What is Family Education and Training?

As defined by the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Family Education and Training (FET) may be provided to families of individuals enrolled in the Home and Community Based Waiver (HCB Waiver) who are under 18 years of age. The purpose of FET is to enhance the decision making capacity of the family unit, provide orientation regarding the nature and impact of developmental disabilities upon the consumer and his or her family, and inform them about service alternatives. FET is distinct from Service Coordination in that the purpose is to support the family unit in understanding and coping with the developmental disability.

For families enrolled in the HCB Waiver who have FET listed as a service, the trainings are funded through OMRDD, up to 2 sessions per year. Each family is expected to attend at least one session per year in order to remain in the program.

Some of the trainings are provided on an individual basis to cater to specific needs of the family and others are in group sessions in order to learn from each other as well as the trainer. It is important to call and register for the session that you are interested in attending as space is limited to 8 families.

Families interested in learning more about a topic of interest are welcome to attend one of the sessions if they are not enrolled in the program as well.

To learn more about Family Education and Training please contact Erica A. Newsom at 880-3831 or Lauren Stone at 880-3842.

Click here to learn more about our Family Education and Training Series and their locations!