Services Coordination
What is Early Development Network Services Coordination?
Services Coordination means a central contact person, known as the services coordinator, is assigned to each family. Services Coordination helps families of children with special needs below age three:
- find services to meet developmental, educational, financial, health care, child care, respite care, and other services to meet their needs
- link with needed services
- work with multiple providers to make sure services are provided as needed
- become coordinators of services for their own children in the future
Why is Services Coordination needed?
Because families of children with disabilities often need many different services the Services Coordinator is instrumental in working with the agencies that provide these services to make sure the child and family get the help they need. The Services Coordinator also informs families about services available in the commnity, makes sure services are delivererd smoothly and properly, and informs families about advocacy and support groups.
Families are entitled help from a Services Coordinator up to the time of the assessment, and after the assessment if the child is verified as having a disability. The family also may choose not to use the help of a Services Coordinator. In that case, the child's services will be coordinated by the family and the local school district.
Nebraska families of children with special needs have found it difficult to locate needed services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and then to coordinate the services with so many providers involved. Nebraska families asked the State Legislature for assistance by allowing services coordinators to set up teams of the family service providers to work together.
Services coordination:
- allows families easy access to community services
- make current services stronger
- avoids duplication of services
- develops resources when needed
- makes it clear to families what they can expect from state and community agencies
Who is Eligible for Services Coordination?
Eligible families are those with an infant or toddler below age three who has a disability or developmental delay and qualifies.
There is no cost to families. |
