What is Service Coordination?

Early intervention service coordination combines the traditional case management activities of organizing and coordinating needed services with the philosophy of family centered care. A major goal of service coordination is to create opportunities for the provision of collaborative, family-centered, community-based services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Service coordinators help families identify and prioritize concerns, assist parents in developing of plans and strategies to meet the needs of their children and family units, and strengthen families’ competencies and sense of control over life events.

 

What are the 2 types of service coordination?

• The initial service coordinator ( ISC):  Your initial service coordinator will be assigned to your family by the Early Intervention Program. Your initial service coordinator will help you with all the steps necessary to get services – from your child’s evaluation (multidisciplinary evaluation) to find out if he/she is eligible for the Early Intervention Program to your first IFSP meeting if your child is found eligible for the Program.
• The ongoing service coordinator ( OSC):  You will be asked to choose your ongoing service coordinator at your first IFSP. The main job of your ongoing service coordinator is to make sure you and your child get the services in your IFSP. Your ongoing service coordinator will also help you find resources in the community to address your priorities, and make sure your IFSP is reviewed on a regular basis. You can keep your initial service coordinator as your ongoing service coordinator, or you can choose a new person.