Special Needs

A Shared Plan of Care (SPoC) is a tool that is designed to help you communicate and share information about your child with members of their care team, including doctors, nurses, therapists, emergency responders, respite care providers, teachers, and child care providers. A SPoC allows families to share information on how to best care for their child’s health needs. Rather than relying on separate medical care plans at each provider’s office, a SPoC engages multiple care team members to contribute to and build upon a single plan.

Once the SPoC has been filled out, all members of the care team should have access and refer to it on a regular basis, and practice in alignment with agreed upon goals and treatment plans. When it is implemented correctly, a comprehensive SPoC can help strengthen relationships, enhance communication, and improve outcomes.

My Shared Plan of Care was developed for New Jersey families with funding provided by the Health Services and Resources Administration (HRSA). Before completing My Shared Plan of Care, first read through the entire document. Do not worry about filling in everything at the start. Some sections may not even apply to your child or your family, and some sections should be filled out by your child’s different team members. The plan will build over time as you work with your child’s team.

Along with My Shared Plan of Care, the accompanying Guide to Complete will help orient you to the content as you read through and complete each page. Click the links in the green box to the right to download these materials.

My Shared Plan of Care was developed by the Department of Health in consultation with its partners, The New Jersey Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics (NJAAP), the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN), and Special Child Health County Case Management Units (SCHS CMU), and with contributions from parents and youth with special health care needs.