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HomeMy WebLinkAboutC23-204 MOU_Mountain Valley Developmental Services1 MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN MOUNTAIN VALLEY DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES/EARLY INTERVENTION COLORADO AND EAGLE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES CHILD WELFARE AND EARLY HEAD START THIS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING is mutually written between Eagle County Department of Human Services - Child Welfare (CW) and Early Head Start (EHS) and Mountain Valley Developmental Services (MVDS), which is a Community Centered Board (CCB), pursuant to the requirements of: ● Public Law 105-285 (Head Start Act); and ● Public Law 108-446 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act ((IDEA)), Part C). ● Public Law 111-320 (Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act) Eagle County CW/EHS and Part C/ Early Intervention regulations define young children eligible for services using similar categories for disabilities. Many young children will meet the eligibility requirements for both programs. It is to the mutual benefit of families and local providers to assure that supports and services to these young children are delivered in an effective and efficient manner. Goal Statement Collaboration will improve services to young children and their families while making best use of available resources and avoiding duplication of effort. Purpose This MOU will affirm the roles and responsibilities of Eagle County CW/EHS and MVDS and to provide guidance for the development of this local cooperative agreement in order to: ● Assure that all young children determined to be eligible have access to the full range of services under Part C/ Early Intervention and Eagle County EHS; ● Assure all children under 5 years old and who are determined to be victims of child abuse/neglect are evaluated for services; ● Assure services are provided in young children’s natural environments or inclusive community settings, whenever possible; ● Enhance the array of services and options available to young children and families through the joint utilization of resources; DocuSign Envelope ID: 71A65097-C3B7-4097-81E2-B9E02B9E8ECA 2 ● Assure the successful transition of young children and families between and among MVDS, Eagle County EHS, and public-school early childhood programs; ● Assure the involvement of parents and families in all supports and services; and, ● Facilitate communication between and among families and agencies covered in this agreement. This agreement is intended to be effective as of the 1st day of March, 2023 and will be automatically renewed annually thereafter, unless otherwise agreed upon by both parties. Responsibilities MVDS is under contract with the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) to provide early intervention supports and services, as well as service coordination to eligible young children. CDHS is required to assure the local child identification provisions of the IDEA: to identify, locate and evaluate all young children who may be eligible for early intervention services. Child identification for children 0-3 is provided in Eagle County through collaboration of the State of Colorado Early intervention, MVDS, Certified Early Intervention Service Broker, and other community early intervention partners. Eagle County Child Welfare caseworkers will refer a child for an Early Intervention evaluation if there is a "Founded" allegation of child abuse/neglect for any child under the age of 5 or if there are suspicions of a child having been substance exposed in-utero. Eagle County Child Welfare caseworkers utilize a specific tab within TRAILS (Colorado's certified state-county child welfare information system) to generate a referral for an Early Intervention evaluation and then caseworkers follow up via direct email to Early Intervention Colorado to ensure the referral was received from TRAILS. Eagle County EHS promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of low-income children through the provision of health, educational, nutritional, social, and other services that are determined, based on family needs assessments. Eagle County EHS must recruit, enroll, screen, and serve children who meet age and income eligibility. At least 10% of the funded enrollment for EHS must be made available to children with identified disabilities. Under state and federal law and regulations, eligible children and families must have access to: screening services, multidisciplinary evaluations for eligibility and program planning, and for eligible children, Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP) which delineate the early intervention supports and services to meet the functional outcomes identified by the child and family’s team. Communication Eagle County EHS will provide representation at the Health Services Advisory Committee (HSAC). The HSAC carries out the requirements of establishing and maintaining ongoing communication amongst the local community system of early DocuSign Envelope ID: 71A65097-C3B7-4097-81E2-B9E02B9E8ECA 3 intervention supports and services and meets the needs for the Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC). The purposes of the council are: to provide a forum for essential early intervention partners to develop written interagency agreements in areas appropriate for their communities; to effectively implement a coordinated child identification process; to better utilize available funding sources and other existing resources; and to maintain a coordinated and comprehensive system of early intervention. Family Participation HSACs, members must recognize families as key decision makers in the process of providing supports and services to their young children. HSACs are encouraged to jointly develop opportunities for families to participate as equal partners. Eagle County EHS and MVDS must inform parents of their rights and responsibilities and the laws and regulations governing their respective services. In addition, communication and information must be provided in the family’s primary language. Child Identification Early Head Start will recruit children with suspected or diagnosed disabilities and will screen all enrolled children for developmental disabilities and/or suspected delays and will make appropriate referrals to Early Intervention Colorado for further developmental, hearing or vision evaluation for those children failing any screening. When children are determined not eligible for Early Intervention services, the Early Intervention evaluation team and Care Navigators will provide options for services, supports and strategies the family may utilize if concerns continue for their child. These services, supports and strategies will be shared with the Early Head Start staff so that they can continue to provide follow up to support the family. MVDS assures that there is in place, a comprehensive child identification system that identifies and evaluates children, birth through two years of age, who are potentially eligible for early intervention services. This includes: providing public awareness, a referral process, service coordination, and ensuring that the initial IFSP meeting is completed within the 45-day timeline. MVDS also collects and reports data through the State office of Early Intervention Colorado’s web portal for use with federal reporting compliance and resource allocation. Access to Early Intervention evaluation and services is to be available to families throughout the calendar year. To make a referral to Early Intervention Colorado, you may call the referral line at: 1- 833-733-3734, and should include the following information: Child’s Name; Date of Birth; Parent/ Guardian Contact Information- phone, physical and mailing address (if different); Language Spoken by the Family; Name of Referring Party; Referring Concern; Date of Referral. