What are Coordinated Family Supports?

What Coordinated Family Supports are

If an adult with a developmental disability lives in your home, you know how much your family juggles: appointments, finding the right services, daily routines, and planning for what comes next. Coordinated Family Supports, or CFS, are designed to help with that.

CFS is a California Regional Center service for adults who live in the family home, and for their families. As the state describes it, CFS helps the adult and family identify the supports they need, find their way through services and resources, schedule appointments, plan for the future, develop backup supports, and build independence.

Support is tailored to the person and the family. It respects your language and culture, and it mostly takes place in your home. CFS has service code 076, so you may see that number on Regional Center paperwork.

Where CFS came from

CFS is fairly new. California created it in 2022 through Senate Bill 188, which added section 4688.06 to the Welfare and Institutions Code. That law set up the Coordinated Family Support Services Pilot Program for adults who live with their families. The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) sent guidance about it to Regional Centers in January 2023.

Who CFS is for

CFS may be a fit when each of these is true:

• An adult, 18 or older, with a developmental disability
• Living in the family home
• Served by a California Regional Center
• Service authorized by the Regional Center

The adult’s own goals stay at the center. CFS supports the whole family, but the plan is built around the person.

What CFS helps with

Every family is different, so CFS looks different in every home. It can help you:

• Figure out which supports the adult and the family need
• Find and use services and resources
• Schedule appointments
• Plan for the future
• Develop backup supports
• Build the adult’s independence

With The HSN, Coordinated Family Supports focus on five areas:

• Community resourcesNavigating and coordinating generic community, educational, and healthcare resources
• Household routinesEstablishing structured household routines to reduce caregiver stress
• Planning aheadProactive future planning, life-stage transitions, and emergency preparedness
• Connection and belongingFostering natural community integration and social connection
• Working as one teamClose collaboration with Regional Center service coordinators and family circles of support

How CFS works with your service coordinator

CFS does not replace your Regional Center service coordinator. It works alongside Regional Center service coordination, and it doesn’t duplicate other services you already receive.

Your service coordinator helps plan your services, and the Regional Center authorizes them in your Individual Program Plan (IPP). A CFS coordinator spends time with your family, mostly in your home, helping you put supports to work and plan ahead. With The HSN, that means close collaboration with your service coordinator and your family’s circle of support.

How to ask for CFS

CFS is a Regional Center service, so your service coordinator is the place to start.

1. Ask your service coordinator. Tell them your family is interested in Coordinated Family Supports. You can bring it up at your IPP meeting or contact your service coordinator before then.
2. Referral and assessment. Your service coordinator completes a CFS Referral and Service Need Assessment, a state form that looks at what your family needs.
3. Added to your IPP. CFS becomes part of your Individual Program Plan. Hours are determined by Regional Center IPP authorization and family tier assessment.
4. Choose The HSN, if it’s a fit. If you’d like to work with The HSN, tell your service coordinator. Service coordinators can send a referral online.

What CFS looks like with The HSN

It starts with getting to know your family. An HSN coordinator meets with the adult and the family to learn about your routines, strengths, and priorities. Together, we write a shared support plan that follows the IPP and the adult’s own goals.

Support is one-to-one, coordinator to family, in your family home and out in the community. Regular check-ins keep the plan current, in close contact with your service coordinator.

Staffing ratio

1:1 individualized coordinator-to-family support

Service setting

Family home and natural community settings

Authorized hours

Determined by Regional Center IPP authorization and family tier assessment

Service hours

Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Evening and weekend family planning sessions available by appointment

Languages

English and Spanish

Culturally and linguistically responsive services

Have a question before you talk with your service coordinator? Call (661) 688-6628 or email info@thehsn.net.

Common questions

Does CFS cost our family anything?

Services that the Regional Center authorizes and funds are provided at no cost to the individual. If you have questions about your own situation, ask your service coordinator.

Is CFS a permanent program?

California set up CFS as a pilot program, and the state still describes it that way. That means details can change. Your service coordinator can tell you what’s available today.

Is CFS the same as Independent Living Services?

No. Independent Living Services teach the adult everyday skills, one-to-one, at home and in the community. CFS supports the adult and the family together, for adults who live in the family home. Read our guide: What are Independent Living Services?

What if we already get other services?

CFS isn’t meant to duplicate services you already receive. Talk with your service coordinator about how CFS would fit with the services you have now.

Can we meet in the evening or on a weekend?

Yes. The HSN’s regular hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Evening and weekend family planning sessions are available by appointment.

Is CFS available in Spanish?

Yes. The HSN provides Coordinated Family Supports in English and Spanish. You can also learn more about our Coordinated Family Supports or see our Coverage Areas.