and Control

• Emergence of conflict and power struggles

• Cliques and personal animosities

• Low productivity

• Sense of ineffectiveness


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Power and Control Activity

1. Return to your partner.

2. Share how you deal with conflict. (5 minutes each)

3. Discuss how your experiences could potentially impact your work during the power and control stage of development. (5 minutes total)


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As facilitator during the power and control stage your role is to listen

attentively and address conflict as it emerges, resolving issues

collaboratively.


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Intimacy

• Recognize and value commonalities

• Beginning cohesiveness

• Increasing satisfaction

• Strong sense of unity


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Intimacy Stage Activity


2. Share how you react to having to give feedback and hearing feedback about your performance. (5 minutes each)

3. Discuss how your reactions could potentially impact your work with a team in the intimacy stage of development. (5 minutes total)


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As facilitator during the intimacy stage your role is to support problem identification and

problem solving efforts and encourage member empowerment.


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Differentiation

• High commitment to group goal

• High productivity

• Roles and responsibilities clear

• Conflict managed by members

• High quality decisions


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Differentiation Activity

1. Return to your partner

2. Share how you tend to react to sharing leadership, or letting others take charge. (5 minutes each)

3. Share how your reactions could potentially impact your work in the differential stage of group development. (5 minutes total)


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As facilitator during the differentiation stage of development your role is to

confirm the team's goals and promote organized and systematic

efforts to work on them. The emphasis is also on allowing and

supporting team members to exercise leadership and lend their strengths to the work of the group.


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Separation

• Dealing with the loss of meaningful and productive relationships

• Recognition and celebration of group's accomplishments


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Separation Activity


2. Share how you reacted to and dealt with previous losses. (5 minutes each)

3. Discuss how your reactions could potentially impact their work in the separation stage. (5 minutes total)


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Your facilitator role during this stage is to help the team members end

well. This includes recognizing and celebrating their success as well as

finding ways to say good-bye to

each other.


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Separation – Role Play

1. Return to your group of six2. Read the Separation role play3. Select a different role than you had the

last time4. Role play a Family Meeting

• Review the status of the aftercare plan• Celebrate the parents’ accomplishments• Discuss how the reconstituted team will

function after DR closes the case.


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Separation Role-Play Debriefing

• Observer – share the feedback from the observation checklist

• Other participants – discuss what occurred during the family meeting

• Facilitator – discuss what worked well and what barriers were experienced


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Levels of Team Functioning

• Process

• Content

• Personal


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If the group is stuck on one level, an intervention on a different level is often the best way to move things

along.


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Identifying Roles

• Formal roles inside the team

• Informal roles that aren’t assigned

• Roles can’t be assumed without the team’s permission

• Individual must be willing to assume the role


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Roles - Maintenance

• Leader

• Group Nurturer

• Includer

• Gatekeeper

• Subject Changer


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Roles - Problematic

• Scapegoat

• Monopolist

• Isolate


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Summary – Group Process

• Questions

• Concerns

illinois department of children and family services, pathways to strengthening and supporting...

Documents

family team

team development

family services

family support network

existing team

team example

team contd

created team