Calling a TAM meeting is a simple process. TAMs are designed to be used as a framework for bringing people together, any time a meeting needs to be held. Ideally, the resident will choose which professional they would like to organise the TAM. If the resident is unwell, not contactable or not working closely with anyone, any professional can arrange the TAM – it will usually be the person who is working most closely or regularly with them.   

To organise a TAM meeting, the professional just needs to email other people in the resident’s support network, and invite them to come together on a specific date and time. TAM meetings are designed to be co-produced spaces – so wherever possible, the person that the meeting is about should attend, and the meeting should be set up in a way which enables them to be there according to their preferences and support needs.

Things to consider: 

• Should the meeting be in person or online?  

Which would the resident prefer? If they find it intimidating or difficult to meet with professionals in person, could a professional take a laptop or tablet to their home/wherever they are, and support them to join a virtual meeting? If the meeting is in person, can professionals go to the location most convenient to the resident – their hostel or their flat (if they want this), a service they use often, even an outside space like a park if that is their preference and you can ensure it is safe/confidential! 

• How can TAMs be co-produced if the person isn’t able or willing to attend?  

If this is the case, the person that works most closely with the resident can speak to them before the meeting about what their goals priorities and challenges are, and then bring these to the meeting on their behalf. They can then feed back to the resident after the meeting.  

• Who should attend?  

The TAM framework can be used for any meeting where people come together to talk about a resident’s support – they can be big ‘case conference’ meetings if that is necessary, or they can be smaller meetings to catch up, celebrate progress and plan next steps. A TAM meeting could be just the resident, their hostel worker, and their substance use worker, for example. There is no need to invite lots of people for the sake of it – only invite people who have current, meaningful connection with the person. The resident may also want someone from their personal network to attend, such as a friend or family member. 

• Who should chair the meeting and who should take minutes? 

Any person from any service can chair the meeting. TAM gives a clear framework for the meeting to follow, so the chair just needs to follow that and ensure that everyone at the meeting has time and space to talk, and feels safe and heard. Usually the person who has organised the meeting can chair, but this doesn’t need to be the case. If the network meets regularly, you may want to take turns chairing and taking minutes. The resident may want to chair the meeting themselves – if they do, then it’s useful to check if they would need any support or adaptations in order to enable this.