Youth & Family Engagement

The Youth and Family Engagement program cultivates and engages youth and families in the planning and development of activities, programs, and evaluation of policies that affect the health and well-being of youth with special healthcare needs.

Continuous Engagement, Collaborative Effort

Youth and Family Engagement and Involvement refers to the systematic inclusion of families in activities and programs that promote youth transition, education, health and wellness with effective planning, implementation, and evaluation. This program works with transition-aged youth, from 14 to 24 years old, to provide continuous engagement through collaborative efforts. 

Our Companion TDH Programs

Care Coordination

Care coordination is a process that facilitates the linkage of children and their families with appropriate services and resources in an organized effort to achieve good health. Care coordination for children with special health care needs often is complicated because there is no single point of entry into the multiple systems of care. Economic and sociocultural barriers to coordination of care exist and affect families and health care professionals.

Care coordination involves managing the following activities:

  • Assessing, planning, implementing, and evaluating options and services to meet the individual needs of the child/youth and family.
  • Coordinating care among multiple providers.
  • Providing access to continuous and comprehensive care.
  • Connecting families to other families with similar situations for support.
  • Improving health, developmental, educational, vocational, psychosocial, and functional outcomes.
  • Maximizing efficient and effective use of resources.

Culturally Sensitive Care

When families receive services that are both culturally and language appropriate, it increases their ability to better care for their children and allows for a family-professional partnership. This means families are working together with their children’s healthcare providers to improve medical services and access while reducing health care disparities. 

It is key that the family as well as the child understand the child’s condition and care plan. This means that the family is able to communicate with providers, and that providers can address their beliefs, as well as cultural and linguistic preferences and needs. Culturally effective health care improves the quality of services and health outcomes for children and youth with special health care needs. 

Contact

Youth Advisory Council

In collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Health and Family Voices of Tennessee, the Youth Advisory Council brings together youth and adults who are ages 14 to 24 and have special healthcare needs, to advise on activities, programs, policies, and resources affecting the health, wellbeing, and successful transition of youth across Tennessee. YAC members commit to:

·         Attend quarterly meetings;
·         Provide feedback to TDH and FVTN;
·         Learn self-advocacy skills; and,
·         Conduct themselves in a respectful manner.

Eligibility Requirements

  • Between 14 and 24 years of age
  • Diagnosed with a physical, emotional, behavioral, developmental, or intellectual healthcare need
  • Lived experience with a sibling

Family Advisory Council

Families of Youth with Special Healthcare Needs (YSHCN) face complex healthcare systems that may be difficult to navigate. When families receive services that are both culturally sensitive and language appropriate, it increases their ability to effectively care for their children and youth and allows for development of a family-professional partnership. This means families are working together within systems of care to improve access while reducing health care disparities.

It is key that families are able to communicate with providers, and that providers address the families’ beliefs, as well as cultural and linguistic preferences and needs. Culturally effective care improves quality of services and health outcomes for families and youth with special health care needs.

Families and youth with special health care needs have many considerations that affect their daily lives and often require services from various agencies. Thus, the primary goal of family centered services is to promote the healthy development and well-being of children and youth with special health care needs and their families. A core feature of these services is the key role of the family in decision making.

Family centered services are intended to include the broad range of needs: specialty care, educational/vocational, out-of-home care, family support services, public and private community services, and transition planning, that CYSHCN may require at different points in their development. The provider team works in partnership with the family to ensure that both the patient’s medical and non-medical needs are met. 

Resources for Families

The D70 Implementation Grant is partnering with Tennessee Disability Coalition/Family Voices of Tennessee to provide the following family centered services:

  • Decision making
  • Family role in the child’s life
  • Family to family peer support
  • Transition to adulthood
  • Cultural sensitivity
  • Information about and referrals for health care and community resources
  • Patient-family centered care workshops
  • Tennessee Parent to Parent Matching Program
  • Medical home

Links to Information

Helping Families Prepare for Emergencies

Planning is a key factor in emergency situations such as tornados, hurricanes, ice storms, or fires. Disaster preparedness is important regardless of gender, race, age, or disability. However, those with disabilities may require extra planning. Over the past several months, families have weathered many storms from tornados to COVID-19. The Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs section of Family Health and Wellness developed emergency alert decals, magnets, and toolkits to assist families across TN.

Emergency Alert Decal

The Emergency Alert Decals and Magnets were designed specifically for children and youth with special health care needs and families. The purpose of the decals and magnets is to alert first responders, police officers, and other emergency personnel that there is a child with special health care needs in the home or vehicle. Each family will receive:

  1. A magnet to place on their vehicle
  2. Two decals to place in the front and back windows of their home
  3. Two fillable information cards to place near the front door of their home and the glove compartment of their vehicle.
  4. An instruction card for proper placement of the decals and magnets

First responders, TN Department of Transportation, and Highway Patrol agencies were sent examples of the decals, information cards, and magnets. Separate instruction cards were created for first responders, so they will know where to find the items during an emergency.

Emergency Alert Decal

Emergency Alerts - Fill In Card

Emergency Alerts - Parents' Card

For more information or to request an Emergency Alert Decal, please email Cathlyn Smith at cathlyn.k.smith@tn.gov. 

 

This Page Last Updated: March 26, 2026 at 3:41 PM