Mission:

The mission of Special Child Health Services is to enhance the capacity of families to meet the developmental and health related needs of children birth to age 21 who have delays or disabilities by providing education and support services. Families from diverse racial, cultural, and soci-economic backgrounds are key partners in the process of decision making at every level of the design, implementation, and evaluation of their child’s care. This partnership is foundational and paramount to the successful workings of the Special Child Health Services Program.

Purpose:

The purpose of the Special Child Health Services Web-Based Site is to provide a venue whereby families gain the necessary information and support for: 1) increasing their awareness of key services and care providers in their local communities, 2) learning navigational skills to gain access to care providers and services in their local communities, 3) engaging in political advocacy, and 4) participating in structured technology based communication thereby increasing family-to-family support.

Objectives:

Families will identify an increase in:

1. Knowledge pertaining to the provision of essential and specialized care for their child
2. Knowledge pertaining to essential and available community providers.
3. Knowledge pertaining to the process of navigating and gaining access to community providers.
4. Knowledge pertaining to their ability to engage in the role of political advocacy.
5. Social support resulting from participation in web-based technological forums.