Child Welfare Services

Services are obtained through the New York State Department of Health (DOH) Early Intervention Program (also known as EI). There is no cost to parents for Early Intervention Program evaluations and services. The Department of Health has a very complete parent's guide that will answer many of your questions (see page 40 for a phone number and address to obtain the parent's guide). Some basic information you should know about the Early Intervention Program includes:

• When you or a professional working with your child suspects that the child might have a disability or is at risk of having a disability, the first step is to call the Early Intervention Official in your county. Your permission must be obtained before a professional may refer your child. The phone number for your county's Early Intervention Program is listed on page 40.



• Once your child is referred, your Early Intervention official will assign an initial service coordinator to work with you and your family. The initial service coordinator will explain the program to you and help you through the evaluation to decide your child's eligibility and gather facts about your child. All information provided to the initial service coordinator is confidential.



• Your child's evaluation will probably include a health assessment, an assessment of your child's strengths and needs in each area of development (physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional and adaptive development) and an interview with you about your child. You will receive a summary of the evaluation findings.



• If the evaluation shows that your child is eligible for the Early Intervention Program, your initial service coordinator will help you begin to work on your first Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). This is a plan that includes all the details about the early intervention services in which your child and your family will participate.
  
  
• You and others who take part in the IFSP meeting will work together to decide which programs and services will benefit your child. You have the right to say yes or no to any of the services talked about at the meeting. The IFSP meeting will be held at a time and place convenient for you and your family. At this meeting you will select an ongoing service coordinator.



• Beginning services as quickly as possible is important for your child. Your ongoing service coordinator is responsible for making sure that the early intervention services in your IFSP are delivered as soon as possible after the IFSP meeting.
  
  
• You and your family are active members of your child's "team," so be sure that services are arranged for times that are good for you so that you can pay full attention to what is happening and learn the skills you need to help your child make progress.



• Your child's IFSP will be reviewed every six months, and will be reevaluated every year. This is done to ensure that the services your child is receiving keep up with his changing needs.



• Your child will continue to receive Early Intervention services until he reaches age three unless he no longer needs them. If your child will continue to need services after his third birthday, a transition plan will be developed for him, usually at the last IFSP meeting before his birthday. Your child may go on to early childhood programs in the community, or he may be eligible for preschool special education services through your local school district and county.

• Referrals must be made to the CPSE chairperson in the school district in which the child lives, and may be made by you or by a professional working with your child.



• You will be asked to choose an evaluation site. You will take your child to the evaluation.



• Your child's evaluation will probably include a health assessment, an assessment of your child's strengths and needs in each area of development (physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional and adaptive development) and an interview with you about your child. You will receive a summary of the evaluation findings.



• When the evaluation is completed, the Committee on Preschool Special Education will meet to determine the need for services and who will provide them. You will be invited to attend this meeting, and may bring with you others who you think may be helpful to you at the meeting and with the decision making process.



• An Individualized Education Program (IEP) will be developed for your child if your child needs services. The IEP summarizes the child's current skills and abilities, establishes the child's goals for the year, describes the program and services being offered to the child to help him meet these goals, and shows how his progress will be measured. Your child's IEP must be approved by your school district's Board of Education in a private session.



• The child may receive services from an itinerant therapist who will come to your home, to day care or to another mutually acceptable location, or your child may travel to a center-based program. Transportation is provided to center-based programs.



• Your child's IEP will be reviewed each year to decide whether your child's needs are being met. You will be invited to attend the annual review and make comments and suggestions about whether the program is meeting your child's needs. At this meeting, the CPSE will make any changes needed in the IEP and again forward it to the Board of Education for approval.



• When your child is five years old and can attend public school, your school district's Committee on Special Education (CSE) takes over responsibility for monitoring progress and providing services. This transition is generally carefully coordinated by the school district.



• All children in this age group are eligible for a Head Start Program and may be enrolled in the early spring of the year in which they turn two years and nine months old if a program is available. Please note that some Head Start Programs are only for four year olds, and that transportation is not always provided.

• Children with developmental disabilities are entitled to receive a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The child's entitlement begins in the school year during which the child turns five (on or before December 1 in most school districts) and extends to the end of the school year in which the child turns twenty-one.



• You can refer your child to your school district's CSE, or he may be referred to the CSE by a professional who is aware of difficulties your child is experiencing. You must be notified immediately when the CSE receives the referral, and you will be asked to consent to an evaluation.



• Your child's evaluation will probably include a health assessment, an assessment of your child's strengths and needs in each area of development (physical, cognitive, communication, social-emotional and adaptive development) and an observation of your child in the classroom. You will receive a summary of the evaluation findings. The evaluation must be completed within thirty school days from receipt of consent, or within forty school days of receipt of referral, whichever is earlier.



• If delays or disabilities are found, the evaluation will lead to the development of a recommendation and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for your child. You will be invited to attend CSE meetings and participate in developing the recommendation, which is the document developed by the CSE that addresses your child's individual education needs. You may bring to this meeting others whom you think may be helpful to you at the meeting and with the decision making process. The recommendation will:
• Identify any disability,
• Describe your child's strengths and needs,
• List your child's goals for the year, and
• Identify the programs and services (including regular education, if appropriate) your child will receive. Under Education Law, your school district is required to provide whatever services or programs are agreed to in your child's IEP either with its own staff or by contracting with another individual or agency.
The recommendation must be completed within thirty school days from receipt of consent, or within forty school days of receipt of referral, whichever is earlier. Copies of the recommendation will be sent to you, and to the Board of Education for its approval.

• When you receive a copy of the recommendation and your child's IEP, you will also receive information about your due process rights regarding consenting to the recommendation or appealing decisions.
  
  
• Your child's program and services will be arranged and monitored by your school district and the CSE. If, at any time, you disagree with your child's program, you may contact the CSE and request a review of the program or reconsider consent.
  
  
• Your child's IEP will be reviewed each year to determine whether his needs are being met. You will be invited to attend the annual review and make comments and suggestions about whether the program is meeting your child's needs. At this meeting, the CSE will make any changes needed in the IEP and will again forward it to the Board of Education for approval.
  
  
• Every three years your child will be reevaluated to decide whether he still needs special education services, and what services or program he needs.
  
  
• When your child reaches age fourteen, you, your child and the CSE should begin the process of planning for life after high school. There are many agencies that will help you with this process. The specific agencies you will work with will depend on the nature of your child's disability. Some agencies that provide this support include:
  • New York State Education Department
    • Office for Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID)
    • Office for Special Education Services
    • Office of General and Occupational Education
    New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities' regional Developmental Disabilities Services Offices
  • New York State Office of Mental Health
  • New York State Department of Family Assistance
    • Office of Children and Family Services
    • Office of Temporary Assistance and Disability Administration
  • Office of Advocate for the Disabled,
  • Your local school district and BOCES, and
  • Other county, local, and private agencies.