Family Partner Program
Family Partner Program At A Glance
The Faison Family Partner Program is a new residential choice for Virginia families. This unique community living approach brings families and individuals with developmental or intellectual disabilities together as an extended family. Our family partners host families are professional parents trained to provide individualized support services to help achieve successful outcomes in the areas of independence, choice, communication, and daily living skills. The relationships that develop between the family partner host families and the family partner participants with developmental and intellectual disabilities are meaningful and long-lasting. These programs offer an exceptional alternative to group-home living by providing a more enriched and collaborative relationship for all involved.
About Family Partner Participants
Faison’s Family Partner program provides continual support to individuals with disabilities in a private home. In addition to daily activities, our families also offer support, friendship and opportunities for growth. These could include helping the individual to complete their daily routines, assisting or providing meals, transporting them to services, and community outings and providing recreational and social activities. The supports are outlined in the individual service plan, which describes measurable outcomes across a variety of focus areas.
What to Know as a Family Partner Participant
Where is the Family Partner Service Provided?
The services are provided in a home setting. There are 3 options for home setting: 1) the participant and/or their guardian own the home, 2) the Host Family owns the home, and 3) both the participant and the Host Family sign a lease with a landlord. In all cases, both the Host Family and participant have a lease to the home whereby they share common areas but have a separate bedroom and bath. Faison does not own or lease any of the Host Family or Participant homes. These homes are established by the Host Family, Participant, or a relative.
Qualifications of a Family Partner Host Family
Our Host Families are often former Teachers, Teaching Assistants and professionals from other human services fields and hold a strong passion for helping individuals with special needs. Our Host Families must meet rigorous standards in order to be accepted into our program, complete regular and annual training and participate in home visits.
Commitment of The Biological Family
Faison spends time at the onset understanding your wishes, needs and goals for your child well before we begin providing services. By doing this, we are able to understand how to help support the best choices at every turn. As long as you are able, we will be working closely with you and communicating with you regularly to ensure the needs of your child are being met. During this process, it will also be important to understand what you wish to have happen when you are gone. However, these decisions are best handled through your will or trust and we will help to connect you to resources in our area if you have not already done so. Most of our Family Partner Participants are on a medicaid waiver program that will continue to provide services as long as the individual requires them.
Benefits of Being a Family Partner Participant
Our Family Partner program embraces a natural time in life when young adults move out of their parent’s homes to pursue greater independence. Our Family Partner program provides this to participants by giving them the chance to live on their own while still receiving the support they need from a trained professional. Our Family Partner Participants continue to have relationships with their biological families but these relationships mirror what is more typical for young adults and their parents. Family relationships blossom and grow in new ways as a result of this program.
What if a Host Family Resigns?
Faison’s Family Partner Program is meant to be long lasting. Our support of our Host Families helps to ensure this is the case. However, if a Host Family resigns, Faison will work to find a new Host family and to provide interim support during a transition. This might include the individual temporarily moving back home with the biological family or in another suitable setting until we find a new Host Family. Our goal is to provide services to the individual with careful planning to find and sustain the right Family Partner match.
About Family Partner Host Families
Family Partner Host Families make a lifestyle choice to pursue a full-time career in their home by inviting a young adult with autism or other developmental disabilities to join their family and share their lives. Family Partner Host Families provide a caring and structured home life, in partnership with Faison and the Family Partner Participants’ natural family. This career choice provides Family Partners Host Families with the flexibility to stay at home with their children, or to pursue other interests as most of the individuals served attend day programs such as Faison’s Adult Day Services. Professional family partner host families participate in best practice training and use Faison resources.
The program ensures that individuals with autism have an increased level of independence and are living enriched, inclusive lives within the community.
For more information on this program, please contact admissions@faisoncenter.org.
Being a Family Partner Host Family
Faison’s Family Partner program provides continual support to individuals with disabilities in a private home. In addition to daily activities, our Host Families also offer support, friendship and opportunities for growth. This support could include helping the individual to complete their daily routines, assisting or providing meals, transporting them to services, and community outings and providing recreational and social activities. The supports are outlined in the individual service plan, which describes measurable outcomes across a variety of focus areas.
Qualifications of a Family Partner Host Family
Our Family Partner Host Families are often former Teachers, Teaching Assistants, and professionals from other human services fields and hold a strong passion for working with individuals with special needs. Our Family Partner Host Families must meet a set of training standards, and complete a background check, medical training, an interview process and a home inspection. Family Partner Host Families are also required to have a computer to access on-line notes and medication administration programs. There are also regular home visits.
Commitment of a Family Partner Host Family
A minimum of a one-year commitment is expected but most arrangements are long lasting. The longer the Family Partner Host Family and the Family Partner Participant are together, the stronger the bond will be.
Time Off for a Family Partner Host Family
Relief support is a key element in keeping the Family Partner Host Family and their family relationships robust and happy. The Family Partner Host Family arranges this through the support of Faison while also utilizing regularly scheduled Faison relief evenings. Oftentimes, the natural families are available to help as well as other Family Partner Host Families.
Setting of Family Partner Host Family Service
The services are provided in a private home setting. The Family Partner Host Family and Family Partner Participant would share a home that is either owned or rented by the Family Partner Host Family, Family Partner Participant, or a relative. In all cases, both the Family Partner Host Family and Family Partner Participant have a lease to the home whereby they share common areas but have a separate bedroom and bath. Faison does not own or lease any of the Family Partner Host Family or Family Partner Participant homes.
Benefits of Being a Family Partner Host Family
Family Partners Host Families live extremely fulfilling lives! Most of our Family Partners Host Families enjoy the opportunity to work in the home rather than in a traditional work setting. While the Family Partner Participant is at a support program during the weekdays, we find that our Family Partners Host Families use that time to enjoy and support their own family, their hobbies and to relax. These unique families eat together, shop together and spend time together as an extended family.
Further Information & Program Admissions
Faison offers regular information sessions to help educate potential providers about this opportunity. You may find out more about how to reserve your spot at an upcoming information session by calling (804) 612-1947 and asking to register for the Family Partner Information Session.
For further information about admissions to Faison’s Family Partner Program, call our admissions staff at (804) 612-1949, email them at admissions@faisoncenter.org, or visit our admissions page to learn more about our admissions process.