is a partnership between Special
Child Health Services (SCHS) and the Statewide Parent Advocacy
Network (SPAN). This service has been created to strengthen
the relationship between the Case Management Units
and families. Family Resource Specialists are
parents of children with special needs who
are trained to help other parents at the county/community level.
(For more information on the SCHS Case Management Units, go to
http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/sch/sccase.shtml).
Project CARE: SPAN Family Resource Specialists are stationed part-time at the 21 Special Child Health Services/Case Management Units.
-->They provide information and advocacy on family rights, the special education processes, and resources such as parent support groups and respite care.
-->They can support families at IEP meetings, health care appointments, and hospital visits, and help families resolve conflicts with school and healthcare staff and health insurance companies.
-->They work to improve family engagement at all levels, early and continuous screening, access to a "medical home" that coordinates all needed care and to easily accessible community-based services, adequate insurance to cover needed care, and effective transition to adult systems of care.
*Our Family Resource Specialists, are funded by Family WRAP a grant from the N.J. Department of Health and Senior Services Special Child Health Services/Title V; SPAN’s Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) from the U.S. Department of Education; and our Integrated Community-Based Systems of Care for Children with Special Healthcare Needs (ISG) project funded by the US Department of Health and Human Services Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Ways the Family Resource Specialist can help:
As a listener, recognizing the unique needs of diverse families
Supporting parents at home or in the hospital, at education planning meetings and through support groups
Guiding families and professionals toward resources and educational and recreational information
Providing technical assistance and support to parents at key transitions throughout their child’s development (transition to preschool, to elementary school, to secondary education, and from school to adult life, and from pediatric to adult healthcare)
Collaborating with agencies at local, city and state levels to make programs and policies more family-centered and easily accessible to all families
Strengthening parent capacity to advocate for their child across systems by providing technical assistance and relevant workshops
For assistance
from a Family Resource Specialist:
Patricia Paraskevacos, Project Coordinator, Family WRAP
Passaic County SCHS-Case Management Unit
Catholic Family and Community Services
775 Valley Road
Clifton, NJ 07013
(973) 523-6778 ext. 321
projectcare@spannj.org