WSEMS IEP Facilitation Program

What is a facilitated IEP?

A facilitated IEP is an option for early conflict resolution available to parents of children with disabilities and to schools.
The WSEMS began its IEP facilitation program in 2004. The WSEMS sought advice about the program from a large group of stakeholders in the special education community.
A neutral, trained professional (a facilitator) helps the IEP team with the IEP process.
The process may be used for any IEP team meeting, including the initial, annual or reevaluation sessions.
IEP facilitation is free to all participants. WSEMS will pay the facilitator with grant funds from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

Contact WSEMS:
888-298-3857 (Toll Free Voice)
262-538-1618 (TTY)
262-538-1348 (FAX)
Obtain the Request for Facilitated IEP form online at: http://www.wsems.us/forms.htm
Write: WSEMS, P.O. Box 107, Hartland, WI 53029-0107
Either parents or school administrators or both may request facilitation. If only one party requests facilitation, the WSEMS will contact the other party to ask for consent to the facilitation and talk about the benefits of facilitation and how the process works.
This is a voluntary process. If either the parents or school say no, a facilitated IEP meeting will not be held.

Early in the IEP process.
When you think an IEP team meeting will be difficult for you (for example, if you feel that there may be a lack of trust, or you are worried about problems with communication).
Facilitating an IEP team meeting encourages early dispute resolution - before a potential conflict has time to develop into a more serious dispute.
In some cases, when parties have become very positioned on a certain issue, the WSEMS suggests that mediation may be a more appropriate way to try to resolve the issue.

WSEMS has a roster of neutral, professionally-trained mediators/facilitators.
They are skilled in facilitation of IEP meetings and have knowledge about the special education process.
The WSEMS works with the parties to assign a facilitator to an IEP case after both have agreed to a facilitated IEP.

The facilitator is not a member of the IEP team. In the opening statement, the facilitator will share information about his or her background and clarify the role of facilitator, which is to assist the team but not to make any decisions for the parties.
The facilitator keeps the IEP team focused on the task of developing an IEP.
The facilitator models and helps maintain open and respectful communication among team members and offers ways to address and resolve conflicts that may arise in the development of the IEP.