All children with disabilities are entitled to an individualized education designed to address their unique needs. Parents are actively involved in developing these programs, and surrogate parents fill this role for children who may be in foster care or whose parent cannot be located. Once trained, surrogates are appointed by the superintendent of local districts to represent a child in special education matters.

The State Support Team for Region 3 provides free workshops to train caring adults to become surrogate parents to advocate for the needs of children who are without parents. Participants will learn about:

• The special education process, including identification and evaluation of children with disabilities
• The roles and responsibilities of surrogate parents
• Resources available to assist and support surrogate parents

To learn more about roles and responsibilities, call Terri McIntee at 216-524-3000 or Jennifer Moles at 216-691-2026.