Individualized Family Service Plan

Bailey (1994) describes the Individualized Family Service Plan:

"For children younger than 3, however, service providers must develop an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), reflecting the increased emphasis on family services as an integral part of early intervention. The IFSP must include the following:

A description of the child's present level of development in physical, cognitive, communication, socioemotional, and adaptive behavior.

A description of the family's resources, priorities, and concerns related to enhancing the development of the child.

Major outcomes, criteria, procedures, and timelines for child and family goals.

A description of early intervention services necessary to meet child and family needs.

Dates, intensity, and duration of services.

The name of a service coordinator who will help families gain access to needed services.

A transition plan to assist the child and her family in their move from infant and toddler services to preschool services.

A description of the natural environments (e.g., homes, child care centers) in which early intervention services will be provided.

These requirements reflect a growing commitment to family-centered early intervention services in that they emphasize the importance of an individualized set of services to families based on each family's resources, priorities, and concerns, In doing so, they force professionals to rethink their roles and to include families as partners in the planning process." (pp. 29-30)

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