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Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC)
What are Local Interagency Coordinating Councils?
Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICCs) are local planning and advisory bodies for the Early On system, established through the 57 local service areas in Michigan. They are made up of family members who have children with special needs and of representatives from Education, Community Health, Human Services, and other organizations that provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Based on the belief that families and agencies know their community best, Michigan's system was designed to give local councils (LICCs) the role of developing, implementing, and evaluating their community's early intervention system.
View the Guide for Parent Representatives to the Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) compliled by Pam Babcock and Jean Wassenaar (PDF document).
Family and professional partnerships are at the center of an effective early intervention system. Family representatives bring their knowledge of the strengths and needs of the child and family unit. Representatives from organizations and agencies provide important information about organizational resources. Both family and agency representatives are essential to a successful LICC.
The system's vision for LICCs was to create a structure where families and agencies from a community would work together to share expertise and resources in order to provide the best and most effective early intervention system for their community. As a representative of your agency, the commitment and resources you bring to the LICC are central to accomplishing that vision.
What does an LICC do?
Each LICC works with a locally-based Early On Coordinator to develop and implement a comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary interagency system of early intervention services for eligible infants and toddlers and their families. Members plan, implement, and evaluate the appropriate use of additional resources and recommend, develop, and secure those resources needed to fill gaps in existing services. The LICC provides an organizational framework within which the independent but similar functions of various agencies are structured. The intent is to eliminate fragmentation and duplication of services, allow for more effective utilization of personnel and resources, and ensure the provision of a full array of services within the community.
Source: An Agency Representative's Guide to Participating on Local Interagency Coordinating Councils, First Edition, July 1999.
Challenges of the LICC
Services are driven by what is available, not what is needed or preferred by the family. Separate service delivery systems exist among early childhood, child care, and special education programs. Developing new service delivery options for families based on natural learning environments requires change. There is a lack of knowledge, resources, support and communication among service providers, families and members of the community to support this change.
Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICCs) can:
Incorporate community resources into service directories so families and service providers are aware of the variety of settings in which early intervention services and supports can be provided.
Communicate to all participating agencies their responsibilities related to the natural environment requirements of Part C.
Involve staff of community programs, child care providers, and extended family members in developing strategies to best achieve outcomes in natural environments.
Support advocacy and training efforts to initiate quality community-based public and private programs to meet the needs of children and families.
Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICCs) can:
Create community resource guides or support community networking so families are aware of the variety of settings in which early intervention services and supports are provided.
Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC)
Parent Survey, April 2004
Parent's Perceptions of Their Roles In Their LICC
Conducted by:
The Arc Michigan
Family Information Exchange
Ann Harlan, Ph.D., Director
What Are The Most Useful Things That Help Parents Become Involved In Their LICC?
Wanted to receive and give information:
Had knowledge to share
Received information on Michigan Law
Helped track child’s development
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