Your staff may have no problem at all with Individual Family Service Plans. If so, congratulations, you are in a small minority. Most early childhood staff have a lot of questions about IFSPs and, writin and IFSP is one of those things that requires experience to do well.
For a brief PowerPoint summary of information on the IFSP, click here.
IFSP - Frequently Asked Questions
What is an IFSP?
An IFSP is an Individualized Family Service Plan. It keeps track of the early testing and evaluation process for children with disabilities and their families.
I wrote IEPs on my last job, isn't an IFSP just the same thing?
Unlike the IEP (Individualized Education Program), the IFSP deals with more than just the child. The IFSP is designed to look at the whole family and how the whole family can work together to help the child with disabilities. The IFSP does not stop at the school setting, but looks at how the child develops in other settings like the home, church, or even daycare. The IFSP looks at the child and the family as a whole and deals with the support and education of the child and the family. The IFSP also assigns a service coordinator.
What information is in an IFSP?
1. the child's present levels of development
2. the family's resources, priorities, and concerns
3. the goals the family needs to reach with the child, how much time it will take to reach them, and how the progress will be measured
4. what specific services are needed for the child and the family, how much is needed, how often they’re needed, and how they will be given is also noted
5. the places that the services will be given
6. the dates and duration of services
7. the names of the people in charge of giving service
8. an outline of how the child will move onto to preschool or other services
9. how the services are going to be paid for. A family can be charged but if that is the case it has to be noted
10. any other service needs of the child (like medical).
