Specialized Family Care
The SFCP is a statewide placement and family support system designed to serve the needs of children and adults with developmental disabilities. It is a residential option for any person with developmental disabilities.
In 1981, as a result of the class action lawsuit, Medley versus Ginsberg, the West Virginia Department of Health, Education, and Human Resources (DHHR), and Shawnee Hills Health/Mental Retardation Center, began working together to develop a statewide program of community based services to make it possible for persons with developmental disabilities to move from state facilities into community settings. The Specialized Family Care Program (SFCP) is one of these services.
A Specialized Family Care home is a specially recruited and trained family that provides training, nurturing, and a family atmosphere for anyone with a developmental disability. A host family provides special services under a contract with the placement agency. The home is a place where the individual can grow and develop to his/her maximum potential mentally, physical, emotionally, and socially. In many instances, the Specialized Family Care home becomes the permanent home for the person.
The Special Family Care consumer is:
- An person needing support, care, training, and personal attention that a family can provide
- A person needing respite care away from his/her natural family
- An person who is a Medley Class Member or Medley at-risk person
- A person eligible for Title XIX Waiver services or Medicaid Personal Care services
The Specialized Family Care Provider Family:
- Provides 24 hour, day-to-day care, support, training, and supervision to persons with developmental disabilities
- Includes persons with developmental disabilities in family and community activities
- Participates in program planning to best address the needs of persons with developmental disabilities
- Receives ongoing training, respite services, and financial support
- Agrees to monthly monitoring and annual certification standards
- Receives personal satisfaction from having an individual grow to his/her maximum potential
The Family Care Specialist:
- Recruits, trains, certifies, and monitors Specialized Family Care provider homes
- Is an active member of the interdisciplinary team that coordinates services needed for the person in the placement
- Works from field offices, which are located in all regions of the state
For more information about becoming a Specialized Family Care Provider or to make a referral, please contact us.
This program is an interagency collaboration between the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, and the Center for Excellence in Disabilities. The SFCP program is funded under an agreement with the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau of Children and Families.
