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.

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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

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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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