Service Coordination: A Guide for Families
Part 3 - Individual Family Service Coordination Plan

What is an individual family service coordination plan?

Important! The individual family service coordination plan identifies and organizes services for your child and family, and who will be responsible for each part of the plan. Services may be provided by public and private agencies and informal supports such as neighborhood associations, neighbors, other ffamiliesand churches. Families have an active role in writing the individual family service coordination plan and share responsibility for carrying out the plan.

Is an individual family service coordination plan required?

The FCFC must make sure there is an individual family service coordination plan for any child or family who is getting service coordination from the FCFC. Also it is likely that if your child has multiple needs or gets services from more than one agency, your child will need a service coordination plan.

Who makes the individual family service coordination plan?

Your child and your family are part of a group that makes the individual family service coordination plan. The other people in the group are from some of the agencies on the FCFC. These people either know about your child or your family, or they know about services that your child and family might need. The FCFC calls this group of people your family service coordination planning team.

Important! Your family is an important part of the team and an important part of every meeting about your child. The FCFC must tell you about your child's meetings and invite you to be a part of them. You can bring an advocate or other support person to any meeting to help you with what you want to say, or just to be there for you.

How does service coordination work?

You and your child meet with the family service coordination plan team to share information and ideas, and decide what services your child should get. Together, you and your child and the team make an individual plan for how your child will get services and who will pay. The team must write the plan by following the county's service coordination "mechanism" (see Part 4 - County Service Coordination Mechanism). Your family is a very important part of making the decisions.

What must the individual family service coordination plan say?

The individual family service coordination plan must include:

• which agencies are responsible for giving your child and family the services you need. The agencies can be state, county and local, public and private agencies and informal supports.
• who will coordinate services. Your family approves the person who will coordinate services. This person makes sure that the individual service coordination plan gets started and the family continues to get the planned services.
• assurance that your child gets the services that she or he needs. The individual family service coordination plan must also make sure that your family gets services that support your family's strengths.
• opportunities for your child and family to give your opinions, ideas and suggestions about how to make services respect your family's culture, race and ethnic group.
• services in the least restrictive environment. A least restrictive environment is when a child receives services in the most helpful setting while being with other children.
• when the individual plan starts and finishes. The team must follow this schedule. The plan must also say that the family and the agencies will meet regularly and talk about if the plan is working or needs to be changed.
• what the county will do if there is an emergency situation or a "short-term crisis situation" for your child or your family.
• if your child is alleged to be an unruly child, a process to try to keep your child out of the juvenile justice system. The process may identify these or other measures:
• the person or agency that will assess your child's and family's strengths and needs, and which questions or tests will be used to do the assessment
• emphasis on the responsibilities of your child and family, which may include responsibility to help pay for services
• the involvement of local law enforcement agencies
• holding a complaint ready to file with the juvenile court, as a way to encourage your child and family to comply with measures to keep the child out of juvenile court
• having a meeting with your child, family and other people to find other ways to keep your child out of juvenile court
• a short-term respite from a short-term crisis that involves confrontation between you and your child
• a mentor program for your child and family
• a parenting education program
• an alternative school program if your child is truant, disruptive, suspended or expelled.

What do these plans look like?

Each individual family service coordination plan is different because each child and family is different. Also, different counties may have different designs for their individual family service coordination plans. The following is a simplified example of a family service coordination plan.

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