FY23 HFY1: Systems Navigation consists of one Navigator who is employed by Maryland Coalition of Families at 24 hrs./week. The Navigator attends Local Care Team meetings on a weekly basis. Following the meetings, families are referred for navigation services. The Navigator assists families by providing them with education and support while empowering them to advocate for their families. By doing this, families learn the skills needed to access appropriate resources in their community. The Navigator's duties include, but are not limited to, assisting families at IEP meetings, helping the family navigate through their Family Action Plan, assisting with applications and referrals, etc.

FY23 HFY2: Systems Navigation Navigator continued to be contracted for 24 hrs. per week during HFY2. The Navigator continues to connect family with appropriate resources and assist formally referred families in completing their Family Action Plans. There were a total of 29 referrals made in FY23. The timeframe for the System navigation grant was August 1, 2022-May 31, 2023 for this grant as it started late and ended early.

FY23 HFY1: Successes with the Systems Navigation program include that the Navigator is able to connect with families on a more personal level, as almost all employees at MD Coaltion of Families possess lived experience caring for a youth with behavioral health and/or special needs. Relationships between the Navigator and caregiver are unique in that they may share common lived experiences. The Navigator facilitates a monthly support group to connect families who may be facing similar challenges. The Navigator participated in the Justice Impacted Cecil County Resource Fair in September 2022. A challenge can be the amount of time it takes to connect with Coalition to do an intake. This is primarily due to difficulty receiving responses from families.

FY23 HFY2: A barrier in HFY2 was the length of time it took for referrals to be processed. The Navigator would connect with the family at an LCT meeting however, had to wait for their agency, Maryland Coalition of Families (MCF) to do a formal intake with the caregiver before being able to formally work with them. This sometimes took over a month. In HFY2, the Navigator participated in Mental Health Night for CCPS and Juneteenth Day celebration in HFY2. Unfortunately, MCF ended their contract early on May 31, 2023 and chose not to renew for FY2024.