ITAWV - Dec, 2009 Update

It Takes a Whole Village - December, 2009 Update

There are few opportunities in life to find ways to change the entire system of care, counsel and healing. But God has opened such an innovative door for SLS. In early 2009, SLS received a grant from the Hatton Foundation to conduct research with families with children with special needs. The SLS research team, headed by Jim Donovan, asks the families to describe their major stresses and challenges and how we can develop support systems for the whole family. This is critically important upstream work designed to help churches prevent marital conflict, family dysfunction and financial ruin.

What are we learning?

After months of intense interviews and discussions, we are getting a clear picture of their stresses, strains, unmet needs, and their resiliencies. Yes, the parents need insight, training and support, but they have a lot to contribute to others. The innovation and creativity we have discovered has blown our minds. It shows us many ways the families can be sources of wisdom, insight and "Best Practices" for medical, church, and disability care. This research will change the paradigm of service delivery.

It may surprise you to know that the parents and extended family members are usually left out of the plans the schools, doctors, and professionals make to trea a child with severe disabilities. Yet, no one is more important to the health and welfare than the parents who are caretakers 24x7 and must make sure that the child gets whe he/she needs. Our research is discovering the in-depth details of care and uncovering all the places the child, parents, and siblings need practical support.

What's next?

In the next phase of the project, we are exploring ways to implement key support systems our families picked as most important to them. This offers SLS an opportunity to recruit Seasoned Believers whose maturity and experience have prepared them to offer wise and practical assistance as determined by the families. We will monitor how each family uses the solutions to determine if they are meeting the family's felt needs. Based on the feedback from the families, the solutions that work well will be adopted and used with other families, churches, schools, and family support systems.

How can you help?

We need your prayers. We present our plans for 2010 and beyond to the Hatton Foundation in January. Ask God for His blessing, direction and favor as we go forward with this groundbreaking work and for the Hatton Foundation that had the foresight to fund it.

What's next?