Child & Family Services of Northeast Michigan

The Treatment team consists of all the personnel employed by Hope House. It is the responsibility of each team member to uphold the philosophy and work toward the purposes and goals of Hope House.

Although the team includes all employees it is not the purpose of the team concept to minimize the importance and uniqueness of specialized employment roles; rather to emphasize the importance of presenting a unified, coordinated total team effort to the betterment of the clients we serve.

In a team effort, each individual has a vital and integral role in contributing to the success of the team. In order to run an effective program in a comfortable, home-like setting, each team member may be asked or may spontaneously respond to tasks and duties that normally fall outside their job description. By accomplishing tasks that fall outside of our roles, we help each other while providing quality service to our clients.

Decision making in a team atmosphere is done through compromise, consensus, or vote. In any case, team members are expected to fully support the decision. Failure to do so results in splits and divisions that hurt the team, compromise treatment and jeopardizes the welfare of the children. A lack of unity and division is a component of the failed parental relationships that our clients have endured. Therefore it is vital that we are seen "on the same page".

Although unity is valued, each team member is expected to respectfully present their position when opinions differ, in a spirited yet professional manner using our time together to better one another clinically. At times when consensus cannot be reached, the program director out of necessity will make the final decision. In day to day work, individuals are frequently called on to make decisions without the total team. At these times, staff should rely on practice experience, the Hope House manual, or consultation with other staff or supervisory members to arrive at a decision in keeping with the nature and gravity of the decision needed. When significant decisions are made without the team, the situation along with the decision and the rationale for the decision should be logged for the benefit and instruction of the team.

We believe working as a team is the most effective method in creating a functional treatment program. The team model most closely recreates a functional family unit, with each of its members’ inter-dependant in the other. It is hoped that by our unified presentation within the diversity of persons, that we will be teaching the youth how to form functional long-term relationships. These ideals are also necessary for us as employees to be able to withstand the stress and strain of working with troubled youth.