National CoP Resources

The National Team for the CoP shares tools, templates, information, and other resources to support member states and others in brainstorming and implementing changes to better support families across the lifespan.

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About the National Community of Practice

General Resources about the Family Support Movement

Articles about Family Support

“Working Toward Sustainable Futures: Establishing a “Next Generation” of Family Support Services”
John Agosta, Kerri Melda and Valerie Bradley at the Human Services Research Institute – This information brief is a great summary of the current state of the family support movement and discussion of the future of family support. (PDF)

“Uncharted Waters: Moving Beyond What We Know as Family Support”
Sheli Reynolds, PhD – An article about new ideas and ways of thinking about the family support movement. (PDF)

“What does NCI tell us about adults with disabilities who live at home with their families?”
NCI Data Brief 7.1 November 2010 (PDF)

Family support and intergenerational caregiving: Report from the State of the Science in Aging with Developmental Disabilities Conference
Tamar Heller, Alan Factor, Disability and Health Journal, Volume 1, Issue 3, July 2008, Pages 131-135, ISSN 1936-6574, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2008.04.004. (PDF)

Family Support Services for Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Recent National Trends
Mary C. Rizzolo, Richard Hemp, David Braddock, and Abigail Schindler (2009) Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: April 2009, Vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 152-155.

Templates and Tools:

CoP Trajectory for Strategic Planning with Levels of Change:

This brainstorming and discussion template is used to reflect on current realities, outline goals for moving forward, and establish a vision for state change. The tool includes topics such as strengths/opportunities to build on, challenges or barriers to overcome, identifying roles at the Ambassador and CoP Stakeholder levels and addresses how the CoP can support direct dialogue between families and the state DDD.

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CoP Trajectory for Strategic Planning with Grassroots and Systems:

This brainstorming and discussion template can help identify ideas to build on, grassroots movements, system priorities as well as helping to establish the shared vision and goals for the state, specifically for the DDC and DDD.

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CoP Stakeholder Network Mapping and Brainstorming:

This brainstorming and discussion document will be used to identify the existing groups, initiatives, and efforts within the State. State Team members may be directly involved in and/or aware of the work. This document can be used to support the development of a CoP Stakeholder network, as well as identify potential opportunities to leverage the CoP to bolster and/or connect existing efforts.

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CoP Team Partnership and Collaboration Discussion Document:

This template can be used for exploring interagency collaboration and partnership opportunities for supporting families. It can help identify key partners/agencies, desired outcomes, key activities, current gaps/needs, and opportunities for support.

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Innovations Webinar Series

Innovations in Supporting Families Community of Practice Framework for Systems Change Webinar Series
The Innovations webinar series was hosted from January 2015 to January 2017 and focused on innovative strategies to enhance the systems that support families of individuals with intellectual & developmental disabilities. Watch the archived series webinars to hear from national experts about innovative strategies related to the experience of individuals and families as they navigate through their life course and use supports to assist them.