Alice (service coordinator) joins Jodie (therapist) on an intervention visit to see Max and his mother. When they walk into the home, Jodie reminds Max’s mother that Alice is here and says, “She’s just here to do the paperwork.” Alice keeps the smile on her face as she greets the family, but inside is cringing and thinking, “Wait, did she really just say that?!”
Ever Been in Alice’s Shoes?
Ever had a moment like this during a visit? Maybe a colleague described your job in a less-than-professional light? Or a parent introduced you to someone else in a way that left you feeling like he or she really didn’t understand what you do? Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence for many service coordinators when their team members struggle to understand their role or the importance of service coordination.
Understanding the Service Coordinator’s Role
Service coordinators are valuable team members who lead early intervention (EI) teams. They bring unique expertise to the team that is often misunderstood. It is easier to recognize how a physical therapist brings expertise about motor development or how a speech-language pathologist brings expertise in communication. We tell families all the time that they bring expertise about their child, their daily routines, and how their family works. Because the role of service coordinator is unique to EI, it can be less obvious what that role brings. Other team members may see the service coordinator as primarily a “paper-pusher” responsible for documentation and getting forms signed. (In fact, many service coordinators have reported this.) Or, perhaps, families may see the service coordinator as the voice on the phone who calls each month to ask how things are going. If that is all they see or hear, then you can undersatnd how it can be hard to really understand the role of a service coordinator and the value in this work. Because the service coordinator role is less familiar, it’s really important for program supervisors, and service coordinators themselves, to help others understand what they do.
Tips for Helping Others Understand the Value of Your Role
Make Sure YOU Know Your Own Value – If you are a service coordinator, make sure you can articulate what you bring to the team. Write it down. Come up with a phrase you can use when faced with situations like the one described above. Embrace your role and its importance. What you think about yourself will shine through, especially when you first meet parents (PDF, New Window) and other team members. Here’s how Alice explained her role when she first met Max’s family:
Example: I’m your service coordinator, which means I am the person who will guide you through the early intervention process. I’m also a resource for you when you want to learn about what’s available in the community to help you and your child. I make sure that your EI services are addressing what’s important to you. I’ll check in regularly to see how things are going and I’m here for you to ask questions anytime.
If you’re the supervisor, make sure you can explain the roles of all of your staff and that you educate new staff, contractors, and community partners so they understand the value of all team members.
Explain Your Role Using the Three Family Outcomes – I heard this tip on a service coordination webinar and it’s a great one. Describe your role to families and others in terms of the three Office of Special Education (OSEP) family outcomes, which include helping families: 1) know their rights; 2) effectively communicate their child’s needs; and 3) help their child develop and learn. Here’s another example of how Alice could explain her role using the family outcomes:
Example: It’s my job to make sure you are aware of your rights as a parent involved in our program. I am also here to help you communicate with the rest of the team anything you want to share, including what you think your child and family need, what’s important to you, and what you would like to accomplish by being in our program. We will work together, with other members of your EI team, to make sure you are learning ways to encourage your child’s development throughout the day.
Speak Up and Share Your Value – Don’t be afraid to speak up and share your value. Try not to take it personally when someone incorrectly explains what you do; most likely, the jab was unintentional. If you find yourself in Alice’s shoes, speak up! Use a friendly, professional tone of voice and remind the provider and family of what you do. When you speak up, you educate everyone present, which can be a wonderful thing. Here’s what Alice could say in this situation:
Example: Yes, we do have some paperwork to do but I’m here for more than that. I’m looking forward to seeing how Max is doing with learning to sit up on his own. I also love seeing how physical therapy is going and talking with you both about any updates or changes needed to Max’s IFSP. I’m responsible for making sure that EI services are working for your family and that you are getting what you and Max need. If there are any questions, I’m here to help with that too.
Show Your Value – This is an important one. Demonstrate the value you bring to the team, to the visit, and to any interactions with the family and other team members. Be fully present when joining visits. Get involved, share ideas, make observations, and offer feedback. This always needs to be balanced with avoiding “taking over” or disrupting the visit, but you have valuable insight to share. You know about child development too. You are an expert in the EI process. You demonstrate your value when you actively participate, guide the EI team, and do what you say you will do, meaning that you follow through on your commitments. What you do, as well as what you say, shapes what others know about your work!
How do you share and show your value as a service coordinator?
How would you handle the situation described above? What would you do or say to help your team members understand your role?
Share you insights in the comments below!
Check out these two videos about the importance of service coordination:
I agree!! Service coordinators are the engines to all of this!! I value my SC’s and appreciate all they do.
Service coordinator as the engines – I love that! Thanks Deanna!
Thank you so much for writing this article and offering so many useful insights. Speaking of the situation that Alice has encoutered, I would keep smiling, greet the family as what Alice has done. Then, I would try to explain my role clearly and professionally to my team members and also to the family, letting them to know I am here to assist parents to know their right, foster the communication and help the children to learn, which is more than paper work.
Service Coordinators are crucial to early intervention, and it is crucial that the parents know the role Service Coordinators serve to insure they know a service coordinators availability for anything during the process, especially questions!
If I was in Alice’s position, I would add or follow up to Jodie’s comment about my role with ” Along with paperwork, I will also guide you through the early intervention process. be a resource for you when you want to learn about what’s available in the community, and make sure you are aware of your rights as a parent involved in our program” combining a little bit of each of the great examples you provided!
I definitely agree that it can be easy for this to happen when the family is not familiar with ECI and service coordination. Like you said, service coordination is a unique role with ECI that families may have never encountered before. Because of this, it is important that service coordinators explain to parents (and remind them) what their role in the team is and how they are involved in helping the child and the family. They are like the brain of the ECI body, communicating with each part of the “body” and being aware if anything is not working. In Alice’s case, I would remind the parent and PT what the other purposes of you coming are and what your role is generally. It doesn’t have to be a whole big thing, but it is important that you speak up to reming others (and yourself!) of your worth on the team.
Service coordinators are an indispensable part of the EI team, and knowing your worth reflects that! Alice’s position reminds me of Hanlon’s razor- never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by a lack of knowledge. Although the comment certainly stings, the family might just be misinformed on all of the roles and services that SCs provide, as navigating ECI can be a challenging and scary experience. I would politely and gently go over the OESP outcomes and ask about Max’s wellbeing in order to make the meeting feel more personal and impactful, as well as inquire about any concerns the parents might feel with the program, that they would voice their frustrations in this way. Thank you for the preparation tips!