Strategic Planning, Policy & Program Analysis, & Capacity Building

Casey Family Programs, Community Building through Family-Centered Teams: Strategic Planning to Establish Vision, Mission, and Goals

Metis Associates organized the strategic planning process to establish the vision, mission, goals, and objectives for Community Building through Family Centered Teams, an initiative of Casey Family Programs. The mission of Casey Family Programs is to provide and improve—and ultimately to prevent the need for—foster care. Beginning in 2000, Metis performed an initial feasibility study to help select the five pilot sites, mostly in the western United States, which implemented this national demonstration project. At each site, family-centered teams were designed to identify and serve families whose children were at risk of foster care or juvenile detention placement. Part of the strategic planning process involved addressing the role that racism plays in decision-making in the child-welfare system. Metis created a structured manual for the sites to use to assess their needs and strengths, identify local partners, and ultimately plan their futures. It also convened the five sites to train representatives on the use of the manual for local planning. Metis then continued to provide direct technical assistance at the site locations through onsite visits and team coaching.