The Arc of Shelby County

Family Focus

Serving Families and children with developmental delays

Parents of children with developmental disabilities often face unique circumstances and situations.

Recognizing this, The Arc of Shelby County's Family Focus program exists to help families/caregivers residing in Shelby County, Alabama, locate and connect to community resources and find individualized solutions.

Services:

Meet with families in their homes or other locations to determine needs

Connect families to supports already available but possibly unknown to families.

Assist families as they work through the maze of social programs and community service options.

Provide guidance to empower families to devise individual solutions to issues such as respite care, inclusive recreation, financial needs, transportation, etc.

Provide individualized, person-centered planning to adolescents and late teens with disabilities and their parents, leading to informed decision-making for life after school years.

Connect parent-to-parent support to enaable families to learn from others who have had similar experiences and to offer families the opportunity to "pass on" their knowledge.

Offer crisis intervention services for families. Services include locating financial assistantance, working with insurance and healthcare providers, locating equipment providers, etc.

Assistance with IEP development

Self-advocacy skill development

Educational workshops for families and individuals.

Contact: Susan Ellis, 205-664-9313.

This program is funded by

The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham

and United Way of Central Alabama.