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71A65097-C3B7-4097-81E2-B9E02B9E8ECA 4 Determination of Eligibility With the information gathered through the screening and evaluation process, MVDS will ensure that children with suspected disabilities are identified and determined eligible in accordance with the state and federal regulations for funding under IDEA. In addition, when a child is eligible for the Part C program, he/she is also eligible for the Family Support Services Program (FSSP). The FSSP is a state funded program administered by MVDS. Eagle County EHS will determine if the young child is eligible for EHS in accordance with federal Head Start regulations. Evaluation Evaluation is the process for determining eligibility. A multidisciplinary evaluation consists of two or more professionals with differing disciplines and the family participating in the exchange of information related to the child and family. The evaluation needs to be of different methodologies to address the following developmental domains: cognitive, communication, physical, vision, hearing, social and emotional, and adaptive behavior. The assessment process (screening and evaluation) are at no cost to the family. From the date of referral to the Part C system, the assessment process and the development of the IFSP is to take no longer than 45 calendar days. Joint Planning for the IFSP The IFSP is a legal document that provides information about the child and his/ her family. It contains the child’s present level of development, the family’s priorities and concerns and outlines outcomes and strategies to meet those priorities. It lists services and funders, and outlines the process for transition out of the Part C program for children who are over two years old. The IFSP document can be amended as requested by the family. For general practice, the IFSP is updated bi-annually. Participants in the initial IFSP meeting include the child’s legal guardians, Part C program, Early Childhood Services (when the child is also participating in the EHS), and others as appropriate. The MVDS Service Coordinator will invite the Eagle County EHS staff member to the IFSP meetings as appropriate. Eagle County Early Head Start Supports and Services Eagle County EHS staff provide a comprehensive approach to services that include the areas of: child health and development, education and early childhood development, nutrition, family and community involvement. The range of services available are responsive as appropriate to each child and family’s ethnic, cultural and linguistic heritage. Eagle County EHS staff assist families with accessing and using existing services and resources, and supplement these services when there is no other alternative for providing families with needed services. Eagle County EHS funds may be used for professional medical and dental services when no other source of funding is available. DocuSign Envelope ID: 71A65097-C3B7-4097-81E2-B9E02B9E8ECA 5 When such funds are utilized, there must be written documentation of efforts to access other available sources of funding. Early Intervention Supports and Services Individual services articulated on the IFSP should be incorporated into the daily routines and activities of all young children, whenever possible. A multidisciplinary team model encourages collaboration, cooperation, and provision of services and ensures that interventions are supported and enriched throughout the child’s day. Allowable services are: ● Designed to meet the developmental needs of the child or family related to enhancing the child’s development; ● Selected in collaboration with the child’s family; ● Provided in conformity with an Individualized Family Service Plan; ● Based on the appropriate, evidence-based practices and related to functional outcomes; ● Provided under public supervision to assure, through monitoring, that services are provided in accordance with these requirements; ● Provided by qualified personnel as defined in Colorado’s Part C State Plan; ● Provided in the natural environments of the child and the family including the family’s home and /or community setting in which children without disabilities participate, unless otherwise justified on the IFSP; and ● Provided in a culturally relevant manner, including the use of an interpreter if needed. There are 14 allowable Early Intervention Services that may be utilized to meet IFSP outcomes: assistive technology; audiology services; developmental intervention; health services; nutrition services; occupational therapy; physical therapy; psychological services; respite care; service coordination; social emotional intervention; speech language pathology; transportation; and vision services. Transition Transition refers to a child who is receiving Part C services, moving from Part C into Part B (ages 3-5) services. The Eagle County School District and BOCES implement the Part B program. The MVDS Service Coordinator or a School District representative will invite the Eagle County EHS staff member to meetings in which transition is planned- this plan is a process and is developed between two years three months and two years nine months, though finalization of transition plans for EHS may go up to the child’s third birthday or date of discharge, whichever comes first. If a child turns three after May 1 and has been determined eligible for Part B services, they have the option to decline Part B services and can continue in the Part C program until preschool begins in the fall. Administrative Considerations DocuSign Envelope ID: 71A65097-C3B7-4097-81E2-B9E02B9E8ECA 6 Part C eligible children may receive supplemental supports and/or services either within the Eagle County EHS program, or separately from the early intervention system. The services must be documented on the IFSP. If MVDS contracts with Eagle County EHS for early intervention supports and services, those can be provided by direct services to the child within the Eagle County EHS program, or by consultative services through a variety of community personnel or agencies. Personnel must be appropriately licensed as defined by the Colorado Part C State Plan. At this time, there is no contract for services/ supports between MVDS and EHS. Compensation This MOU is not a commitment of funds or compensation by either party. Duration This MOU is at-will and may be modified by mutual consent of authorized officials from ECCW/EHS and MVDS. This MOU shall become effective upon signature by the authorized officials from ECCW/EHS and MVDS and will remain in effect until modified or terminated by any one of the partners by mutual consent. Signatures of Parties to Agreement _____________________________________________ _____________ Jeff Shroll, County Manager, Date Eagle County _____________________________________________ _____________ Sarah Brotherson, Director of Child and Family Services, Date Mountain Valley Developmental Services _____________________________________________ _____________ Sara Sims, Executive Director Date Mountain Valley Developmental Services DocuSign Envelope ID: 71A65097-C3B7-4097-81E2-B9E02B9E8ECA 6/19/2023 6/20/2023 6/20/2023