CCCMC provides independent facilitators to support effective communication in potentially challenging Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meetings. By providing facilitation as an early intervention, this service supports schools and parents to work collaboratively as they build plans for children receiving special education services.
Purpose
The goal of the facilitated IEP meeting is to help IEP team members communicate effectively and develop an educational program to meet the child’s need. Facilitated meetings may be helpful for any IEP team, and may be particularly helpful when:
- There is a lot of new information to be processed;
- Team members would like to create better understanding;
- Team members want help staying focused on an agenda; or
- There is a particular disagreement that the team wants to make progress on.
Benefits
Benefits of a facilitated IEP meeting include:
- Assistance in the development of a mutually agreed-upon IEP and other team decisions.
- The chance for team members to develop and keep good working relationships.
- Building the foundation for on-going communication and collaboration between the family and the school through out the year.
- The service is offered at no cost as a service of the local community mediation center.
- Having someone who is not an advocate for the parent or school system assist in the communication.
