Our Mission: The Arc Mercer is committed to securing for all people with developmental disabilities the opportunity to choose and realize their goals.
Family Support
What is Family Support?
Family Support means providing "whatever it takes" to support families caring at home for a family member with a developmental disability. Different families have different needs, including financial assistance, in-home services, and facility-based programs. More and more families are also saying they need help building strong community connections, so that their family member is included in every area of community life. And families, recognizing how complicated it can be to find and manage the necessary supports for their family member and for themselves, are asking for help in gathering information about all available resources.
However they define Family Support, families know they must continue to advocate at the local, state, and national levels to ensure that they get the services and supports they need. The Family Support Coalition is committed to supporting families in their advocacy efforts.
Family Support at Arc Mercer
Arc Mercer has developed a broad Family Support program to respond to the needs of families, guardians and caregivers of consumers in Arc’s many Day programs and well as the Residential and Supported Living programs.
Arc Mercer Family Support brings together all care stakeholders of our consumers to enrich every aspect of care and service delivery. The Family Support Program uses an array of communication strategies: The heart of this effort is improving, documenting or increasing communication with care stakeholders to provide a response within 24 hours.
All communications will be logged including all contacts: direct in person, phone call, letter, Fax, e–mail or text by which we are able to share information. In addition, the following programs will be maintained:
- An Annual Survey to give care stakeholders the opportunity to provide feedback or suggestions regarding Arc Programs.
- Quarterly Care Stakeholder meetings to enable direct contact with senior staff and to learn about programs and current issues.
- Quarterly Progress Reports providing information on the consumer’s current development.
- A system for communication with care stakeholders to include prompt response to your calls, prompt notification of consumer status for updates.
The Family Support Act
In August of 1990, the Family Support Coalition hosted the first statewide meeting to launch a campaign for legislation. It took several years of hard work, but on March 29, 1993, the Family Support Act was signed into law. This law created a Family Support system that is meant to be flexible and responsive to the needs of families as families define their needs. The New Jersey Division of Developmental Disabilities’ (DDD) Family Support program includes services such as:
- Respite
- Camperships
- Cash Subsidies
- Assistive Technology Devices
- Home and Vehicle Modifications
The Family Support Coalition of New Jersey worked to pass this legislation in 1993 and is now an advocacy network made up of Family Support provider agencies throughout the state and families who are caring at home for a family member with a developmental disability. The Family Support Coalition supports the power of families and individuals with disabilities to shape policies that impact on their lives. Meetings are held approximately four times a year at the Lawrence Library on Darrah Lane. Key advocacy groups are www.familysupportcoalition.org; www.njcdd.org and www.arcnj.org. For information on state funding and programs contact the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) by calling 800-832-9173 or http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/ddd/home
For more information, or to contact the Senior Manager of Family Supports call us at 609.406.0181 x144 or email us at familysupports@arcmercer.org
Latest News
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12/06/2011
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Arc Mercer music program help keep clients rock steady (with video) -
11/18/2011 Annual Fall Gala 2011
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An elegant autumn evening of dinner, dancing and celebration happening on November 18,2011 Friday 6pm-11pm -
10/06/2011
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Hughes to open conference on meeting needs of transportation disadvantaged in Mercer County - VISIT NEWS PAGE
