The New York State Council on Children and Families (CCF) announces a new website for youth, parents, caregivers and direct care workers that provides a single resource on supports and services available from multiple health, education and human services agencies that serve New Yorkers. The Multiple Systems Navigator (MSNavigator.org) simplifies what used to be a complex process of accessing information from numerous child- and family-serving agencies by compiling it on one innovative and consumer-friendly site.

CCF designed the site with a $200,000 grant from the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

Council on Children and Families Executive Director Deborah Benson said, “Families used to have to navigate a complicated web to find out what aid and services were available to them. Now, instead of families going to many agencies, the Multiple Systems Navigator brings many agencies to one place to better connect New Yorkers with the services they need.”

The Multiple Systems Navigator helps families right from the start. It provides resources with links to websites, videos, hotlines and programs in multiple languages with contact information for the many health and human services agencies and organizations that serve New Yorkers. Users can get guidance on how to address challenging situations, access a comprehensive dictionary of terms and acronyms and use an interactive mapping tool to get directions and mark Medicaid health homes, paratransit providers, independent living centers and other resources.

“The Navigator addresses the confusion and frustration families and youth have long experienced in not knowing where to go or who to ask for help,” said Benson. “The direct involvement and input of parents, family members, caregivers and youth since the project’s start have been invaluable in developing a site that is helpful to them and makes every day living easier.”

The Multiple Systems Navigator project team collaborated with 2-1-1, 3-1-1, hotlines and information lines to build a smart system that quickly directs users to the information they want. The Navigator is primarily for mobile use and is focused on accessibility and providing comprehensive, current, relevant and easy-to-find information.  

About The Council on Children and Families

The Council on Children and Families is authorized to coordinate the state health, education and human services systems as a means to provide more effective systems of care for children and families. Follow us on Twitter @nysccf and bookmark our website, http://www.ccf.ny.gov.

The council works with its 12 member agencies to coordinate the New York State health, education, and human service systems to provide more effective systems of care for children and families. Member agencies include the Department of Health, the Department of Labor, the Division of Criminal Justice Services, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, the Office of Children and Family Services, the Office of Mental Health, the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs, the Office of Probation and Correctional Alternatives, the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, the Office for the Aging, and the State Education Department.