Beyond the Individualized Family Service

Plan (I.F.S.P)Presented by

Desirée Brown, Parent Coordinator

DC Early Intervention Program &

Salvador Hernandez, Parent Representative

DC Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC)

Coming together is a beginning.Keeping together is progress.Working together is success.

Henry Ford (1863 – 1947)

American Industrialist

Family Centered Services

“Family-Centered service is the philosophical tenet that must be internalized in early intervention. The practical application of this philosophy, once embraced, requires thought, ingenuity, experimentation and continuing re-evaluation. Making early intervention family-centered will not only enhance the likelihood of success, it will promote the importance of the family in all spheres of our society.”

From Working with Families in Early Intervention by James A. Blackman

What is Meaningful Family Involvement?

Developing and Promoting opportunities for families to participate in the Early Intervention System at the level in which they feel comfortable

Partnership

Cannot be faked ~ Be prepared to treat your partner’s concerns as equal in importance as your own

Demands creativity ~ Find new ways in which to meet both parties needs

Requires some compromiseDemands commitment and

consistencyRequires flexibilityRequires fairness

Let go of the titles…

Develop trust and mutual respect

Respect the Uniqueness of Each Family System

Acknowledge and respect the family system which is heavily influenced by a family’s cultural values and beliefs.

Communicate in culturally appropriate ways

Do not assume a dominant role as a professional ~ in some cultures this may prove to be a source of tension and may result in family members withholding information.

Do obtain translators and interpreters who are fluent in the family’s primary language to explain or clarify information related to programs and services

Maintain open and on-going communication w/families from diverse linguistic backgrounds. Use whatever method works (e.g. notebooks, oral exchanges and most importantly the method the family prefers)

Effective Communication

Means sharing information so that each partner is equipped to manage appropriately for everyone’s mutual benefit

Working w/Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Families

Requires a system that supports the development of these relationships. A variety of interrelated issues and personal characteristics influence the development of relationships between professionals and those they serve including family structure, age, length of time since immigration and cultural expectations about services and outcomes

What DC has in place

Family Support Group meetings Annual Toy Give Away Comprehensive System of Personnel

Development Program Monitoring Parent – to – Parent networking Interagency Coordinating Council Early Intervention/Early Childhood Training

Institute Family Satisfaction Survey Service Coordination “Pilot Project” Transition Orientation Provider Orientation

What’s Next?

Family Orientation to EI systemFamilies as MediatorsQuarterly satisfaction surveys

Did I paint a rosy picture?Barriers we faced

Understanding what cultural and linguistic competency is all about

Did we really develop our monitoring tool without a parent’s input?

How in the world did those first family support group meetings occur without disaster?

Yo Habla Espanol? What were parent’s interested in doing

anyway? Why didn’t Spanish speaking families show up

to the meetings and don’t we serve any Caucasian folk?

Do families trust us?

I think I know what I’m talking about…

But let’s hear from Mr. Salvador Hernandez who has graciously taken the time to be here today.

His input as a parent, advocate and cultural background are an invaluable resource.

“Do you like being a parent – you know, being a father, having children and all?” Linnet once asked me. “Yes,” I said, after a moment. “It’s like dancing with a partner. It takes a lot of effort to do it well. But when it’s done well it’s a beautiful thing to see.” Gerald EarlyU.S. Writer, Specialist in African American Studies

Come Away with Me…

Mount Everest is so huge, it takes a whole group

to climb it.~Sam, Age Seven, Whose Sister is Medically

Fragile

Raising a child who needs significant levels of

support is an extraordinary task.

It may take thefamily plus a whole group of other

people to doIt: a school team, a case manager, a

medical teamor a squad of personal care

attendants.

We may have a child who’s needs are so complex

and significant that many groups are required

Working with teams of people requiresattention, energy and management

skills farbeyond the norm.

Most of us have added these to our usual

parenting tasks without thinking much about

them because we had to, and have become so

used to the extraordinary job we are doing that

we take it for granted.

Today, I will take time out to be conscious that I

am climbing Mount Everest.

I will rememberthat I need and deserve nourishment,

rest and periods of relief in order to stay the

course.

I will also remember that I cannot do the job

alone.

~Sam’s mom

A Journey thru Early Intervention

This was brought to you by the DC Early Intervention Program Staff in all of their shining glory and just a few of the families they serve…

The dedication and commitment of a few, affect changes for the many

Got questions?

We certainly don’t have all the answers but are willing to share as much as we can…

Don’t hesitate to share what’s happening with you and/or your state… The District of Columbia is not a state. Repeat, the District of Columbia is not a state.

Thank you!!!

We appreciate your taking the time to attend our session.