Our service developed multi-agency meetings using a solution focused framework (Alexander and Sked, 2010). The aim of these meetings was to provide co-ordinated support for families as part of the education service’s staged intervention process.

Structure of Solution Focused Meetings

The meetings may vary according to the situation but they all have certain key elements:

  • Parents and the child or young person are always prepared beforehand and debriefed after the meeting.
  • The atmosphere is deliberately created to be empathetic and non-judgemental.
  • A warm welcome is given to everybody and tea/coffee/juice and biscuits are often offered.
  • The facilitator of the meeting gives an explanation of the purpose and process of the meeting.
  • The person who had asked for the meeting to be held gives a description of the strengths and difficulties of the child or young person.
  • The facilitator, using a flipchart, uses the heading ‘The main issues are how to…’ and asks the group what they consider the main issues for the child to be. The facilitator makes sure that the child is included in this. Concerns are framed positively and written in a list under the heading.
  • When all the main issues are up on one sheet, everybody in the meeting is given three votes, either using small dot stickers or felt tip pens, and everybody is asked to put their votes for whichever issue they consider to be the most important. All three votes could go to one issue or they could spread votes out whichever way they prefer.
  • The votes are counted and the difficulty which was highlighted the most is then written on a new piece of paper on the flip chart with specific wording: ‘In how many ways may we help [John to attend school more]?’
  • The facilitator then encourages everybody in the meeting to think of ways that will help John, for example, to attend school more. This thinking is helped by asking for exceptions. When does John attend school? What does he like about school?
  • This sheet of ideas then forms an Action Plan. Names, and sometimes timescales, are assigned to each of the ideas in the Action Plan.
  • A review date is arranged.
  • Notes of the meeting are sent out to all attendees. These are deliberately kept brief, only including who attended, the main issues and the action points.
  • If appropriate, the action point sheet is rolled up and given to the child or young person to take away, encouraging him/her to feel more responsible and included in the process.
  • After the meeting the professional who knows the child best debriefs the meeting with him/her and parents are accompanied to the door and asked how they felt about the meeting and the Action Plan. Any last minute issues can then be clarified.

(Alexander & Sked, 2010, p.242)

In preparation for a Solution Focused Meeting, you can read this leaflet. To help collate the views of secondary teachers, here is a helpful tool.

Reference

Alexander, S., & Sked, H., (2010). The development of solution focused multi‐agency meetings in a psychological service, Educational Psychology in Practice. 26(3), 239-249. https://doi.org/10.1080/02667363.2010.495204