A family wellness charter gives an ongoing advisory relationship a clear purpose. It records what the family wants to support, the work people have agreed to carry and how the arrangement will be reviewed. The useful result is a short document that can guide the next conversation and the next practical decision.
Family Wellness Office proposes the charter as the foundation of its continuing service model. A family can keep wellness within its enduring priorities while the people, providers and intensity of support change. The charter supplies that continuity without turning every individual's care into a single family-wide discussion.
Begin with the purpose of the relationship
Start with what the family wants the advisory relationship to make possible. That might be clearer coordination across existing providers, preparation for a life transition or a regular place to review support arrangements. Describe the practical purpose in ordinary language before choosing an engagement level.
EY's family-office governance guidance treats governance as continuing work and identifies roles, family meetings and charters as part of that work. Our wellness charter applies that organizing principle to this company's proposed advisory relationship. It is an original planning tool; the source supplies background for the organizing principle.
A useful opening statement could be: “We want a current plan, clear responsibilities and a regular conversation about the family's wellness priorities.” This is an illustrative statement, not a client account. The family's own wording should express what the people involved actually want.
Separate shared priorities from individual goals
The shared document can cover coordination arrangements, upcoming transitions and the review process. Each participating person's own goals deserve a distinct conversation. An adult family member may want practical help arranging appointments while keeping a provider discussion within their individual care relationship.
Record the family-level purpose and the individual-level work separately. Ask the person which support they want and which professionals are already involved. Where different preferences need discussion, record the question and who will help resolve it; do not present an unresolved preference as an agreed family instruction.
The UHNW Institute's wealth and wellness guidance places health concerns within the wider advisory conversation and emphasizes appropriate professional collaboration. A charter makes the proposed coordination role understandable within that circle.
Write responsibilities that people have accepted
“Someone will follow up” leaves the work unclear. State the practical action, the person accepting it and the confirmation needed. For example, a coordinator may agree to obtain the provider's written service scope. The receiving professional supplies the actual clinical recommendation or service information.
The charter can name a contact for each type of question without implying that the contact makes every decision. Funding, care recommendations, legal advice and appointment logistics can require different people. Our advisory role map helps prepare that discussion.
If a role is still unconfirmed, label it unconfirmed. A proposed task becomes an accepted task when the responsible person agrees to carry it, including any relevant timing and limits.
Establish the information arrangement
Before circulating an update, define its purpose and recipients. A provider appointment confirmation, an office expense record and a clinical record answer different questions. The charter should direct each kind of information to the agreed channel and responsible contact.
HHS's information-sharing guidance explains the circumstances covered providers must consider when sharing mental and behavioral health information. Use the responsible provider's process to establish the actual permissions. The charter records the arrangement; it does not itself authorize access to someone's records.
Original worksheet: the family wellness charter
Complete this privately with the people participating in the proposed relationship. These fields are a discussion aid and are not submitted to this website.
- Charter date and version:
- Purpose of the continuing wellness relationship:
- Family-level priorities agreed for this period:
- Participating individuals and their separate discussion arrangements:
- Work included in the wellness advisory engagement:
- Existing providers and advisors whose roles must be coordinated:
- Person accepting each practical responsibility:
- Decisions requiring a named professional or authorized decision-maker:
- Update purpose, agreed recipients and communication channel:
- Question still unresolved and person who will address it:
- Next review date and event that would prompt an earlier review:
- People who have confirmed this version:
Keep sensitive individual details in the appropriate separate record. The shared charter should remain brief enough that its participants can use it when an arrangement changes.
Keep the charter current
A charter should develop with the relationship. Review it when a provider changes, a family member moves, a transition approaches or the agreed work no longer fits current needs. Keep the earlier version and note what changed, who confirmed the revision and when the next review is due.
The first-90-days roadmap explains how the initial charter can develop alongside practical coordination. The quarterly review worksheet gives the continuing conversation a structure.
Begin a charter-and-scope conversation to discuss the family's priorities and the responsibilities a Family Wellness Office relationship would need to carry.