Early intervention service coordination is a mandated service under Part C of IDEA, provided at no cost to families. Service coordination is defined as an active, ongoing process that assists and enables families to access services and assures their rights and procedural safeguards. This resource page includes links to national resources, Illinois resources, and recommended readings.
Your Role as a Service Coordinator
Service Coordination in Illinois
Your Professional Development
Recommended Resources
This comprehensive site contains resources related to the "Service Coordination Online" training sponsored by EITP. The page includes resource versions of the training modules within each section, the SC Online workbook with activities related to the training, and resource pages containing PDFs, links and other items referred to during the SC Online training. Please note that registration for this training is available at https://go.illinois.edu/EITPonline.
For an overview of this training, please download At-a-Glance: Service Coordination Online (Blended) training (updated 12/13/19, pdf).
Developed by EITP in January 2021, this list provides the essential resources for service coordinators with Illinois specific and national resources related to service coordination.
Service Coordination in Illinois
The following documents illustrate the Illinois Service Coordination Model and provide a report of the IL SC Study from 2009:
The following documents illustrate the Illinois Service Coordination Systems of Support as of January 2019:
The following documents provide an overview of the Illinois Service Coordination Professional Development resources:
Child and Family Connections (CFC) Resource Page
This page includes the CFC Procedure Manual, the contact information for all 25 CFC offices (CFC Listing), Child Find directory, medical diagnostic locations, and CFC Consultative & Support Services such as Parent Liaisons and Local Interagency Council (LIC) Coordinators, as well as other resources specific to these offices.
Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS)
The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) is the lead agency for the Illinois Early Intervention System and their website includes a variety of links to support service coordinators in Illinois such as the Child & Family Connections Procedure Manual, EI Provider Handbook and a guide describing the use of public and private insurance.
Illinois Service Coordination Stakeholder Survey - Executive Summary - March 2020 (pdf)
A survey was developed by an IL SC Stakeholder group to gain a deeper understanding of required service coordinator knowledge, skills, and motivators for professional growth as identified by IL SC Stakeholders (service coordinators, program managers, parent liaisons, social emotional consultants, and local interagency council coordinators). The impetus for the IL SC Stakeholder Group was Illinois’ participation in a National Service Coordination Leadership Institute hosted by the Early Childhood Personnel Center (ECPC).
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Service Coordination Services under Part C of IDEA
| 303.34 |
Service Coordination |
| General |
(1) As used in this part, service coordination services mean services provided by a service coordinator to assist and enable an infant or toddler with a disability and the child's family to receive the services and rights, including procedural safeguards, required under this part.
(2) Each infant or toddler with a disability and the child's family must be provided with one service coordinator who is responsible for-
1. Coordinating all services required under this part across agency lines; and
2 . Serving as the single point of contact for carrying out the activities described in paragraphs (a)(3) and (b) of this section.
(3) Service coordination is an active, ongoing process that involves-
1. Assisting parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities in gaining access to, and coordinating the provision of, the early intervention services required under this part; and
2. Coordinating the other services identified in the IFSP under § 303.344(e) that are needed by, or are being provided to, the infant or toddler with a disability and that child's family.
|
| Specific |
Service Coordination Services include: |
| 1 |
Assisting parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities in obtaining access to needed early intervention services and other services identified in the IFSP, including making referrals to providers for needed services and scheduling appointments for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families; |
| 2 |
Coordinating the provision of early intervention services and other services (such as educational, social, and medical services that are not provided for diagnostic or evaluative purposes) that the child needs or is being provided; |
| 3 |
Coordinating evaluations and assessments; |
| 4 |
Facilitating and participating in the development, review, and evaluation of IFSPs; |
| 5 |
Conducting referral and other activities to assist families in identifying available EIS providers; |
| 6 |
Coordinating, facilitating, and monitoring the delivery of services required under this part to ensure that the services are provided in a timely manner; |
| 7 |
Conducting follow-up activities to determine that appropriate Part C services are being provided; |
| 8 |
Informing families of their rights and procedural safeguards, as set forth in subpart E of this part and related resources; |
| 9 |
Coordinating the funding sources for services required under this part; and |
| 10 |
Facilitating the development of a transition plan to preschool, school, or, if appropriate, to other services.
|
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In December 2020, the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) and IDEA Infant and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) released the Joint Position Statement on Service Coordination in Early Intervention to acknowledge the importance of early intervention service coordination and recognize the expertise and needs of the professionals who provide this service. This statement includes Knowledge and Skills for Service Coordinators as well.
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Service Coordinator Responsibilities
Within the law, seven specific activities are the responsibility of service coordinators which are listed in Table 4.1 from Working With Families of Young Children with Special Needs edited by R.A. McWilliam. Copyright 2010 by The Guilford Press.
- Coordinate and implement evaluations and assessments.
- Facilitate and participate in the development, review, and evaluation of the IFSP.
- Assist family in identifying available service providers.
- Coordinate and monitor the delivery of available services.
- Inform families of the availability of advocacy services.
- Coordinate with medial and health providers.
- Facilitate the development of a transition plan to preschool services.
