Understanding California’s New Community Family Support Program: A Resource for Families Supporting Adults With Disabilities
For many families caring for an adult child with developmental disabilities, navigating the web of benefits, services, and government programs can feel overwhelming. Between IHSS, SSI, CalFresh, medical needs, behavioral supports, and long-term planning, parents often find themselves acting as full-time case managers without the training, time, or guidance to do it alone.
California’s Coordinated Family Support (CFS) program, sometimes referred to through vendors like Inland Family Support Services, was created to change that.
Designed specifically for adults with developmental disabilities who live in their family home, CFS provides individualized, culturally respectful, ongoing support to help families access the services their loved one needs while staying safely at home.
Below, we’ll break down what CFS is, how it works, and how Nickerson Law helps families integrate CFS into their long-term planning.
What Is Community Family Support (CFS)?
According to the statewide CFS fact sheet, Coordinated Family Support is a new regional center service for adults with developmental disabilities who choose to live with their families. It was created after years of feedback that families caring for adult consumers at home were not receiving the same support structure that exists in residential facilities.
CFS is:
• Individualized – Every family’s needs are different, so services are tailored to daily routines, medical needs, cultural preferences, language, and long-term goals.
• Flexible – Supports can grow or change as your loved one’s circumstances change.
• Focused on stability at home – The goal is not to place individuals in group homes, but to strengthen the family’s ability to continue providing care safely.
• Designed to coordinate across systems – CFS providers help with communication between doctors, regional centers, IHSS, Social Security, and other agencies.
Families often don’t know they can request these supports or how to access them. That’s where CFS providers step in.
What CFS Providers Can Help With
A CFS provider such as Inland Family Support Services assists families with day-to-day and long-term needs, including:
• Navigating IHSS, CalFresh, and SSI guidelines
• Attending appointments with families
• Coordinating medical care and paperwork
• Helping families understand benefit changes
• Supporting transportation and back-up caregiver planning
• Connecting individuals to community or self-advocacy programs
• Planning for future life changes, including emergencies or shifting care needs
• Offering culturally and linguistically appropriate support
This support is meant to ease the workload that families often carry alone, while helping individuals access all services they may qualify for.
A Real-Life Example: When One Change Affects Everything
At Nickerson Law, we often see families who are doing their best but are overwhelmed by confusing benefit rules.
Recently, we about a recent story with a young man who lost his close family member unexpectedly. He had no idea how to maintain the various programs that were managed by that person. His service coordinator wanted to help but was unfamiliar with the new CFS program.
A CFS provider stepped in to:
• Review his benefits
• Attend medical appointments with him
• Coordinate IHSS paperwork
• Work directly with Social Security
• Help him access additional food benefits he didn’t know existed
This ensured he could remain in his home safely and without the fear of losing essential supports.
Stories like this are exactly why California created the CFS program.
How to Access CFS Services
Families cannot enroll themselves directly.
Instead, the process goes through the regional center:
Contact your Service Coordinator.
Request “Community Family Support” or “Coordinated Family Support” services.
The service coordinator will refer you to a CFS provider such as Inland Family Support Services.
A CFS team will meet with your family to assess needs and begin ongoing support.
Families are encouraged to ask questions. Many service coordinators are still learning about the program themselves.
You can learn more through the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) on the Coordinated Family Support page, as well as the Inland Family Support Services website.
Nickerson Law can help provide a good CFS coordinator.
Click below to visit Inland Family Support Services website
Click below to visit the CFS page on the Department of Developmental Disabilities Website
How Nickerson Law Supports Families Using CFS
While CFS providers assist with day-to-day care coordination, Nickerson Law supports families with the legal planning that protects long-term stability, including:
• Special Needs Trusts (SNTs) for individuals receiving SSI or Medi-Cal
• Limited Conservatorships for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities
• Benefit planning guidance (avoiding SSI cutoffs, Medi-Cal issues, and CalFresh pitfalls)
• Crisis planning, including emergency medical directives
• Supporting families who face denials or confusing benefit reductions
• Guidance on IHSS, parental exemptions, and protective supervision
Our goal is to work alongside your CFS provider, not replace them, so your family receives both the legal and practical support needed to maintain a safe, stable home environment.
Community Family Support is one of the most meaningful investments California has made in helping adults with disabilities continue living safely at home. For many families, it lifts a tremendous burden and provides guidance, advocacy, and stability.
If your family is overwhelmed, confused by benefit changes, or unsure where to start, you are not alone and help is available.
Schedule a consultation with Nickerson Law to discuss whether the Community Family Support program, a Special Needs Trust, or a Limited Conservatorship may be right for your loved one.