What does a good service plan look like?

What does a good service plan look like?
• A good service plans starts out with a good assessment. This means that your
family’s strengths, needs, and problems will be reviewed.
• You, as the parent, will be actively involved in a good service plan. It is an
understanding between you and the agency/court as to what needs to happen. It
is your opportunity to say what kind of help you need to reach the goals that
have been set. A service plan that only lists tasks that the agency or court says
you must do is NOT a good plan.
• The service plan will help you work on both immediate and long-standing
problems in your family.
• A good plan will be reviewed regularly by you and the agency worker. The plan
will be flexibleenough to change as your family’s needs and progress change.
• The service plan will be written clearly in simple, straightforward language. It
should not be filled with bureaucratic and legal jargon.
• Goals will be reasonable. Steps for achieving the goals should be spelled out
clearly. Timeframes will be understood by everyone.

The service plan will show an understanding of your family’s culture and beliefs.
It will include services that will be right for your family’s culture.
• A good service plan will fit your family. It will not have a list of goals and
services that could fit any family.

http://www.nicwa.org/resources/familyrec/familyguide/familyguide.pdf