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Service Coordinator Outcomes
A series of studies conducted by the Research and Training Center (RTC) on Service Coordination has identified nine interrelated outcomes that should be achieved as a result of high-quality service coordination. These outcomes are listed in Table 4.2 from Working With Families of Young Children with Special Needs edited by R.A. McWilliam. Copyright 2010 by The Guilford Press.
- Families have access to support, information, and education to address their individual needs.
- Families are able to communicate the needs of their child.
- Families make informed decisions about services, resources, and opportunities for their child.
- Agencies and professionals are coordinated.
- Children and families receive quality service.
- Children and families participate in supports and services that are coordinate, effective, and individualized to their needs.
- families acquire and/or maintain a quality of life to enhance their well-being.
- Families meet the special needs of their child.
- Children's health and development are enhanced.
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Checklists and Systems for Organizing Service Coordination Activities
Service Coordinators support many different families and it is difficult to remember every activity that needs to be done for every child/family at all times. The following resources provide some examples of resources service coordinators can use to stay on top of the multiple activities they complete on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
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This table developed by EITP includes the various aspects of a family’s journey through early intervention and strategies service coordinators may consider as they plan “with” the family, rather than “for” the family.
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The table below includes the various aspects of a family’s journey through early intervention and strategies to consider as you plan “with” the professionals on your team.
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Communication Tools
Service Coordinators work with many different teams and the following tools can help foster good communication with families and early interventionists.
- IFSP Team Contact List (pdf)
- Outgoing Voice Mail Examples (pdf)
- Meeting Memos - Service Coordinators who plan for IFSP reviews in advance can outline expectations for early interventionists which fosters good team communication and helps ensure full team participation at IFSP meetings. Below you will find some sample meeting memos that service coordinators can adapt to include their contact information and distribute to teams in the weeks/months before an IFSP review is due. For more information on policies and procedures related to IFSP reviews please review the Child and Family Connections Procedure Manual.
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Documentation
Documentation is a very important service coordination activity. Below are a few resources and examples that demonstrate the level of detail that service coordinators should include when documenting activities in the permanent case record. For more information on recordkeeping policies please visit the Child and Family Connections Procedure Manual under Recordkeeping.
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Family-Centered Practices
- Checklist for Assessing Adherence to Family-Centered Practices (pdf) - This CASEtool describes the development and use of the Family-Centered Practices Checklist for promoting the use of and adherence to evidence-based family centered helpgiving practices. It provides a basis for joint or self-reflection as a way of evaluating one's behaviors against a set of behaviorally stated evidence-based practice indicators.
- Family Considerations (pdf) - This resource is an optional component to the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Service coordinators may choose to complete this worksheet with families or give it to families to complete on their own. The Family Considerations page provides a place for families to share some information about their child and family, their routines, their concerns, and other resources.
- EITP Family-Centered Practices Resource page - This website contains a variety of resources related to family-centered practices in Early Intervention to help you learn more about families, engage them in conversations to develop their knowledge, educate and promote family rights, and develop a cooperative, lasting relationship.
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Meeting Facilitation Tools
Service Coordinators are responsible for coordinating and facilitating team meetings. As a facilitator, service coordinators must make sure that everyone has a chance to share and that the family has a chance to express their priorities and become active participants in the meeting. Meeting facilitation can be challenging, but the resources below provide helpful suggestions for supporting meeting facilitation and open communication.
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The Center for Parent Information and Resources (formerly NICHCY) dedicates a page on their website to Part C of IDEA: Early Intervention for Babies and Toddlers. The site includes information on what recently changed about the Part C programs.
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- Service Coordination under Part C - ECTA provides a compilation of resources on service coordination under Part C including it's definition under IDEA, training resources, policy statements and research completed on service coordination.
- The Early Intervention/IFSP Process (pdf) - This flowchart explains the Early Intervention and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) processes in an easy to follow, 1-page layout.
- Resources for Writing Good IFSP Outcomes - Resources include information packets, online training resources, documents and presentations developed by a national researchers and a variety of states for writing family-guided IFSP outcomes and developing functional prioritized outcomes as an IFSP team.
- Early Childhood Part C and Part B Requirements Related to Transition Timelines (pdf) -A resource developed by ECTA in collaboration with the WRRC for Early Childhood Transition Initiative in April 2010. This resource includes step by step activities, regulatory references, and performance plan indicator measurements related to transition timelines. For more resources on transition please visit the resource page titled Transition.
- Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities (Part C of IDEA) -This resource includes a variety of links to related to Part C of IDEA and recent Part C updates. Some of the resources include a basic overview of IDEA, minimum components, lead agencies and national program data.
- Interagency Coordination - ECTA recognizes the need for coordination and communication across agency lines to effectively provide the array of necessary services for young children, infants, toddlers and preschoolers, with disabilities and their families. This resource includes links to IDEA requirements for coordinated services, Head Start information and resources, and information on and examples of interagency agreements.
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Recommended Readings
All books are available on loan from the Illinois Early Intervention Clearinghouse.
- The Early Intervention Guidebook for Families and Professionals (2010) by Bonnie Keilty, Teachers College Press.
