Services coordination at its core builds relationships and partners with families at the earliest stage of a child’s life.
Service coordination is one of many services available for children and families in early intervention, and the only early intervention service that is federally mandated in the U.S. under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
A services coordinator helps lay the foundation for families of children with disabilities to gain access to and coordinate the provision of early intervention services. The services coordinator serves as the central contact between families and the available services and support necessary to them.
A services coordinator is a central contact person that can assist with finding services to meet the developmental, financial, educational, health, childcare, respite care and other needs of a family for the duration of the child’s eligibility.
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Services coordinators have a variety of experiences and educational backgrounds that include but are not limited to education, social work, health care, advocacy, early childhood, psychology, sociology and more.
Services coordinators demonstrate the ability to respect and support the distinctive qualities of each family, recognizing the family as the teacher, support, decision maker and advocate for their child, according to the National Service Coordination Leadership Institute Group.
The services coordinator partners with each family in identifying and accessing needed resources and knowledge as they receive early intervention services. These supports can come from a variety of community resources of formal and informal community agencies or providers.
Services coordinators will also facilitate communication among early intervention service providers across agencies resulting in a more coordinated and responsive delivery system. The coordinators specialize in using family-centered practices in all interactions to ensure that the development, and implementation of the individualized family service plan (IFSP) captures the caregivers' concerns for their child, and addresses the needs of the family.
The individualized family service plan is both a process and a document intended to assist families and professionals in their combined efforts to meet the developmental needs of a child from birth to age 3. This document is described as a “living document” as it is constantly changing to meet the growing needs of the family and child.
The individualized family service plan is made to consider the family and child as a whole and is focused on outcomes that are deemed the most important to the family. A services coordinator ensures that provisions of services listed in an IFSP are delivered in a timely manner, and timelines for creating, reviewing, and implementing services listed in the plan are kept.
A services coordinator is there to walk with the family from that initial referral to successful discharge and transition into special education services after age 3. Services coordinators are committed to enriching the lives of children and families.
It is never too early to ask questions about your child’s development. Take advantage of free early intervention services through your school district. For more information, call 402-597-4936 or visit our website at omahaedn.esu3.org.
