APPENDIX L
IPP/IFSP Meeting Planner for
Families with Minor Children
This work sheet is to help you plan for the services you may need from the regional center in order to support your child with a disability.
Make a list of the goals for your child and family. List these goals as specifically as possible. If you can, add the steps or objectives necessary to reach each goal. Possible goal areas include:
1. Where you want your child to live.
2. Needs specific to your child with a disability that should be addressed, such as reducing challenging behaviors, increasing self-help skills, curing or alleviating a medical problem, etc.
3. The ways in which you want your child included in the school and community.
4. The ways in which you want the cultural preferences, values and lifestyle of your family to be integrated into the services that you receive.
5. Your interest or need to work, go to school or receive training and the care you need for your child to be able to do so.
6. Your interest or need to pursue recreational and leisure activities, have a break from caring for a child with severe disabilities or accomplish the day-to-day tasks such as cooking, shopping and caring for other children, especially if services for your child with a disability are necessary to enable you to do these things.
List the services and supports you need in order to reach the goals you have set. These would include services that are currently available and those that need to be started. All of these services should be specified in the IPP or IFSP. Among others, these services and supports can include:
The services and supports your family needs to successfully maintain your child at home. Be sure to consider and list he amount of the service you need. Regional centers must consider every possible way to assist families to maintain their child at home when living at home will be in the best interest of the child before considering out-of-home placement alternatives. The family support services specifically mentioned in the Lanterman Act are listed below. Regional centers are expected to provide other services if needed as well. A regional center cannot say it does not provide services that are necessary and it cannot place arbitrary limits on the amount of these services it will provide.
¨ Specialized medical and dental care
¨ Infant stimulation programs
¨ Respite for parents
¨ Day care services
¨ Child care
¨ Mental health services
¨ Special adaptive equipment (wheelchairs, hospital beds, communication devices, etc.)
¨ Special training for parents
¨ Homemaker services
¨ Camping services
¨ Short-Term out of home care
¨ Counseling
¨ Behavior modification programs
¨ Advocacy assistance
¨ Other services you need
You may also want to have other resources available to you, these may include natural supports; assistance from family, friends and others. Natural supports are voluntary relationships. Regional center funded services cannot be denied because a friend, extended family member or associate is not able or willing to provide you with assistance. You may also receive services from community resources or generic agencies such as special education, Medi-Cal, private health benefit plans, SSI and IHSS. Your regional center can expect you to use these services before providing duplicate services itself but cannot deny or terminate services until generic services are actually in place. It must provide advocacy services to help you get the generic services. The generic service must actually meet the identified need before the regional center can refuse to provide similar services.
Other PAI publications that relate to family
support services include: