Purpose
The purpose of this announcement is to provide operational guidance to local Infant/Toddler Early Intervention (“EI”) programs regarding children living in residential facilities, as a follow up to ANNOUNCEMENT: EI 09-13, Childfind System Including Children Who Are Wards of the State, Children Living in Residential Facilities, Children Who Were Abused and Children who are Homeless.
Process for Children Currently in Residential Programs
When a local EI program gets a referral for an infant or toddler (“child”) who is currently in a residential facility, it assigns a Service Coordinator (“SC”) to the child’s case as soon as possible. With family consent, the SC visits the child and reviews assessment(s) conducted and the current treatment plan, to confirm that the assessments are complete and appropriate and that the treatment plan adequately addresses the child’s needs, and confirms that the services are being delivered. If the SC cannot locate a parent or other person with the legal authority to grant consent, the local EI program promptly appoints a surrogate parent to consent and make other decisions regarding the child’s EI program.
If the assessment(s), treatment plan, and services being delivered address the child’s needs, then the SC “adopts” the plan as the IFSP. The SC determines from the facility when the next quarterly treatment team meeting is and plans to attend and participate in that meeting, which will also serve as the IFSP meeting to which the local EI program will invite the family. This Treatment Plan/IFSP meeting must be conducted in accordance with the same rules as apply to all children who are eligible for the Infant/Toddler EI Program. As stated in Announcement EI 09-13, the Department expects that the facility and the local EI program will coordinate review of the Treatment Plan/IFSP, so that the child will have only one plan, which will serve as both the treatment plan for the facility and the IFSP for the EI program. If the assessment(s) or treatment plan is inadequate, the services are not being delivered, or the facility does not cooperate or is not willing to coordinate with the local EI program, the local EI program contacts the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (“OCDEL”) within 2 days of the on-site visit.
As noted in Announcement EI 09-13, the facility is responsible in the first instance for conducting or arranging for the assessment(s), developing the treatment plan, and providing or arranging for the services the child needs except for service coordination and, generally during transition, special instruction and services to families to help them enhance the development of their children. If the SC determines at the on-site review that the assessments are not complete and appropriate for a child, the SC informs the facility and notifies OCDEL of what is insufficient. It is expected that the facility will correct the deficiency. In the unlikely event that the facility does not meet its responsibility to provide appropriate assessment(s), the local EI Program will assure that the child receives all appropriate assessment(s).
If the facility does not provide services within 14 days of when the SC conducts its on-site review (since the treatment plan is considered the IFSP), then the local EI program will provide the services until the facility provides the services. The expectation is that this will not happen, since the facilities understand their responsibilities, but the local EI program will provide services in the short term until the facility meets its responsibilities.
If the current treatment plan is inadequate to address the child’s needs, the SC requests the facility to schedule a Treatment Plan/IFSP meeting, and ensures that one takes place, no later than 45 days after the local EI program received the referral, rather than waiting for the quarterly treatment plan review.
Process for Children Admitted to Facilities After April 16, 2010
For children who are referred to the local EI program when they are newly admitted to a facility, the SC and the family will be involved in the assessment process, and involved in developing the plan, which will serve as the treatment plan and IFSP, from the outset. If a newly admitted child has an IFSP from living at home, the presumption is that the facility will provide the services on the IFSP unless the parent agrees to a new IFSP. The local EI program is responsible for ensuring that these children have all the same rights as children residing with their parents in the county, including but not limited to evaluations and IFSPs that are developed in accordance with 55 Pa. Code Chapter 4226. The respective responsibilities of the facilities and the local EI programs are the same as stated in the above section on children currently in placement.
Comments and Questions Regarding this Announcement Should be Directed to the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Bureau of Early Intervention Services or ra-ocdintervention@pa.gov.