New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 8 - SOCIAL SERVICES
Chapter 9 - EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE
Part 8 - REQUIREMENTS FOR FAMILY INFANT TODDLER EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES
Section 8.9.8.11 - INDIVIDUALIZED FAMILY SERVICE PLAN (IFSP)
Universal Citation: 8 NM Admin Code 8.9.8.11
Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024
A. IFSP development.
(1) A written IFSP shall be developed and
implemented for each eligible child and family.
(2) The IFSP shall be developed at a meeting.
The IFSP meeting shall:
(a) take place in a
setting and at a time that is convenient to the family;
(b) be conducted in the native language of
the family, or other mode of communication used by the family, unless it is
clearly not feasible to do so; and
(c) meeting arrangements must be made with,
and written notice provided to, the family and other participants early enough
before the meeting date to ensure that they will be able to attend.
(3) Participants at the initial
IFSP and annual IFSP meeting shall include:
(a) the parent(s);
(b) other family members, as requested by the
parent(s) (if feasible);
(c) an
advocate or person outside of the family, as requested by the
parent(s);
(d) a person or persons
directly involved in conducting evaluations and assessments of the
child;
(e) as appropriate, a person
or persons who are or will be providing early intervention services to the
child and family;
(f) the family
service coordinator; and
(g) other
individual(s) as applicable, such as personnel from: child care; early head
start; home visiting; medically fragile; children's medical services; child
protective services; physician and other medical staff, and with permission of
the parent(s).
(4) If a
person or persons directly involved in conducting evaluations and assessments
of the child is unable to attend a meeting, the family service coordinator
shall make arrangements for the person's participation through other means,
including: participating by telephone; having a knowledgeable authorized
representative attend; or submitting a report.
(5) The initial IFSP shall be developed
within 45 days of the referral.
(6)
Families shall receive prior written notice of the IFSP meeting.
(7) The family service coordinator shall
assist the parent(s) in preparing for the IFSP meeting and shall ensure that
the parent(s) have the information that they need in order to fully participate
in the meeting.
B. Contents of the IFSP: The IFSP shall include:
(1) the child's name, address, the name and
address of the parent(s) or guardian, the child's birth date and, when
applicable, the child's chronological age and adjusted age for prematurity (if
applicable);
(2) the date of the
IFSP meeting, as well as the names of all participants in the IFSP
meeting;
(3) the dates of periodic
and annual reviews;
(4) a summary
of the child's health (including vision and hearing) and the child's present
levels of development in all domains (cognitive, communication, physical/motor,
social and emotional and adaptive);
(5) with the approval of the parent(s), a
statement of the family's concerns, priorities and resources that relate to
enhancing the development of the infant or toddler as identified through the
family assessment;
(6) the desired
child and family outcomes developed with the family (including but not limited
to pre-literacy and numeracy, as developmentally appropriate to the child), the
strategies to achieve those outcomes and the timelines, procedures and criteria
to measure progress toward those outcomes;
(7) a statement of specific early
intervention services based on peer-reviewed research (to the extent
practicable) that are necessary to meet the unique needs of the child and
family to achieve the desired outcomes, and the duration, frequency, intensity,
location, and the method of delivering the early intervention
services;
(8) a parental signature,
which denotes prior consent to the early intervention services on the IFSP; if
the parent(s) does not provide consent for a particular early intervention
service, then the service(s) to which the parent(s) did consent shall be
provided;
(9) specific information
concerning payment sources and arrangements;
(10) the name of the ongoing family service
coordinator;
(11) a statement of
all other services including, medical services, child care and other early
learning services being provided to the child and family that are not funded
under this rule;
(12) an outcome,
including strategies the family service coordinator or family shall take to
assist the child and family to secure other services not funded under this
rule;
(13) a statement about the
natural environments in which early intervention services shall be provided; if
the IFSP team determines that services cannot be satisfactorily provided or
IFSP outcomes cannot be achieved in natural environments, then documentation
for this determination and a statement of where services will be provided and
what steps will be taken to enable early intervention services to be delivered
in the natural environment must be included;
(14) the projected start dates for initiation
of early intervention services and the anticipated duration of those services;
and
(15) at the appropriate time, a
plan including identified steps and services to be taken to ensure a smooth and
effective transition from early intervention services to preschool services
under IDEA Part B and other appropriate early learning services.
