Family Connection Academy

Family Connection of South Carolina (FCSC), through the South Carolina's Family-to-Family Health Information and Education Center, seeks to provide information, education, and support through the Family Connection Academy. This academy enlists parents who are committed to obtaining information and resources to better serve their child and a willingness to share this knowledge with other families.  FCSC will select only five parents from each region to attend the Academy.  Anyone interested in participating in the academy is required to submit an application and provide references, as it must be conveyed that this is an incredibly important volunteer endeavor
 
Graduates will:
 
  • work statewide in collaboration with local FCSC area coordinators.
  • gain an understanding of all FCSC programs and promote programs in their community.
  • become experts on certain topics and will be available for Parent-to-Parent support on that topic
  • facilitate regional workshops on their topic of knowledge
  • will assess their community needs and work with the area coordinator to develop programs in their area to meet these needs.
  • receive training to start Parent Connections (support groups) in their community
  • support the vision of local area offices in program development
 
Support Parent Training (SPT) is recommended as a prerequisite for the Academy. If parents have not received SPT in the last five years, we do suggest a refresher.  The Academy is a full day of training February 22, 2008, the day before FCSC's annual "Of Hopes and Dreams Conference".  The first training will consist of 30-35 parents and their local area coordinators, as team leaders.
 
Training consists of a three-hour morning session, focusing on the role of the Academy graduate, FCSC programs, skills needed to support families, how to make public presentations, and what it takes to facilitate small groups.  In the afternoon, the participants have a choice between two, highly defined modules: statewide resources and Insurance 101 (with a focus on Medicaid). The last session will be an opportunity for participants to "share their story" in a casual and relaxed atmosphere with their team. On day two of the training, which is the 2nd day of the Annual conference, Academy participants will be encouraged to attend some predetermined sessions at the conference that enhance their knowledge of the module they went through the previous day.
 
Two additional modules will be added per year. The suggested topics for additional modules include, but are not limited to transition, wills & trusts, working with underserved populations, home and community based waivers, medical homes, and family-centered care.
 
FCSC will cover the expenses for all meals and hotel for the day of training on Friday, February 22nd. You will need to pay and register for the Conference on Saturday the 23rd.