Thank you for your interest in becoming an INSOURCE volunteer. Below are answers to some frequently asked questions about our Parent Support Volunteer program.
HOW DO PARENT SUPPORT VOLUNTEERS HELP?
Parent Support Volunteers work in their local communities to provide support and information to other parents and help them to resolve school or early intervention agency-related problems. This is done by phone, through face-to-face meetings and, in some cases, by attending meetings with other parents. In addition, many volunteers assist INSOURCE staff conduct meetings or workshops for other parents on topics relating to understanding parent involvement in the early intervention/special education process.
HOW DO I GET THE TRAINING I NEED TO BE A PARENT SUPPORT VOLUNTEER?
Helping other parents is a significant responsibility, and INSOURCE is committed to providing intensive training to our volunteers. As a prerequisite, we ask that volunteers be familiar with Indiana’s special education law prior to beginning the volunteer training. To accomplish this, you can attend one of our “Understanding Article 7” training classes. We offer this course as a classroom session or an online course. Information about both the classroom sessions and the online course is on our website, www.insource.org. If you have attended an Article 7 training offered by another organization, that will most likely suffice. Just give us a call so we can discuss it.
Parent Support Volunteer training combines online and classroom training to offer volunteers in-depth information as well as opportunities to learn from other parents and INSOURCE staff, while minimizing time away from home and travel. The online classes begin with an introduction to our volunteer program and will take you through using Article 7 (Indiana’s special education rules), the history of special education, IDEA (the federal law), pre-referral services, procedural safeguards, special education in Indiana and transition to adult life. Each online class has a download section where you can view and print a transcript of the dialog and other resources. Additionally, we have included an interactive component so that you can submit questions to INSOURCE as you are taking each class. Following each class you will take a short quiz. A score of 80% or higher is needed to advance to the next class.
Once you have completed all the online classes, you will be invited to attend an instructor-led class in your area. This class will cover communication skills, the individualized education plan, and dispute resolution. You will have opportunities to practice skills and discuss issues with INSOURCE staff members, and you will receive a print copy of the volunteer manual. You will also learn more about your role as a volunteer and get information about how to attend advanced training that will prepare you to support parents at school meetings.
DOES THE SUPPORT OF THE INSOURCE STAFF STOP AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE INITIAL TRAINING?
INSOURCE provides ongoing support to our volunteers through monthly volunteer newsletters, monthly webinars and frequent opportunities for continuing education and networking with other volunteers. Phone support is available at any time to assist volunteers working with families. Substantial written resource materials are initially distributed at training, and updated information is mailed on a regular basis. A primary function of the INSOURCE staff is to support volunteers in the valuable assistance they provide to parents in their communities.
HOW MUCH TIME WILL I HAVE TO INVEST IN THE PROGRAM?
Your time commitment would be totally dependent upon the demand for your assistance from other parents and, of course, your availability. Some volunteers have put in an average of an hour or two per week during the school year--some more, some less. We ask that our volunteers participate in at least one of the in-service opportunities offered by INSOURCE each year and participate in at least one continuing education activity that is relevant to special education or early intervention each year. (The continuing education does not have to be an INSOURCE sponsored event.)
WHAT IS THE COST?
All assistance from INSOURCE is free of charge, and this includes our intensive volunteer training. In fact, should you agree to participate and be selected as a volunteer in your community, you would receive compensation of $75.00 for attending the classroom portion of the training. This compensation is offered to help defray the cost of attending the workshop (i.e., mileage, childcare, lunch, etc.).
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, thus joining a vital and growing network of parents in Indiana who are providing valuable assistance to others in their communities, please fill out the enclosed application form and return it to our office so that you might be considered as one of the individuals from your area to be selected to participate in this important and exciting venture. If you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact INSOURCE.
Thanks once again for your interest. We are looking forward to your response.
Sincerely,
The Staff at INSOURCE
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