Family-centered care: thriving in Hawaii under Part H

Hawaii's system of prevention and early intervention embodies Part H principles that a child with a disability is first surrounded by a family, then by a community. Since 1986, families in Hawaii have been active in early intervention, first by persuading the governor to name the Department of Health as the lead agency, and then by writing much of the original grant application, interviewing and selecting staff members, and serving on the Hawaii Early Intervention Coordinating Council and its subcommittees. Families helped develop Hawaii's broad definition of the population to be served and were vocal advocates before the legislature to obtain funding for the program. Under Part H, Hawaii serves 6% of all children under the age of three, a larger percentage than any other state. Services focus on the family's needs as much as on the child's. The Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP), developed jointly by the parents and professionals, recognizes families as the final decision-maker on the IFSP team. Families choose options that fit their needs. IFSP meetings are at times and places convenient to families and, to the extent feasible, in the family's native language. Care coordinators, of whom several are parents of children with special needs, monitor services to ensure that families receive quality care. Families receive (1) services at no cost, (2) preference when applying for positions in the Zero-to-Three Hawaii Project, and (3) compensation when serving in advisory or policy-making areas. In Hawaii, families are the center of early intervention services.