C. Interim IFSP.
(1) With parental consent an interim IFSP
shall be developed and implemented, when an eligible child or family have an
immediate need for early intervention services prior to the completion of the
evaluation and assessment.
(2) The
interim IFSP shall include the name of the family service coordinator, the
needed early intervention services, the frequency, intensity, location and
methods of delivery, and parental signature indicating consent.
(3) The use of an interim IFSP does not waive
or constitute an extension of the evaluation requirements and
timelines.
D. Family service coordination.
(1)
Family service coordination shall be provided at no cost to the
family.
(2) The parent may choose
the early intervention agency that will provide ongoing family service
coordination.
(3) The parent may
request to change the family service coordinator, at any time.
(4) The family service coordinator shall be
responsible for:
(a) informing the family
about early intervention and their rights and procedural safeguards;
(b) gathering information from the family
regarding their concerns, priorities and resources;
(c) coordinating the evaluation and
assessment activities;
(d)
facilitating the determination of the child's eligibility;
(e) referring the family to other resources
and supports;
(f) helping families
plan and prepare for their IFSP meeting;
(g) organizing and facilitating IFSP
meetings;
(h) arranging for and
coordinating all services listed on the IFSP;
(i) coordinating and monitoring the delivery
of the services on the IFSP to ensure that they are provided in a timely
manner;
(j) conducting follow-up
activities to determine that appropriate services are being provided;
(k) assisting the family in identifying
funding sources for IFSP services, including medicaid and private
insurance;
(l) facilitating
periodic reviews of the IFSP; and
(m) facilitating the development of the
transition plan and coordinating the transition steps and activities.
(5) Family service coordination
shall be available to families upon their referral to the FIT
program.
(6) Family service
coordination shall be listed on the IFSP for all families of eligible
children.
(7) Families may direct
the level of support and assistance that they need from their family service
coordinator and may choose to perform some of the service coordination
functions themselves.
E. Periodic review of the IFSP.
(1)
A review of the IFSP for a child and child's family must be conducted every six
months, or more frequently if conditions warrant, or if the family requests
such a review.
(2) The parent(s),
the family service coordinator, and others as appropriate, shall participate in
these reviews.
(3) A review can
occur at any time at the request of the parent(s) or early intervention
provider agency.
(4) Participants
at a periodic review meeting shall include:
(a) the parent(s);
(b) other family members, as requested by the
parent(s) (if feasible);
(c) an
advocate or person outside of the family, as requested by the
parent(s);
(d) the family service
coordinator; and
(e) persons
providing early intervention services, as appropriate.
F. Annual IFSP.
(1) The family service coordinator shall
convene the IFSP team on an annual basis, to review progress regarding outcomes
on the IFSP and to revise outcomes, strategies or services, as appropriate to
the child's and family's needs and the annual re-determination of the child's
eligibility for services.
(2)
Attendance at the annual IFSP meeting shall conform to the requirements of the
initial IFSP meeting.
(3) The team
shall develop a new IFSP for the coming year; however, information may
becarried forward from the previous IFSP if the information is current and
accurate.
(4) Results of current
evaluations and assessments and other input from professionals and parents
shall be used in determining what outcomes will be addressed for the child and
family and the services to be provided to meet these outcomes.
(5) The annual IFSP process shall include a
determination of the child's continuing eligibility utilizing the tool(s)
approved by the FIT program.
(6) At
any time when monitoring of the IFSP by the family service coordinator or any
member of the IFSP team, including the family, indicates that services are not
leading to intended outcomes, the team shall be reconvened to consider revision
of the IFSP. The IFSP team can also be reconvened if there are significant
changes to the child's or family's situation, e.g., moving to a new community,
starting child care or early head start, health or medical changes,
etc.
(7) If there are significant
changes to the IFSP, the revised IFSP can be considered a new annual IFSP with
a new start and end date.
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