Delaware program
Find local support (Family SHADE)
A Delaware network that connects families of children with special health needs to services and other parents.
What it is
A Delaware network that connects families of children with special health needs to services and other parents.
You do not need to know a program’s name to ask Family SHADE about a need. The network helps identify services and parent support. It is a referral service rather than a treatment payment.
Eligibility rules
- The network supports Delaware families whose children have special health care needs.
What you get
- Help finding local care, programs and parent support.
What the help includes
- Family SHADE works alongside the Office of Children with Special Health Care Needs.
If you decide to apply
- Contact Family SHADE through the Parent Information Center and describe what you need.
- Have your county and a short description of the problem ready.
Family SHADE / Parent Information Center · 302-999-7394 · Official page ↗
What happens next
- You receive the name and contact details of a service suited to your question.
Good to know
A referral identifies a service; the service itself decides whether it can help.
Other details
- The network’s role is helping you navigate services. Treatment, travel and lodging payments need a separate check.
Official sources
“Could Family SHADE help us find support for our situation? What can it do, what are its limits, and could you help connect us if useful?”
Why I’m asking: I want help finding the right person without having to know every program’s name.
More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Call and describe the problem rather than the programme you think you need.
Your social worker
The network points you at the Delaware agency or programme that holds it.
The care team
Records and letters when the application asks for them.
- Who decides
- Nobody; it is a referral network, so nothing is refused.
- Ask your social worker
- “Is there a Delaware service for this, and would Family SHADE know who runs it?”
How to apply
First step: Call 302-999-7394, or 888-547-4412 toll free, and describe what you are trying to sort out.
- Call 302-999-7394 or 888-547-4412 and say what you are trying to find.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Call or use the website.
What to gather
- A short description of what you need
- Your county
How long: A phone call.
What a yes looks like
A name, a number and the programme that holds what you asked about.
What a no looks like, and the next move
They may not hold it themselves. Ask who does.
Watch out
- It finds services; it was not verified to pay for treatment, travel or lodging.
The numbers and the rules
The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.
What it is worth
A state-funded line that finds Delaware providers, programmes and parent support for a child with special health needs.
Covers: Connections to Delaware providers and programmes · Parent-to-parent support through the Parent Information Center of Delaware · Help navigating special education and health services
What it costs the family: None.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Residency
- Delaware
- Condition
- a child with special health care needs
The trap: Do not expect it to pay bills. What was verified is navigation, not money. Whether Delaware’s Title V programme pays for treatment, travel or lodging was not established.
Where I read this
- DE Thrives — Family SHADE — Delaware Division of Public Health, read September 10, 2026
- Family SHADE — programme contact and funding statement — Family SHADE (Parent Information Center of Delaware, funded by the Division of Public Health), read September 10, 2026
- DHSS Division of Public Health — Children with Special Health Care Needs — Delaware Division of Public Health, read September 10, 2026
- DE Thrives — Title V Block Grant — Delaware Division of Public Health, read September 10, 2026