What is the Individualized Family Service Plan?

The Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is the foundation of services that are family-centered. It is based on your child's strengths and your family's concerns and priorities for your child. You can participate actively in the process of assessment and planning by gathering information about your child's medical and developmental history and making observations about his or her strengths, talents, preferences, and difficulties.
Talking with other parents, learning more about your child's diagnosed condition, and listing your questions and concerns are all ways to prepare for a planning meeting. Identifying needs for transportation, child care, or interpreters is important. In planning the IFSP meeting with your service coordinator: 

• Share information that you think is important; for example, medical records, a baby book, growth chart, or other evaluation or report.
• Talk about your child and any questions or concerns you have about his or her development.
• Decide how you will participate in the process of evaluation, assessment, and service planning.
• Plan times or locations that are convenient for your family.
• Decide which members of the family should be included.
• Think about whether someone else should be included, such as a friend, another parent, a child care provider, or baby sitter.
• Consider which service delivery environment - home, child care setting, infant development program, etc., best suits your child's needs.

Who Develops the IFSP?

You do! You are an equal member of the IFSP team which develops the service plan. Along with your service coordinator, you help decide which family members, friends, teachers, therapists, physicians, and other professionals should be included and which members will help to write the IFSP. As the parent and expert on your child, you let the team know what you want for your child and your family. The team will work together with you to achieve these outcomes. You are at the heart of the process - not just to identify your own family's concerns, but also to develop the actual working plan.

The IFSP should be:

• responsive to your individual family's concerns, strengths, and priorities;
• supportive of your individual family's routine, values, culture, and community; and
• fully explained to you, and if feasible, written in your family's language.

IFSP should include:

• a statement of your child's level of development (what you and others observe as well as the results of formal assessment measures, if necessary);
• with your permission, a statement of your family's resources, priorities and concerns as they relate to your child's development (called "family assessment");
• a statement of major outcomes expected for your child and family, including when and how they will be achieved;
• a statement of which early intervention services are to be provided and in what settings they will occur;
• a statement of when services are expected to begin, how often they will be provided, and how long they will continue;
• a plan for transitions as your child's needs change (must be included when your child approaches three years of age); and
• the name of your service coordinator.

The IFSP is not a final document; it is an ongoing process. Your infant's or toddler's needs may change quickly, so your family's IFSP should be reviewed frequently, at least every six months, and revised as necessary. If you feel your early intervention services need to be changed, contact your service coordinator to request an IFSP review.

What about Changes?

In early intervention, transitions occur whenever your child's services change to better meet both of your needs. Transitions take place when your baby first leaves the hospital to go home, when moving from an infant home-based service to a toddler group, when moving from a toddler program into a preschool, or when your child no longer needs any early intervention services. This can occur at any time before age three. However, when your child turns three years old, responsibility for providing needed services changes from the Early Start Program to other programs in the community. This may be a major change for you and your child.
Planning for transition requires your participation. Decisions regarding your child cannot be made without you, and no change can be made in the IFSP without your consent. In creating the transition plan, you should have the opportunity to help determine the answers to the following questions:

• When will transition planning start?
• What program changes will be necessary?
• What is needed for my child and how will this be decided?
• What services are available?
• What are the options?
• What will my family's new rights and responsibilities be?
• How and when will the transition occur?

  Planning for the transition before age three is required in the Early Start Program and should begin three to six months before your child turns three. The IFSP must include the steps to be taken in assuring a smooth transition to the next services. Beginning to prepare at that time will simplify the process later. Information and training on the differences in programs and planning processes, documents, and rights are available from your local family resource center/network and your service coordinator.

Early Start Contents

Page copyright North Bay Regional Center 2012