About Us
The Family Support Network of Eastern NC is an affiliate of the state Family Support Program at the University of NC. The Family Support Network of Eastern North Carolina, Inc, provides emotional support and resource information for families who have a child with a disability, chronic illness, premature birth and for families who have experienced the death of a child.
Value Statement
Families are unique, cohesive, interconnected systems, the fundamental base of our society and a source of strength. Families can benefit from the help and support that other families can provide.
All families of children with special needs should have access to timely, unbiased and complete information about the needs of their child and about available resources. With such information, families can make informed decisions about services and support.
Collaboration and communication among families and health and human service professionals enhances the quality of services and the satisfaction of consumers and service providers. Families and service providers are interdependent; the best interests of children are achieved through teamwork that is characterized by honesty and respect.
The Family Support Network of Eastern North Carolina, Inc. (FSN-ENC) is a private nonprofit corporation organized in 1987 by parents and professionals in early intervention. Our main office is located at the Children’s Developmental Services Agency where we have been from our inception. As the program reached out to the community of Greenville, families began asking where we were when their child was born. Therefore, in 1990 FSN-ENC, through a Medically Fragile Grant, was able to provide one-to-one parent support at Pitt County Memorial Hospital. At that time, we had two part-time Parent Coordinators providing support in the community and in the neo-natal intensive care unit. As the program grew the transition for providing emotional support and resource information for parents in the pediatric, pediatric intensive care and for mom’s on bed rest was easily made.
How can Family Support Network of Eastern NC help you?
- Putting you in touch with other parents who have gone through a similar situation.
- Providing a “listening ear”
- Training volunteers to work with other parents in similar situation
- By providing free information and helping you find appropriate resources in your community.
- All services are confidential
- All FSN-ENC services are free.
Who are the volunteer parents?
Our volunteer parents, called Support Parents, have children with special needs, chronic illness or had a baby born prematurely or have experienced the death of a child. They have gone through training on communication and listening skills, and the grieving process. Support Parents are trained utilizing the Family Support Network at the Center for Developmental Disabilities training material.