- This book includes information, strategies, and resources to promote the family professional partnership. There is a section on service coordination that includes service coordination tasks, expectations and checklists.
- Working with Families of Young Children with Special Needs (2010) by R.A. McWilliam, The Guilford Press.
- This book promotes the most advanced thinking about appropriate methods of working with families of young children with disabilities. It includes an entire chapter on service coordination written by Mary Beth Bruder.
- Seven Essentials for Family-Professional Partnerships in Early Intervention by Bonnie Keilty, Teachers College Press.
- This book is about digging deeper and looking closer at what it takes to have successful relationships with each and every family. The author explore seven partnership concepts, brought to life through the words and perspectives of families and professionals themselves. New and veteran professionals can use the lessons learned from these accounts to more effectively work with families. Each chapter ends with Questions for Daily Reflection to help early intervention professionals continue to develop their practice. The final chapter describes themes that result from and span the seven concepts as well as the systems needed to support successful family–professional partnerships.
- The Early Intervention Workbook: Essential Practices for Quality Services by Lynda Pletcher and Naomi Younggren, Brookes Publishing.
- Discover the 7 key principles and associated practices for effective early intervention services—and start putting them into action today! This easy-to-use, fillable workbook reveals not only what every EI professional should be doing in their practice, but also how to do it, with practical tips, activities, and strategies they can use to improve their work with children and families right away.
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Taking Care of You
Service Coordinators face many different types of challenges on a daily basis. The following resources give service coordinators some self care tools to help them accomplish their work and minimize their stress.
- Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation provides relaxation and stress reduction resources. Below you will find a few examples of some resources found on their website.
- Managing the Environment - The following resources are tools to help service coordinators manage their environment so they can successfully accomplish the many tasks they are working on in the manner that works best for them.
- Three Building Blocks of Reflective Supervision - ZERO TO THREE's work over the last quarter-century has found that reflective supervision promotes and supports the development of a relationship-based organization. This approach expands on the idea that supervision is a context for learning and professional development. The three building blocks of reflective supervision-reflection, collaboration, and regularity-are outlined in this resource.
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National Part C Service Coordination Survey (11/2017)
Ever wonder how the strengths & challenges of service coordination in Illinois compare to those nationally? A National Part C Service Coordination survey was conducted across eight (8) states in November 2017 with over 700 respondents! We are excited to share the result summaries with you:
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The National Service Coordination Training Workgroup and EITP hosted a webinar on March 28, 2018 titled "The Role of the Service Coordinator in Building Relationships in Early Intervention", and plan to host future webinars as well. To learn more about this webinar, including a recording of the webinar and resources related to it, please visit https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/7857/606983.
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Service Coordination Communities of Practice (SC CoPs)
A community of practice includes three fundamental elements: a domain of knowledge which defines a set of issues; a community of people who care about this domain; and the shared practice that they are developing to be effective in their domain (Wenger, McDermott & Snyder, 2002). The following CoPs may be of interest to individuals who are interested in connecting with others around the knowledge and shared practices related to service coordination:
- Illinois Service Coordination Forum is a place for service coordinators and individuals who have a role in providing training and technical assistance to service coordinators currently working in the Illinois Early Intervention System to partner and support each other in the very important work that they do. Visit the workspace to learn more. Also, register for a forum meeting to join upcoming meetings!
- National Service Coordination Community of Practice (SC CoP) through the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) offers service coordinators the opportunities to network with others across the nation, share SC-related resources and tips, and learn about topics relevant to providing high quality service coordination. Visit the SC CoP page on the DEC website to learn about upcoming events and to join by adding your name to the membership roster: https://www.dec-sped.org/servicecoordinationcop
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This article from Infants & Young Children was written by Dana Childress, Melissa Schnurr and EITP's Professional Development Specialist Sarah Nichols! The article discusses survey results from the National Service Training Workgroup. Respondents suggested that service coordinators experience the following needs: (1) balancing the workload by reducing the number of families served per service coordinator and decreasing the amount of paperwork; (2) improved compensation and funding; and (3) better and more frequent training opportunities. Findings from this survey were analyzed and used by representatives from participating states to determine state and national action plans for improving the professional development and identity of service coordinators, with the goal of prioritizing support for this important part of the early childhood intervention workforce.
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The Keeping In Touch (KIT) monthly newsletter developed and distributed by the Comprehensive Personnel Development System (CSPD) for the Department of Defense (DoD) Army Educational and Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS). This KIT series titled “Understanding Service Coordination Essentials” includes information on what service coordination is, the desired outcomes of service coordination, models of service coordination, strategies for carrying out service coordination activities under Part C of IDEA, direct and indirect examples for how service coordinators implement Division for Early Childhood Recommended Practices (DEC RPs), an overview of national service coordination initiatives and strategies to overcome common challenges service coordinators face.
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This archived webinar from December 17, 2019, provides an overview of the national status of service coordination under Part C of IDEA for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. The presenters describe three data sets collected to measure aspects of service coordination and discuss the challenges facing service coordinators and families as reported in the data and provided associated references and resources (pdf) related to the webinar.
