The Family Assessment Tracking System (FATS) serves the following purposes:

• As a summary of the family’s protective capacities, concerns and problems as perceived by the family, the worker/department and other collaterals.
• As a tool to engage families and collaterals in order to gather information about the child and family as it pertains to the reason the department is currently involved with the family.
• As initial and ongoing documentation of pertinent information regarding the family’s functioning, including the worker’s observations. Any discrepancy in information should be clarified by the worker and explained in the documentation.
• As a source of the information gathered through the assessment process to identify strengths and needs of the family that will translate into the development of a case plan to address identified concerns/problems.
• As the documentation of the case plan development participants; case plan; and, the case plan review and progress
• As the case record documentation for all case contacts and activities.
• As documentation of updates and periodic reviews of the assessment, case plan and case documentation as required in department program policy.

These tutorials will provide instruction to DCFS staff on how to use FATS . The tutorials will instruct you on how to navigate the four parts of FATS:

Part 1 - Family Builder
Part 2 - Assessment of Family Functioning (AFF)
Part 3 - Case Plan
Part 4 - Case Documentation.