Family Service Coordinator Leadership

Building a Professional Development System that Affirms the Role of the FSC

in NM FITLisa Rohleder, MA, DS III, FIT Regional Coordinator

Cathy Riley, MA, DS III, UNM/CDD, Training and Development Consultant

Objectives•Discover what FIT personnel across the state shared about needs for service coordination training and support.

•Review a proposal for a framework for FSC professional development.

• Learn about national activities to develop “competencies” for Family Service Coordinators.

•Contribute to the discussion on competency-based FSC professional development within FIT

FIT FSC Professional Development

(oh, the places we’ve been)

•Focused on Onboarding •Self-study Binder/CD •2 to 5 Modules•Online/in-person•Centralized•Isolated Trainings

FSC Professional Development Project GOAL 1. Collect existing information on FSC

training efforts at local, regional and FIT/ECN level.

GOAL 2. Review information with stakeholders: families, FSCs, PD Leadership Teams, ICC, FIT/ECN team, and other audiences.

GOAL 3. Develop a sustainable system of professional development for FIT FSCs that reflects inclusive stakeholder engagement and collaboration.

Progress Update (where we are now)Kn

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g EI Community Input National SC Survey, November 2017 204 NM respondents- data shared with FIT Community

EI Agency Manager Questionnaires

27 mostly open-ended questionsApr-July 2018

What does your Agency FSC PD look like? Strengths/Challenges What would you like to see?How can all parts of FIT collaborate for FSC PD?

21 Provider Agency Responses• Current FSC Training & Support varies widely

statewide• Great Ideas for new & improved FSC PD• Summary to FIT community at 2018annual

meeting

FIT Community Input FIT Annual Meeting Workshop, June 2018 45 Participants- feedback & recommendations summarized

Family Input PRO Family Leadership Conference, March 2017 Family Outcomes Survey (FY 18)

• 14 Family survey/interviews• 2,114 FOS surveys summarized

Family ServiceCoordinator Input

Focus Groups, July – September 2018 • 14 Groups in 9 locations and 2 statewide ZOOM • 75 FSCs

EI Personnel Data FIT KIDS Database, June 2019 • Number of in-active/active SCs over 1-5 years• Other data to be mined

National SC PD SC Professional Development Systems Material collected from IL, VA, CA , IA, CO

Recommendations from Providers

“

Recommendations to FIT

Training that is available when neededPull together what has worked for other

agencies Statewide Training Manual that guides you

step-by-step from Intake – TransitionRegional Trainings and Meetings for FSCsHigher Reimbursement Rate for FSC servicesFSC Topics onlineVideos for FSC professional developmentMentorship models

Recommendations to FIT Agencies:

Monthly FSC meetingsMore ShadowingMore on-site Training

“We realize that EI has become more specialized. We realize we need to do a lot of training.”

Focus Group Participation

Themes

FSCs reported their most effective learning experiences happen when they are shadowing, doing the work, and receiving feedback.

Many FSCs reported that the early training they received did not prepare them for the work.

FSCs observed that they must continually learn in order to stay current and be competent to work with the diversity and complexity of families.

FSCs expressed their concern about the size of caseloads, amount of paperwork, and lack of acknowledgement of their role and value to the team.

RoundtreeGIBDungarvinPinehillLa Vida

BMSILifeROOTSInspirationsAlta MiraAbrazosNAPPRPB&JUNM FocusUNM DCCPNMSD

CDD The Children’s WorkshopLos Angelitos, Las CumbresNew Vistas, BMSI

ENMRSHMECACARCLos PasitosMescaleroRegion IX

Amplified, Aprendamos, MECA, Tresco, Zia

75 FSCs shared their experiences & recommendations

July – September 2018: 14 Groups, 9 locations & 2 statewide ZOOM sessions

In the words of FIT FSCs:“When I started I was taking over another FSC’s caseload. I got to be with her for 2 weeks…The motto was ‘fake it till you make it.’”

“I had a really, really good co-worker…She was a mentor.”

