Goal 1: Recommit to Family Council's Vision and Guiding Principles
Outcome: Through a group exercise of creating the current status of Family Council in a three dimensional format, the Council demonstrated significant energy and commitment to the Council concept and developing process. The descriptions of the constructions were clearly anchored to the Vision and Guiding Principles. It appears as though the Vision and Guiding Principles remain a solid foundation on which the Council will build its continuing efforts. Later in the retreat there was an exercise on 'The purpose of Family Council is...' This exercise was an attempt to operationalize some of the more philosophical and value oriented concepts. The results of this discussion are reported later but will need to be linked to the Vision and Guiding Principles.

The 'constructions' visually displayed such concepts and ideals as:

• creativity
• collaboration
• unity of vision and purpose
• strength - based
• healthy challenging of authority and status quo
• diversity

Some aspect of the vision which need further development include:

• need for more business representation
• need for more faith-based representation
• need to look at other connections to stakeholders not currently at the table
• more focus on local and community

Values which the groups consistently reinforced included:

• family focus-empowerment, partners, centered, culturally sensitive, individualized
• meeting individual needs of children and families
• strengths-based
• pooling resources
• community as part of the solution
• coordination
• wraparound
• no eject/no reject

Goal 2: Establish a baseline of knowledge about Family Council programs and operations that includes outcomes and fiscal related data
Outcome: The staff and Council members reported in great detail the current activities of the Council with particular attention to future challenges and areas where strategic planning will be important. Key themes for each presentation area are highlighted here.

Community Collaboration
The Council oversees a number of program activities. Consistently these have been successful and have received considerable attention from local, state and national levels. The strategic questions or issues which need further exploration include:

• Defining the essential role of the FC in these programs, e.g., funder, planner, evaluator
• Defining and measuring outcomes for the programs
• Engaging others systems in the program development and implementation
• Finding points of linkage among related programs
• Addressing emerging needs, e.g., substance abuse and parents with disabilities
• Resources and strategies needed to support these programs

Parent Involvement
This area truly fills a community need in terms of giving voice and achieving partnership with parents and families in shaping the system. It is the area where the Family Council value of 'individualization, cultural sensitivity, and parent empowerment/inclusion, is most operationalized. The strategic areas in this area include:
Parent Department

• Continuing the parent-professional partnering efforts
• Recruiting parents
• Resources to continue/expand work
• Connections to each of the major systems/agencies
• Reinforce parent voice at the Council level, e.g., Parent Advisory Committee

• Turning information gained from community presence into meeting needs/filling gaps
• Expanding geographic area beyond Canton
• Resources to sustain and expand initiative
• Outreach to other populations, such as Native Americans

• Meeting staffing requirements
• Enhance the role of schools
• Tracking dollars and connecting to outcomes

• Future funding Provider Development
  
• Measuring outcomes and the impact of FC involvement
• Key activity for FC
• Need to address transition age youth

• Future funding
• Clarification of expectations of pooled funding
• Maintain FC role of community facilitator

Day 2 Goals
1. Establish the foundation for strategic planning
Outcome: This goal was achieved through linking the presentation by staff on the key roles and functions of the FC and having the Council begin to identify the issues and concerns which need further exploration. The presentation specifically highlighted the challenges ahead-these challenges to some degree represent the areas which need to be addressed in a more structured planning process.

2. Conduct an environmental scan of Family Council roles
Outcome: This goal was achieved by moving the presentation material forward into small group work which focused on each of the role areas of FC. Participants were responsible for identifying what they believed were the key areas facing FC. There were substantive discussions within each of the small groups resulting in the identification of some of key planning and strategic areas and the implications for FC. Each group identified the strengths, challenges and opportunities for each issue, followed by potential goals, objectives and outcomes.

3. Identify goals under role areas
Outcome: After the small groups processed the implications of the key issues, a set of preliminary goals and objectives were identified. These goals and objectives can serve as the beginning step in the more structured strategic planning process.

Administration Goals:

• Clearly define FC role in relation to CCO, Parent Involvement, Community input and Awareness and other service providers/systems
• Develop protocols for future program management
• Develop strategies for others to invest: Commissioners, Foundations, leverage resources availability
• Develop and implement a strategic plan Highlights successes and best practices
• Identify target audiences

Community Resources Goals:

• To move more of FC programs into community; identify and build on neighborhood leadership; and implement demonstrations
• Reinforce FC role as facilitator-planner-collaborator-trainer-evaluator-fund seeker

CCO

• Continue to improve cultural sensitivity
• Get input from youth and families
• Expand facilitator role with youth advocates
• Ongoing training
• Increase commitments from each system
• Reaffirm CCO as process for reducing out of home placements
• Determine demographic patterns

ACCORD

• To revisit critical components of CCO process including relationship between CCO, ACCORD, Planning Committee and Board

FSIF

• Develop usage and strategies related to IVB funds
• To reassess technical assistance role of FC
• Focus on working with providers to fill service gaps
• Enhance position with State and Federal agencies

Provider Development

• Reinforce and support Parent and Youth representation without burnout
• Develop a system for tracking dollars that are re-aligned
• Determine scope and role of FC in technical assistance outside of county
• Identify gaps and assist providers in filling these

Other

• Clarify role and function of General membership

• Reinstate Parent Advisory Committee - Working Council
• Increase funding for PI to expand throughout the county
• Increase funding to Minority Outreach
• Complete and use the information form ethnographic study in planning
• Enhance partnership efforts via mutual respect and valuing input from all team players
• Educate families on how to access systems
• Empower families with skills to communicate and work with professionals

Goal 4: Identify Next Steps
This goal was accomplished through a discussion with the Council regarding what would be the next phase of this process. The consensus of the group was that a Strategic Planning Committee be identified, representing the Planning Committee, Executive Committee and interested others. The charge for this group will be to use the information developed during the retreat, add to it as needed, and develop a long range plan which will guide the Family Council for the next few years.