The primary goal of Intensive Flexible Family Support programs is to help families with one or more members with a disability who are experiencing significant challenges that are causing the child/individual to be at risk of out-of-home placement. This is a time-limited (6 to 12 months) and goal-oriented service providing more focused and intensive supports in response to identified areas of need and difficulty, and to build family capacity to support their child at home. The individual must be between 3 and 22 years of age and living in the family home. The Springfield MCS Family Support Center also offers an Adult IFFS program for individuals over the age of 22.

IFFS Programs provide the following enhanced and specialized services using a family-centered approach:

• Complete written assessments of the individual and/or family to identify needs and strengths and establish written agreed upon goals and objectives
• Development of a family support plan which outlines specific goals, objectives, timelines, and responsible parties
• Actively engage families and provide intensive staff assistance and supports to address identified needs and work on established goals and objectives to enable the individual to remain at home. This will include discussion with the families regarding potential services, counseling, medical or other generic and community resources that will support the child remaining at home and assist them to navigate the service system
• Assist the family in the coordination of services that may include medical services, therapies, behavior training, educational services, etc.
• Education, training, and referral for parents/caregivers in how to better care for their family members and enhance their capacity to meet the individual’s physical, behavioral, medical, and emotional needs
• Provide monthly written progress notes addressing both the written and agreed upon
• Provide administration of a pool of flexible funding that may be available to address the extraordinary support needs of families, on a one-time basis, who are receiving services in this program