Families play an important role in helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live safely, participate in their communities, and pursue meaningful goals. Family caregiver training in Maryland can provide practical education, resources, and confidence-building support for unpaid family members who support a loved one at home.
For individuals receiving Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) services, this support may be available through Family Caregiver Training and Empowerment Services. HAVE Support helps individuals, families, CCS agencies, Support Brokers, and broader planning teams understand service options and identify next steps without promising eligibility, authorization, or current availability.
What Is Family Caregiver Training in Maryland?
Family Caregiver Training and Empowerment Services are designed to help an unpaid family caregiver better understand and support a person with a developmental disability. According to the Maryland DDA service description, the service may cover educational materials, training programs, workshops, and conferences.
Training may help a family member:
- Understand an individual’s abilities, preferences, communication style, and support needs
- Develop practical strategies for promoting safety and independence at home
- Build advocacy skills for participating in service planning and decision-making
- Support the individual’s self-advocacy and personal choices
- Identify community resources and other appropriate supports
- Strengthen skills related to parenting, daily routines, or family support
- Learn approaches for responding to changing needs over time
The goal is not to replace the individual’s voice or control. Instead, effective training supports families in creating an environment where the person receiving services can exercise choice, develop skills, and participate as fully as possible in everyday life.
What Can Family Caregiver Training Cover?
The right topics depend on the individual’s goals, assessed needs, and home environment. Training should be practical, respectful, and connected to the person-centered plan.
Daily Living and Independence
Families may seek instruction related to:
- Meal planning and safe food preparation
- Personal care routines
- Household organization
- Communication supports
- Community safety
- Transportation planning
- Building predictable routines
- Encouraging participation in household responsibilities
Training should focus on supporting the person to do as much as possible independently, with assistance provided when needed.
Communication and Self-Advocacy
Family members may benefit from learning how to recognize and support different forms of communication. This can include verbal communication, visual supports, assistive technology, gestures, behavior as communication, or other individualized methods.
Training can also help families promote self-advocacy by offering meaningful choices, explaining decisions clearly, and including the individual in conversations about services, routines, and future goals.
Behavioral and Emotional Support
Family caregiver training may address strategies that support emotional regulation, reduce preventable stress, and promote positive routines. Depending on the person’s plan and clinical recommendations, education may include:
- Recognizing triggers and early signs of distress
- Creating supportive routines
- Using positive reinforcement
- Responding consistently during difficult moments
- Supporting transitions between activities
- Following an approved behavioral support approach
Training should not be viewed as a substitute for professional medical or behavioral care. Families should coordinate with appropriate health and behavioral professionals when an individual has complex needs or a safety concern.
Health and Safety Skills
Some families may need education about health-related routines, emergency planning, mobility, nutrition, or other safety matters. The appropriate professional should provide any instruction that requires clinical expertise, licensing, or specialized certification.
A qualified provider can help clarify what training is within the scope of the service and when the family should coordinate with a nurse, physician, behavioral professional, or other specialist.
How Family Caregiver Training Fits Into Person-Centered Planning
Family caregiver training is not automatically available to every family. For individuals using Maryland DDA services, the need generally must be identified in the person-centered plan and approved through the applicable authorization process.
Person-centered planning begins with the individual’s preferences, strengths, goals, and support needs. The planning team may consider questions such as:
- What does the person want to accomplish at home and in the community?
- What support does the individual currently receive from family members?
- What skills would help the person become more independent?
- What concerns affect safety, communication, health, or daily routines?
- What education would help the family provide consistent support?
- Are other public or private funding sources available?
- Would provider-led or self-directed services better fit the individual’s circumstances?
A CCS agency, DDA case manager or resource coordinator, Support Broker, family representative, and the individual may all contribute to this discussion, depending on the person’s service model and planning structure.
The Maryland DDA Medicaid waiver information identifies the Community Pathways Waiver as Maryland’s DDA 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services waiver. Eligibility and access involve technical, medical, financial, and service-planning requirements. Approval of a waiver does not mean that every service is automatically authorized.
Access and Authorization: What Families Should Know
Families exploring Family Caregiver Training DDA Maryland services should begin with the individual’s planning team. The service may require:
- DDA waiver enrollment or another applicable program status
- Documentation of an assessed need
- Inclusion of the service in the approved person-centered plan
- Confirmation that the individual lives with an unpaid family caregiver when required by current policy
- Consideration of other available and appropriate funding sources
- Authorization before training costs are incurred
Service amounts, training hours, rates, and related fees depend on current Maryland policy, the person-centered plan, assessed needs, authorization, and available funding. Published limits may change, so families should confirm current requirements with the individual’s CCS agency, Support Broker, or DDA planning team before registering for a course or requesting reimbursement.
For individuals using self-directed services, the participant or representative may have greater control over selecting a qualified vendor and arranging approved supports. However, self-direction does not remove the need for an approved plan, authorized services, appropriate documentation, and compliance with applicable DDA requirements. Learn more about self-directed services with HAVE Support.
Families who prefer agency-managed coordination may explore provider-led services. HAVE Support’s service model overview explains how provider-led and self-directed options differ.
Questions to Ask a Family Caregiver Training Provider
Before choosing a provider, families should ask clear questions about qualifications, scope, documentation, and fit.
Provider Qualifications
Ask:
- Is the provider approved or certified for the applicable Maryland DDA service?
- Does the provider have experience supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities?
- What education, training, or professional credentials do instructors hold?
- Can the provider explain which topics fall within the approved service?
- Does the provider complete required background checks and training?
Depending on the delivery model, the provider may be a Parent Support Agency, Family Support Professional, qualified vendor, or another entity meeting current DDA requirements.
Training Content and Format
Ask:
- Will the training be individualized to the person’s goals?
- Can training occur in the family home, virtually, or in another appropriate setting?
- Will the provider use plain language and accessible materials?
- Can the provider include the individual in the learning process?
- How will the provider measure whether the training is useful?
- What follow-up support or written resources will be provided?
Training should be relevant to the family’s actual routines rather than a generic presentation disconnected from daily life.
Authorization and Documentation
Ask:
- Is the service listed in the approved person-centered plan?
- What documentation is required before training begins?
- How are hours, fees, invoices, and attendance recorded?
- Does the provider understand the applicable DDA billing and authorization rules?
- What happens if the requested training is not authorized?
- Are other funding sources required to be explored first?
Families should avoid assuming that a provider’s statement of availability means the service is approved or covered. Eligibility, authorization, payment rules, and provider availability vary.
How HAVE Support Can Help
HAVE Support (Housing, Advocacy, Vocational, and Employment Support Incorporated) is a Maryland 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing comprehensive disability services through provider-led and self-directed models.
HAVE Support takes a person-centered approach that respects individual choice, family priorities, and the role of the broader support team. While HAVE Support does not guarantee coverage or availability for Family Caregiver Training and Empowerment Services, the organization can help families understand service pathways, review potential options, and identify whether a referral conversation may be appropriate.
The organization also provides a range of developmental disability services, including Behavioral Support Services, Community Development Services, Nursing Support Services, Personal Supports, Respite Care, Supported Living, Shared Living, residential services, and transportation support. Services depend on individual needs, authorization, funding, and service availability.
Begin Exploring Family Caregiver Training in Maryland
Practical education can help families support safety, communication, independence, and meaningful participation at home and in the community. The best starting point is a conversation with the individual, family, CCS agency, Support Broker, or other planning-team member about the person’s goals and current support needs.
To explore services and submit a referral inquiry to HAVE Support, visit www.havesupport.org. Availability and eligibility are not guaranteed, but taking the first step can help families move toward informed, person-centered support.