This report accompanies House of Representatives bill 2088 and recommends passage of the bill to revise and extend programs established in the Temporary Child Care for Handicapped Children and Crisis Nurseries Act of 1986. The bill extends the programs for 2 years, strengthens reporting requirements, and requires the states to provide interagency…

This fact sheet focuses on principles and practices of collaboration, especially between community crisis nursery and respite care services for families of children with special needs. First, the paper distinguishes among various ways to share resources, including networking, coordination, cooperation, and then collaboration, which is seen as…

This article discusses the role of organized religion in providing respite services to families of children with disabilities. Respite programs using church volunteers are seen as an opportunity for new and effective partnerships between secular service systems and the religious community. Model programs are described. (PB)

This conference proceedings reports on a 1989 meeting addressing respite care for families of children with mental, emotional or behavioral disorders. The conference addressed: (1) respite care concepts, programs, and issues; and (2) planning for designing, financing, and implementing state and local respite programs. The report contains the…

This paper reports on several projects conducted in Georgia over the past 2 years that move the development of respite care services toward the goal of becoming a "cooperative, collaborative, and coordinated" effort. An overview of respite care in Georgia is provided as well as a summary of strategies used to provide such care. Emerging…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" is a summary of information that was presented at a 1996 conference on autism sponsored by the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS). Participants included Part H and Part B, Section 619 Program coordinators, individual program providers, and Interagency Coordinating…

This report discusses issues regarding the out-of-home placement of children with developmental disabilities and the need for permanency planning for these children. The document reports on a project which sought to: (1) discern practices of Colorado's Department of Social Services and Division for Developmental Disabilities which affect the…

The use of crisis nursery care as a viable alternative for the consumer experiencing chronic and ongoing family crises calls for consideration of various programmatic and staffing issues. Combinations of family problems, including homelessness, substance abuse, incarceration, family violence, and chronic illness of a family member, may precipitate…

The survey was designed to describe and assess the types of services that Indiana agencies provide to learners with severe handicaps. The survey consisted of a section on general descriptive information and sections on daycare and transition services. Sixty-two surveys were distributed to service agencies, and 39 were returned, representing 97…

The Maryland Family Support Services Consortium is a 3-year demonstration project which developed unique family support models at five sites serving the needs of families with a developmentally disabled child (ages birth to 21). Caseworkers provided direct intensive services to 224 families over the 3-year period, including counseling, liaison and…

This report presents findings of a Minnesota study group which reviewed the costs and structures under which developmental disabilities services are provided. The group conducted a series of town meetings throughout the state and concluded with a toll-free call-in day. Six themes emerged from the meetings: (1) "We have a lot to be proud of…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a federally supported program to provide services for children with deaf-blindness in Missouri. The project focused on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a four-component statewide comprehensive service delivery model to serve 193 deaf-blind children and youth through:…

This monograph describes Families First, a family-designed system of mental health care for children in Essex County, New York. Philosophical principles of family-driven service delivery are outlined and illustrated with comments from participants. The planning that went into developing the Families First program is described, including initial…

This report describes a model designed to provide family-centered, community-based coordinated services for families and their children with chronic health care needs. The model, which was implemented to serve 208 children over a 5-year period, is based on three key concepts: families should have the choice to receive services in their homes and…

This final report discusses the activities and outcomes of Partners Plus: Families and Caregivers in Partnerships, a model demonstration project designed to expand respite care options for families of children (birth to 8 years old) with disabilities. The program uses a natural and family-centered model that involves families in the design,…