The Center for Family Involvement at the Partnership for People with Disabilities at Virginia Commonwealth University partners with the Virginia Departments of Education and Health, the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and others in supporting a variety of activities to strengthen family involvement.
The Center for Family Involvement works with families to increase their skills as advocates, mentors, and leaders so that families, children, and young adults with disabilities can lead the lives they want.
Through the Family to Family Network of Virginia program, the center provides emotional, informational and systems navigational support to families. A Family Navigator can provide:
- One-to-one emotional support
- Information, referral, and linkages to services for the child with a disability
- Enhanced support and tools to help plan for service meetings (i.e., Individual Family Service Plan, Individual Education Program, Individual Service Plan)
- Culturally sensitive and unbiased information to assist families in making the best choices for their child and family
- Workshops and educational opportunities
There are six offices across Virginia staffed by parents of children and adults with disabilities. To receive support, families can call the toll-free line, 877-567-1122 or visit the website and click on the Family to Family Network tab.