HTML Preview Family Service Plan page number 1.
ERIC Identifier: ED449634
Publication Date: 2000-12-00
Author: Bruder, Mary Beth
Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education Arlington VA.
The Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP). ERIC Digest #E605.
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An Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) documents and guides the early
intervention process for children with disabilities and their families. The IFSP is the
vehicle through which effective early intervention is implemented in accordance with Part
C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It contains information about
the services necessary to facilitate a child's development and enhance the family's
capacity to facilitate the child's development. Through the IFSP process, family members
and service providers work as a team to plan, implement, and evaluate services tailored
to the family's unique concerns, priorities, and resources.
According to IDEA, the IFSP shall be in writing and contain statements of:
1. the child's present levels of physical development, cognitive development,
communication development, social or emotional development, and adaptive
development.
2. the family's resources, priorities, and concerns relating to enhancing the
development of the child with a disability;
3. the major outcomes to be achieved for the child and the family; the criteria,
procedures, and timelines used to determine progress; and whether modifications or
revisions of the outcomes or services are necessary;
4. specific early intervention services necessary to meet the unique needs of the child
and the family, including the frequency, intensity, and the method of delivery;
5. the natural environments in which services will be provided, including justification of
the extent, if any, to which the services will not be provided in a natural environment;
6. the projected dates for initiation of services and their anticipated duration;
7. the name of the service provider who will be responsible for implementing the plan
and coordinating with other agencies and persons; and
8. steps to support the child's transition to preschool or other appropriate services.