“Other disciplines don’t really see the importance of SCs- that we’re the glue that holds things together.”

“Even though I’ve been in the field over 5 years… I’m still learning every day.”

“I don’t think they have a clue as to what we do…they often have unrealistic expectations of how quickly we can get things accomplished.”

“The hardest part to train is the care, consideration, the love. I feel like we have to train that. People can forget that. There’s a baby here. Sometimes people just think about doing the paperwork.”

“Where would you be without a SC?”

The qualities that an FSC needs: “being open to diversity, not being judgmental. Also I think being a team player, being able to multi-task. You’re basically everything in that SC role.”

“You have to be very creative when it comes with working with other people.”

6/12/19 Proposal: FSC Professional Development FrameworkFoundations (Competencies)

State Resources• Topical Online Learning (examples):

Orientation to FIT Intake & Referral RBI IFSP ECO FRBEI Transition EI Practices/Coaching

• Guidance Documents• Videos• CESU ECEP, NMSD, NMSBVI, EPICS, PRO

Provider Resources

• Policies and Procedures• Mentorship Models

• Structured Shadowing w/follow-up

• Program-based Training & Reflective Supervision

Training Tool Kit: integrates state level content/resources with FIT provider agency mentorship, shadowing, and reflection for structured FSC learning For example: ” (ECLN online courses)

“Attachment Vitamins”Child Development: Discovery, Unfoldment and Variations

Topics FSCs have suggested:• CAPTA/CARA• Facilitating Teams • Skills specific to particular disabilities (e.g ASD)

Additional knowledge/skills packaged in appropriate formats

for FSC learning

Skill Sets

• FSC Listserv

Proposed:• Regional FSC Mini-Conferences• FSC Online CoPs

FSC Networking & Communities of PracticeLinked specifically to

FSC Trainers’ Community of Practice

National SC Work: RKSSCPurpose: to empower, acknowledge & increase

• Quality and quantity of SCs who are respected and valued as team members

• Unique skills that SCs must possess so training and professional development reflects and supports required knowledge and skills

• SCs as professionals, leaders and early intervention experts • SCs ability to carry out DEC Recommended Practices and

Part C IDEA activities unique to their role • To align service coordination with other state and national

initiatives

Discussion(oh, the places we’ll go…)

• What are your thoughts about the FSC Professional Development Framework proposal? (pros and cons!)

• What do you think about a competency-based certification process for FSCs? (pros and cons!)

• Additional thoughts and recommendations?

RESOURCES for FSC Professional Development.National Service Coordination Community of Practice (SC CoP) within the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of the Council for Exceptional Children: https://www.dec-sped.org/servicecoordinationcop

The latest training resource from the National SC Workgroup:

Real Scenarios for Real Service CoordinatorsAn activity-based resource that illustrates how the five coaching characteristics (joint planning, observation, action/practice, reflection, feedback) can be used by service coordinators to gather information and support families.

FIT Service Coord. Listserv: FIT-SC-L@LIST.UNM.EDU

Who’s posting? What’s being posted?

FSC Training Schedule through 2019: July 11 & 25 Sept. 5 & 19 Nov. 7 & 21

launched 1/9/19 357 subscribers

• FIT/ECN• PRO • Agency Mgrs. etc. • ECEP • NMSBVI• NMSD • and 1 FSC

• workshops/trainings • family resources • FIT guidance documents• FIT activities• national events such as

“Strolling Thunder”

Ongoing Support for FSCs in FIT

• How will you recognize the work of FSCs in your agency?

• How will you acknowledge the value of the FSC and the work they do within the team?

• What could FIT do to support the work of FSCs statewide?

Final Thoughts on Leadership When a Leader is a “Hero” She/he is expected to have all the answers, solve all of the problems, and fix everything for everyone else.

When a Leader is a “Host”He/she has the skills to promote shared learning, effective group decision-making, reflection, visioning and goal-setting, and mutual accountability.

From “Five Elements of Collective Leadership” https://nonprofitquarterly.org/2018/02/01/five-elements-collective-leadership/