Family Support Network

Family Support Network provides services offering resources and advocacy for families and children with social, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs so they may reach their full potential.

Family Support Network was organized in 1985 to establish support groups for parents. In 1987, we incorporated.  Today, FSN continues to meet community needs through support, education, and advocacy.  FSN is supported by parents and professionals committed to providing assistance to families with children having special needs and for those at risk of falling through the cracks of a very complicated system of community supports.

From July 2023 to June 2024, FSN has assisted over 3,500 individuals and families by providing the following services: Emergency needs resources and system navigation for life line resources; behavior coaching services; reunification mentoring for families involved in dependency; recruited, coached and trained the parent partners and provided emergency resources for the Wraparound Orange County program, and provided countywide comprehensive, free Developmental Screenings to assess developmental milestones for children under the age of 5. Working collaboratively with the Department of Rehabilitation, we administer the Voice Options Program, providing communication assistance devices for individuals with language disabilities. We have partnered with the Regional Center of Orange County to become a vendor provider of mentoring/educational services to help families navigate the complex systems of care in Orange County. We look forward to increasing our community access and serving even more families with compassion and persistence.

All FSN programs are provided free-of-charge. Philanthropic donations, grants and contracts from private foundations, corporations, government entities, local organizations, and individuals fund 100% of FSN's programs. With the generous support of community partners, FSN can continue these highly successful programs. We are looking to increase our volunteer pool, build our unrestricted funds to build new programs, and provide a competitive wage for our workforce. We are looking to build our capacity by bringing mobile screenings and services to our community. We are always working toward developing more community collaborations and continuing to add new members to our Board of Directors. We are always looking to increase our reach in the community by adding services that will serve vulnerable communities. It is our goal to build new programs and expand our existing programs. We anticipate growth in all areas of our agency. We are looking forward to and are excited about the future.

Family Support Network serves families residing in Orange County, California.  Our Voice Options Program serves individuals with language difficulties that are located throughout California.

We at Family Support Network believe that children born with special needs and those “at-risk” should be given every opportunity to reach their full potential. Over the course of our nearly 40-year history, we have assisted over 180,000 families in every corner of Orange County. Our Special Needs Family Liaisons work one on one with families with a child diagnosed with complex health care needs, helping them to navigate an extremely complicated system. Our Early Childhood department offers developmental screenings to identify children who are not meeting growth and developmental milestones and connects families to appropriate providers. We provide behavioral coaching services for those with mild to moderate behavior needs and assure referrals to appropriate services for those with more therapeutic needs. Partnering with the Department of Rehabilitation, are providers of the Voice Options Program, offering communication devices to those with language disabilities. Our Resilient Families department is contracted with the Social Services Agency to provide reunification mentoring services for families in dependency and to provide recruitment, training, and resources to Wraparound OC. We provide emergency needs supplies to help families manage by providing resources, hygiene kits, cleaning kits, diapers, formula, and food. At the heart of all our programs, you will find our very dedicated staff who advocate and serve our families with compassion and concern. Our Board of Directors is a hardworking group of community and business leaders who share our passion for helping these children because of their personal or professional affiliations. Building upon the legacy of our founding families, we continue to build upon the mission and strive to help every child and family we work with live a life full of potential.

In the summer of 1996, our family experienced a tragedy from which at the time, I wasn’t sure we would recover. Our almost 4-year-old son had contracted encephalitis spending two of a 3-month hospital stay in a coma. When he woke from the coma, we were devastated to find that he was no longer able to be ambulatory or to verbally communicate. Our hearts were broken... How would we provide a quality and meaningful life for him? We were plunged into the complicated world of "special needs". We struggled with grief and how to navigate the systems to find the care he needed. An encouraging ray of sunshine came when we were introduced to Family Support Network and their Family Liaison Program which provided resources and education but most importantly, emotional support and HOPE for our son and for our family! The hope that we received through Family Support Network drives my passion to help those who struggle with barriers in their lives. I enthusiastically joined the Board of Directors of FSN to be a part of solutions for all families facing challenges... To be a part of letting them know they are not alone.

Family Support Network helps families of children with significant medical, emotional, intellectual, and physical needs to reach their full potential. I am beyond inspired when I see the compassion that the staff, volunteers, and board members have for these “at risk” families in Orange County. The incredibly knowledgeable and dedicated staff strives to empower children and their families to navigate through their life challenges leading to a positive and hope-filled outcome.

We are a smaller non-profit in Orange County which gives us the ability to have an intimate approach with the families that we serve. At FSN, families are our highest priority. We work with our community partners to provide our programs and are focused on responsible stewardship of our funding. We use over 80% of every funding dollar for our programs. Our Board is actively working on branding to increase our visibility and accessibility in Orange County. FSN is diligently focused on fund development and resource acquisition to increase our ability to serve more families and empower them to see their bright possibilities. We will continue to be passionate about our mission, compassionate and empathetic towards the families we serve, and proud to serve our diverse community with a vision that stands for integrity, inclusivity, and empowerment