The Foreign Service Journal, June 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JUNE 2021 75 FLO: What is being done to ensure that information resources on the State Department’s intranet site reflect the latest guidance? CFP: The CFP team recently updated the DoS intranet site and are in the process of updating the internet site. We anticipate the CFP internet site will be available by early summer. We continue to actively collaborate with the Office of Overseas Schools, Family Liaison Office, the Office of Allowances, and our overseas medical teams to define and present the most up-to-date information possible in a way that will be most useful. FLO: How does CFP work with the Office of Overseas Schools? CFP: CFP meets monthly with OOS to exchange information on related con- cerns. This has helped CFP clinicians develop a more detailed understanding of the overseas environment. The recent pandemic highlighted the fragility of some of the resources we relied on in some overseas environ- ments that quickly became unavailable as many schools saw dramatic reduc- tions in enrollment. The OOS maintains much closer and more frequent contact with these schools and was able to com- municate with CFP as these changes were occurring. Through their frequent contact with embassy communities and families serving or planning to serve overseas, OOS also brings to CFP many of the concerns and questions that they receive regarding our services. The REOs’ educational expertise, firsthand knowledge of their regions and collabo- ration with schools overseas continue to be fundamental in determining post resource capabilities for special educa- tion.