Family Consumer Specialists (FCS)

Family Consumer Specialists (FCS)

• One Family Consumer Specialist (FCS) is based locally in each of the five regions of the state. They report directly to the Associate Clinical Director of the C & A system. The FCS staff serve as highly visible and accessible parent representatives, focused on leading collaborative efforts to change the system toward family driven care. They represent parent voice at all DMH policy and program development discussions and provide technical assistance to the community mental health agencies around family driven care.
• CFPP Information & application
  • Certified Family Partnership Professionals (CFPP) are individuals trained to incorporate their unique life experiences gained through parenting a child whose emotional and/or behavioral challenges required accessing resources, services and supports from multiple child-serving systems as they progressed toward achievement of the family's goals.

To assure that services in the State of Illinois are both family-driven and youth-guided and protect Illinois children and families accessing services through the provision of competency-based credentialing of Certified Family Partnership Professionals (CFPP).

This Mission shall be achieved by:

• The establishment of standards, procedures and assessments for the voluntary and professional credentialing of individuals employed in the CFPP field of mental health, rehabilitation or substance abuse, education, child welfare, and juvenile justice fields
• The assurance that professional CFPP services to children and families be provided by competent, credentialed individuals.
• The provision of a respected and recognized credential of professional competency in CFPP services in the fields of mental health, rehabilitation or substance abuse, education, child welfare and juvenile justice.
• The provision of a structure and protocol for maintaining and updating appropriate professional credentialing standards

Application, Model, and CFPP Study Guide are available on the Illinois Certification Board website link:

http://www.iaodapca.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/CFPP-Application-Final3_18_2011.doc

• Links
  http://www.aacap.org/cs/forFamilies
  http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for-families
  
• Parent Empowerment
  The Parent Empowerment Calls are educational calls offered to all parents in Illinois who have a child with an emotional and/or behavioral concern. They focus on giving parents information they need to advocate for and support their children.
   
  The Parent Empowerment call is held every first Thursday of every month from 12:00pm - 1:00pm. The toll-free number is (800) 260-0702.

Calendar and access codes for Parent Empowerment Calls: