Executive Summary, March 2020 - EITP
Transcript of Executive Summary, March 2020 - EITP
Illinois Service Coordination Stakeholder Survey Executive Summary, March 2020
IL SC Stakeholder Survey Executive Summary Page 1
PURPOSE OF THE SURVEY
A survey was developed by an IL SC Stakeholder group to gain a deeper understanding of required
service coordinator knowledge, skills, and motivators for professional growth as identified by IL SC
Stakeholders (service coordinators, program managers, parent liaisons, social emotional consultants,
and local interagency council coordinators). The impetus for the IL SC Stakeholder Group was Illinois’
participation in a National Service Coordination Leadership Institute hosted by the Early Childhood
Personnel Center (ECPC).
SURVEY PARTICIPANTS
There was a 22 % response rate with a total of 131 responses (out of 593) from 24 out of 25 Child &
Family Connections (CFC) offices. Nearly half of the respondents reported an educational background
in Psychology, Social Work or Other Counseling (48.5%), being in Early Intervention for more than 10
years (45%) and most identified as service coordinators (74%).
SURVEY RESULTS
Required KNOWLEDGE for Service Coordinators to Support Families in Early Intervention
ALL knowledge areas are PREFERRED with at least 70% of respondents indicating the following
knowledge areas as required: EI Services, Philosophy of EI, Role of All Team Members, Family
Rights/Procedural Safeguards, Typical Child Development, Part C Funding Sources, Transition
Options/Resources, and Cultural Awareness/Implicit Biases. Figure 1 below illustrates the knowledge
areas identified as preferred, required, and not necessary for service coordinators and Figure 2
includes a comparison to areas respondents need support.
Figure 1: Service Coordinator Knowledge Areas Identified as Required, Preferred, and Not Necessary
Illinois Service Coordination Stakeholder Survey Executive Summary, March 2020
IL SC Stakeholder Survey Executive Summary Page 2
Figure 2: Required Service Coordinator Knowledge and Areas of Support Needed
Top 3 Knowledge Areas Needing Support
1: Part C Funding Sources
2: Cultural Awareness & Implicit Bias
3: Community-Based Services and Supports (Non EI)
Required SKILLS for Service Coordinators to support Families in Early Intervention
More than 80% of respondents indicating the following skills as required: Coordinating & Conducting,
Communication, Time Management, Teaming & Collaboration (TC), Home Visiting, and Professionalism.
Figure 3 below illustrates skills identified as required, preferred or not necessary for service
coordinators and Figure 4 illustrates required skills as compared to areas of need.
IL SC Stakeholder Survey Executive Summary Page 3
Figure 3: Service Coordinator Skills Identified as Required, Preferred and Not Necessary
Figure 4: Required Service Coordinator Skills and Areas of Support Needed
Top 3 Skills Needing Support
1: Time Management & Organizational Skills
2: Teaming & Collaboration
3: Leadership & Facilitation
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Top 4 Ways Service Coordinators Seek Professional Growth
1. Ongoing professional learning opportunities (e.g. training or webinar offered on a specific
topic)
2. Connecting through an informal network of SCs (e.g. peers in my office or from a training)
3. Connecting with others in IL who work in my geographic region
4. Participating in a Community of Practice (CoP) with others in my role
Top 4 Motivators for Professional Growth, Satisfaction & Recognition among Service Coordinators
1. Opportunities to earn a bonus
2. Tuition reimbursement
3. Award/acknowledgment for quality performance
4. A varied level of responsibility with workload and compensation to match skills and experience
Figure 5 illustrates high, medium and low motivators for service coordinators seeking professional
growth, satisfaction and recognition regardless of their availability and Figure 6 illustrates high
motivators as compared to availability.
Figure 5: High, Medium and Low Motivators for Professional Growth Regardless of Availability
IL SC Stakeholder Survey Executive Summary Page 5
Figure 6: High Motivators for Professional Growth as Compared to Availability
Highest motivators are available on a limited basis
Barriers to Creating and Attaining Professional Growth
Themes identified with barriers to creating and attaining professional growth include:
1. Caseloads are too high
2. Not enough time - to do everything, to take on more responsibility, to attend training/tuition
advancement
3. Funding - compensation, incentives, to attend training
4. Lack of opportunities offered for advancement
SUMMARY
Service coordinators have a challenging role and often report struggling with balancing the workload
and having the compensation, sense of value, and professional development opportunities they need to
make the job manageable (Childress, Nichols, & Schnurr, 2019). Data collected from this survey will be
used to inform decisions and develop a plan to ensure service coordinators are well-prepared with the
knowledge, skills, and support necessary to successfully carry out their responsibilities and partner
with families and other professionals in early intervention. Findings may also add to the evidence-base
and support a connection to national SC initiatives such as Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and Infant
and Toddler Coordinators Association (ITCA) Joint SC Position Statement, Recommended Knowledge
and Skills for SCs, and potential revisions to SC under Part C of IDEA if the law is opened for
reauthorization.
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TRENDS IDENTIFIED
Knowledge of Child Development is REQUIRED yet the current service
coordination workforce may not be equipped with this knowledge during pre-
service preparation given the majority of service coordinators in Illinois (86%
according to data collected from Provider Connections) have an educational
background in psychology, social work or counseling or human services.
Knowledge of Community Based Resources & Supports is PREFERRED, but
not REQUIRED yet section 34 CFR 303.34 of Part C of IDEA specifically
references responsibilities service coordinators have with regards to
assisting families in obtaining access and coordinating the provision of early
intervention services and other services identified in the IFSP
Time Management & Organizational Skills are REQUIRED and Supports are
Needed which is a trend that emerged via this study and a national survey in
which service coordinators across eight states (including Illinois) identified the
need to balance the workload by decreasing the number of families served and
making a digital scheduling/data system available to streamline paperwork,
timelines, and collaboration (Childress, Nichols, and Schnurr, 2019).
New and Experienced Service Coordinators Seek Professional Growth
Differently as new service coordinators (less than a year) seek opportunities
for coaching, mentorship and reflection and experienced service coordinators
(7-10 years) seek a community of practice (CoP) and a connection with other
professionals in their geographic region. Regardless of experience level,
professional learning opportunities (e.g. training) and informal networking
opportunities (e.g. connecting with peers) are reported to be available across
regions and highly important for professional growth.
The Highest Motivators for Professional Growth & Satisfaction are Not
Consistently Available as the top 4 motivators identified by respondents
(opportunities to earn a bonus, tuition reimbursement, acknowledgment or
recognition of quality performance and opportunities for varied levels of
responsibility) are not readily available to service coordinators across regions.
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