Family Support Services

Family Support Services is a comprehensive network of services that enhance, support, protect, and advance the lives of person with developmental disabilities and the families with whom they reside. The primary goal of family support services is to encourage individuals with a developmental disability to reach their optimum level of functioning and maintain this level within the context of their home and their families.

The family support services offered by Sinergia are: Direction Services (Case Management), East Harlem Service Coordination, Housing Advocacy,Educational Advocacy, Parent Training , and Family Reimbursement.

• Direction Services are provided to families of children, youth and adults with developmental disabilities. Assistance is provided which links consumers to needed entitlements such as, SSI, Medicaid, Public Assistance and educational services. Referrals are also made for camp, respite, counseling, family reimbursement, evaluations and other support services. Non-Medicaid eligible families are also served. Eligible families must be residents of Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn or Queens.
• East Harlem Service Coordination is provided to families residing in East Harlem and the Upper Harlem Communities to connect and link them to needed services.  Parent support groups are also available in spanish.  Please see calendar of trainings for schedule times. For more information please call the East Harlem Coordinator at 212-643-2840.

Parent Training

The "We Are Parents Too" program consists of 10-week cycles of parent information and training in which parents with developmental disabilities participate in workshop sessions. The workshops are conducted by the coordinator and special guest speakers with expertise on particular topics such as:

• Custody
• Child Development
• CPR (conducted by NYFD)
• Discipline
• Family Planning
• How to advocate for your child(ren)
• Lead Poisoning
• Self-Advocacy
• Special Education Procedures
• Stress Management

In addition to training, the program provides case management services, follow-up services and one-to-one assistance and support. Parents are linked and referred to provider agencies and family counseling and other services that will match their individual needs and assist them to become more effective parents. The coordinator of the program serves as a bridge between the foster care agency, the parent and the child. The coordinator can also support parents by participating in supervised visits and serving as a Parent Coach. This program provides services to families in all five boroughs.

The We Are Parents Too program has a Parent Support Group that promotes support amongst parents who are going through difficult times.  The group meets once a week and promotes self-advocacy and networking.  In order to participate contact Isabel Malavet, (212) 643-2840 x. 324

Our focus will be with parents that are pregnant who live in East Harlem and the Lower East Side . We will work with these women and their spouses in order to assist them in having and then raising their children in a healthy environment.  For more information please contact Isabel Malavet, (212) 643-2840 x. 324.