Welcome to Family Light

Perhaps the most important part of planning for a home visit is to be certain that the day is free of distractions and interruptions. All parties need to be present at the agreed upon time. Parents need to arrange to be absent from work and for the young person to be absent from school. Telephones, cell phones, and pagers should be turned off during the meeting, allowing an answering machine to pick up all messages. The consultant will have a cell phone to be accessible only to the FamilyLight office for emergencies. Parents may also set up a means for someone to reach them in an emergency. As the visit progresses, there may be several short breaks during which a parent could touch base with the workplace to deal with critical matters.

If parents discover that the scheduled home visit date does not allow everyone involved to be available as needed, they should inquire about a change of date. We will not start the visit until all are present, as we feel strongly that this level of commitment and cooperation is necessary to ensure the success of the home visit.

The FamilyLight consultant does not depart for a home visit until the Service Agreement has been received in our office in Latrobe, PA, and payment arrangements have been finalized.

The young person’s biography – written by the parent – and all available clinical and academic records regarding the young person should be sent directly to the consultant prior to the home visit. The biography should be approximately two pages in length and should include a description of significant events in the young person’s life from infancy to the present. A detailed psychosocial history, included as part of the clinical records, may be substituted for the biography, provided parents believe the history is accurate as stated. More lengthy biographies are certainly welcome if parents feel additional information would give the consultant a better understanding of the young person.