For people, families, and support teams
How do we make a support-team meeting useful?
Agree on the person’s priority and the decisions the meeting needs to address. Share a short agenda, ask how the person wants to participate, and finish with clear actions. A meeting is more useful when everyone can distinguish information shared from decisions actually made.
Prepare the meeting with the person
Ask what they want discussed, who they want present and whether they would like to speak, write, use another communication method or ask someone to help explain. Agree on any subjects they do not want discussed in the larger group.
Send only the information participants need through the agreed channel. A long background packet can obscure the current question. Keep the agenda small enough that the main priority receives attention.
Separate updates, choices and decisions
Start with the person’s view of the current arrangement. Then ask each participant to supply information relevant to the decision. When alternatives are discussed, identify what the person prefers and what still needs checking.
Do not describe a suggestion as approved merely because nobody objects during the meeting. Ask the responsible person to state whether a decision has been made, what remains conditional and how it will be communicated.
Write a useful ending
For each action, record the owner, the information needed and the agreed follow-up point. Read the list back in language the person understands. Ask how to correct the notes if someone later notices a misunderstanding.
This optional agenda does not replace a required support-planning process or formal records. Use it to improve the conversation and bring service questions to the responsible professionals.
Support-team meeting agenda and actions
Download this editable worksheet, add your notes, and bring it to the relevant planning conversation. Leave unknown details blank and identify who can confirm them.
Download worksheet (.txt)- Person’s priority
- What do they want this meeting to resolve?
- Participation
- Who will attend and what format or support will help the person participate?
- Decision needed
- What specific choice or unresolved question is on the agenda?
- Information and options
- What needs checking before the person or responsible team can decide?
- Actions
- What is agreed, who owns each action, and how will progress be communicated?
An optional discussion tool, not an official assessment, authorization, service plan, or emergency plan. Keep completed copies private and share through an agreed channel.
Illustrative planning example
A meeting about changing visit times starts with several unrelated updates. The person asks to settle the schedule first. The team identifies the proposed change, who checks staffing and how the person will receive confirmation.
This example is invented to explain the worksheet; it is not a client story or a promised outcome.
Your next step
Use the agenda for your next discussion. If the meeting concerns a service change, identify who must confirm the change before anyone relies on it.
For a conversation with Clemens Health about your Twin Cities location, call (651) 354-1196 or send a referral. Service fit, authorization, and staffing need to be confirmed.
Minnesota resources
State resources explain program rules. The worksheet and examples are Clemens Health planning aids. Links were checked October 5, 2026; follow the current state guidance for eligibility and service questions.