CHILD WELFARE MANUAL

Section 4, Chapter 7 (Family Support Teams), Subsection 8 – FST-1 Family Support Team (FST) Meeting Agenda

Effective Date:  1-30-2026

 

4.7.8 FST-1 Family Support Team (FST) Meeting Agenda

 

The FST-1 leads the team through assessment and decisions of critical case planning components that contribute to achieving timely permanency. The FST-1 must be completed during each FST meeting. The FST-1 is located in Employee Access E-Forms.

 

The FST-1 has three sections.

 

Section 1: Pages 1 and 2 include:

  • Privacy & Confidentiality Statements
  • Participant List
  • Indicators of agreement or disagreement regarding
    • Acceptance of the Privacy Statement
    • Whether participants were provided or offered the FST brochure and Learn Your Rights brochure (CD-287)
    • Next steps and recommendations
  • Agenda
    • The agenda section identifies common circumstances which may need the team’s attention during any team meeting. The applicable items should be selected to ensure the team is aware of the discussion points of the meeting. The agenda allows space for any team member or the worker to add additional items.
  • Notes
    • Summarize key information gathered for each agenda item.

 

Section 2: Permanency Planning and Assessment

  • Initial and Goal Planning FST
  • Placement Planning FST
  • Hearing Preparation and Permanency Finalization FST
  • Older Youth Exit Planning FST

This section is only relevant for the types of FST meetings identified within the section. Each question within this section has space to document lack of team consensus.

Expand the applicable FST type by selecting the arrow to the left of the header. All non-applicable FST meeting types should remain minimized.

Each FST type contains questions to guide areas of assessment and decisions the team must make or recommendations the team must prepare for the court to achieve family safety, stability and timely permanency.

 

Section 3: FST Team Member Tasks and Recommendations (Team Member Copy)

  • Assignment of Team Member Tasks
    • Achieving child safety, stability and permanency is everyone’s responsibility. When the team makes decisions which require action, action steps are identified by the team and assigned to a team member with a target completion date. These action steps are documented in the Team Member Tasks and Recommendations section.
    • During each meeting the team should review the previously assigned tasks and document progress or completion of each task. Incomplete tasks should be rolled over to the current Team Member Tasks until completion.
    • Parent/Guardian tasks are documented in the Social Service Plan. Older Youth tasks are documented in the Individual Action Plan (CD-94).
  • Children’s Division/FCCM’s Recommendations to be made to the court
    • This section identifies the recommendations to be made to the court by Children’s Division/FCCM regarding physical custody, legal custody, child’s placement, permanency and concurrent goals, sibling and parent/guardian-child visitation.
    • This section provides space to address a lack of team consensus for any recommendations Children’s Division/FCCM intends to provide to the court.
  • Notice of the next FST meeting and hearing date
    • This may serve as notice of the next FST meeting to individuals receiving the Team Member Next Steps and Recommendations (section 3) of the FST-1.
  • Worker information

 

The section titled Children’s Division/FCCM Recommendations to be made to the court can be minimized when the FST type will not result in recommendations to be made to the court. Hide the recommendations section by selecting the arrow to the left of the N/A – This FST meeting is not in preparation for a court hearing checkbox. Select the checkbox to indicate why the section is minimized.

 

Distributing the FST Meeting Team Member Task and Recommendations: Team Member Copy section as required by section 210.147 RSMo.

The section titled FST Meeting Team Member Task and Recommendations: Team Member Copy (section 3 of the FST-1) must be provided to each team member within 7 business days of the meeting, regardless of the team members participation in the meeting, unless the exceptions noted below apply. Other participants/supports may receive a copy upon request and at the workers discretion when doing so would support the case plan. Consideration should be given to the requestor’s role and need to possess such information. Refer to section 4.7.10 Protection of Information for additional considerations when distributing to individuals not identified as team members. Refer to section 4.7.9 for identification of team members vs. additional participants/supports.

Documenting a parent or guardian’s Protected Health Information (PHI) should be avoided in section 3 of the FST-1. When this is unavoidable or protection of other information is necessary, refer to section 4.7.10 Protection of Information for more guidance.

When a child or parent’s location is protected for safety reasons, any identifying information regarding the child or parent’s location must not be documented in section 3 of the FST-1.

When relieved of reasonable efforts with a parent, consultation with the assigned DLS attorney must occur to determine if distribution of this information to the parent should occur. Consideration should be given to the child’s best interests and whether providing the information supports finalization of the child’s permanency goal.