United states deparment of education office of special education and rehabilitative services
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I. PART C: GENERAL SUPERVISIONThe State lead agencies, NDE and NDHHS, are responsible for developing and maintaining a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency early intervention system. Administration, supervision and monitoring of the early intervention system are essential to ensure that each eligible child and family receives the services needed to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities and to minimize their potential for developmental delay. Early intervention services are provided by a wide variety of public and private entities. Through supervision and monitoring, the Co-Lead Agencies ensure that all agencies and individuals providing early intervention services meet the requirements of IDEA, whether or not they receive funds under Part C. While each State must meet its general supervision and administration responsibilities, the State may determine how that will be accomplished. Mechanisms such as interagency agreements and/or contracts with other State-level or private agencies can serve as the vehicle for the lead agency’s implementation of its monitoring responsibilities. The State’s role in supervision and monitoring includes: (1) identifying areas in which implementation does not comply with Federal requirements; (2) providing assistance in correcting identified problems; and (3) as needed, using enforcing mechanisms to ensure correction of identified problems. If a State uses Part B funds that it receives under section 611 of the Act to provide services to infants and toddlers under the age of three, the State must comply with both Part C and Part B requirements in providing those services. In regard to those services, the State’s lead agency (ies) for Part C must ensure compliance with the requirements of Part C, and the State educational agency must ensure compliance with the requirements of Part B. Validation Planning and Data Collection OSEP with the Steering Committee identified one recurring theme about early intervention services in Nebraska leading to the validation data collection phase: How do the Co-Lead Agencies ensure that Part C is implemented consistently and equitably across the State? OSEP collected information through structured discussions with the Co-Lead Agencies’ staff, the Chairperson of the Nebraska Interagency Coordinating Council, representatives from the Parent Training Center, a Maternal and Child Health Administrator, NDE Early Childhood staff and separate focus groups with parents, service providers, service coordinators, program administrators, and interagency collaborators. Background on State Supervision Subsequent to the full implementation of Part C on June 1, 1995, the Co-Lead Agencies developed a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of their system of early intervention, including compliance with Medicaid and IDEA requirements. A pilot evaluation was conducted in two regions of the State in 1996. The evaluation, refined by a stakeholder process involving the Nebraska Interagency Coordinating Council, the Co-Lead Agencies, and parents, resulted in the development of a “Quality Improvement Process” to measure satisfaction with the early intervention program among families, planning region teams, school districts, the local lead agency, the services coordination contractor, service coordinators, service providers and health providers in each region. The process includes: (1) a file review to ensure compliance with State rules and Part C; (2) a continuous self-assessment for regional programs; (3) a mechanism to provide feedback to the Co-Lead Agencies about regional program needs for technical assistance; (4) “neutral” contractors to conduct interviews and assist with data syntheses; and (5) a procedure to identify “promising practices”. In cases of deficiencies, regional programs must submit corrective action plans 90 days after receipt of a final report, and the Co-Lead Agencies are available to provide technical assistance before and after the report is issued. Regional programs are also expected to address noncompliance issues as a part of their ongoing system support contracts with the State. At the time of OSEP’s visit to the State in 1998, only one report from the pilot of the Quality Improvement Process was available for review. However, since OSEP’s visits, the Co-Lead Agencies have conducted eleven additional regional reviews, and submitted five of these reports to OSEP. By September 2000, the State will have conducted reviews for three-quarters of the regional programs, and by 2001, the entire State. In addition to the “Quality Improvement Process”, the NDHHS provides ongoing review of initial IFSPs for approximately 50% of the children enrolled in the early intervention system. This review assists the State to ensure compliance with the early intervention Medicaid waiver and provides another opportunity to ensure the IFSP requirements of IDEA are being met. After OSEP’s visits to the State, the Co-Lead Agencies initiated two annual Statewide conferences for chairpersons and a representative from all the regional programs. These conferences offer the State additional opportunities to provide technical assistance and to identify needs for additional guidance. These networking opportunities have been well received by regional programs. Analysis of data resulted in the identification of the following strengths and suggestions for improved results for infants and toddlers and their families.
1. Co-Lead Agencies Having an integrated, coordinated system of services is one of the major premises of Part C of IDEA. The State has established an administrative system with the Co-Lead Agencies that has many exceptional practices to support an integrated, coordinated system for children and families that streamlines eligibility determinations and provides access to inter-agency services provided by Part C and by other agencies. The Co-Lead Agencies are responsible for administering programs funded through Federal Part B special education dollars, Federal Part C dollars, Medicaid, Medicaid waivers, Maternal and Child Health programs, Children with Special Health Care Needs, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, family support, and respite care. To assist families in accessing these programs, the State: (1) trains service coordinators to assist families in completing applications and gaining access for a variety of social service programs and monitors this process through the Internet supported listserv used by providers; (2) uses the same eligibility determination for Part C and for the “early intervention Medicaid waiver” program; (3) provides Federal Part B funds under Section 611 for special education and related services at no cost; (4) provides State appropriations for early intervention services; and (5) combines Part C Federal dollars and Maternal and Child Health dollars for innovative projects to benefit infants and toddlers and their families. 2. Nebraska’s State Interagency Coordinating Council Nebraska’s early intervention system has benefited from the Nebraska Interagency Coordinating Council’s activities by training more than 100 parents as part of a “supporting parents network.” This network provides a forum for parents and a variety of professionals, providers, and agencies to work together. The Nebraska Interagency Coordinating Council assists in identifying additional State funding for the program and also plays a key role in promoting a statewide coordinated system, in such areas as developing the Nebraska’s Quality Improvement Process, building a communication mechanism with the 29 Planning Region Teams, and participating in other state early childhood task forces. |