Abstract
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of individuals participating as Family Tri-Leads in Family, Youth, and System Partner Round Tables (FYSPRTs) in the state of Washington. Participants included Family Tri-Leads who have raised children with significant emotional, behavioral, or mental health needs and who have navigated multiple child-serving agencies seeking assistive services. Interviews with nine Family Tri-Leads were transcribed and analyzed to identify themes related to their leadership roles participating in the collaborative governance FYSPRT model. Key findings demonstrated the value of Family Tri-Leads in developing interpersonal connections and building relationships with other tri-leads, FYSPRT members, system partners, and state administrators. Additional themes surfaced, including their understandings and experiences of increased personal meaning and positive individual impacts derived from being a Family Tri-Lead. Two other themes identified were Family Tri-Leads’ workload duties and processes and communication concerns with the behavioral health system. Results indicated that the inclusion of Family Tri-Leads in regional and statewide efforts to reform the children’s behavioral health system has not only been encouraging to them as leaders in the community, but also as family members. Additionally, participants recommended ways to improve the children’s behavioral health system. Findings indicated that Family Tri-Leads bring a wealth of personal and experiential knowledge as participants representing the 10 geographic FYSPRT regions of Washington. |Keywords: Family Tri-Lead, Family, Youth, and System Partner Round Tables, children’s behavioral health, collaborative governance, system reform