It is critical to have a strong family presence and active engagement from the beginning of the member’s care and continuing throughout. By investing in this time with the family upfront, the subsequent treatment outcomes are likely to improve as a result.  

The provider’s commitment to engaging members and families motivates members to recognize their own strengths, needs and resources. Engaging members and families is the foundation to building trusting and mutually-beneficial relationships between family members, service providers and other members of the treatment team. Engagement is a continuous process of communication and involvement used across all services and supports to gain input from members and families. 

In this session we will explore what family engagement means and why is it important, identify best practices for engaging families and identify ways to overcome barriers to family engagement.