Background

Family to Family began in the late 1990s.  When First Steps went from providing clinic-based services to providing services in the natural environment, families no longer met each other informally in clinic waiting rooms and physical therapy offices.  First Steps families began to express a desire to connect with other families in the program.  Family to Family was created to fulfill that desire by connecting families seeking support with parent volunteers in their area.  Family to Family began with three staff members.  Now Family to Family has eight staff members, all parents of children with special needs!  The intent of Family to Family is to capture the often untapped resource of families with experience.  By recruiting family members whose child or children are (or have been) enrolled in the First Steps Early Intervention System, these families are able to share a wealth of knowledge and experience with other families.  Family to Family provides an organized method for families to channel their expertise into the system to reach others.  

Funding
Family to Family is an initiative through the Unified Training System (UTS).  Family to Family is funded by the Family Social Services Administration (FSSA), Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, First Steps.  The grant is collaboratively managed by the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community's Early Childhood Center, Indiana University and About Special Kids (ASK).

FAMILY INVOLVEMENT FUND

FAMILY to FAMILY is a UTS-Indiana's Unified Training System collaborative project of the Indiana University, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Early Childhood Center and
ASK-About Special Kids.
Funding provided by Indiana FSSA, DDRS, First Steps Early Intervention System.