Current through September 21, 2024
(a) General.
(1) Each system must include a comprehensive
child find system that is consistent with part B of the Act (see 34 CFR
300.128), and meets the requirements of paragraphs (b) through (e) of this
section.
(2) The lead agency, with
the advice and assistance of the Council, shall be responsible for implementing
the child find system.
(b) Procedures. The child find system must
include the policies and procedures that the State will follow to ensure that-
(1) All infants and toddlers in the State who
are eligible for services under this part are identified, located, and
evaluated; and
(2) An effective
method is developed and implemented to determine which children are receiving
needed early intervention services.
(c) Coordination.
(1) The lead agency, with the assistance of
the Council, shall ensure that the child find system under this part is
coordinated with all other major efforts to locate and identify children
conducted by other State agencies responsible for administering the various
education, health, and social service programs relevant to this part, tribes
and tribal organizations that receive payments under this part, and other
tribes and tribal organizations as appropriate, including efforts in the-
(i) Program authorized under part B of the
Act;
(ii) Maternal and Child Health
program under title V of the Social Security Act;
(iii) Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and
Treatment (EPSDT) program under title XIX of the Social Security Act;
(iv) Developmental Disabilities Assistance
and Bill of Rights Act;
(v) Head
Start Act; and
(vi) Supplemental
Security Income program under title XVI of the Social Security Act.
(2) The lead agency, with the
advice and assistance of the Council, shall take steps to ensure that-
(i) There will not be unnecessary duplication
of effort by the various agencies involved in the State's child find system
under this part; and
(ii) The State
will make use of the resources available through each public agency in the
State to implement the child find system in an effective manner.
(d) Referral
procedures.
(1) The child find system must
include procedures for use by primary referral sources for referring a child to
the appropriate public agency within the system for-
(i) Evaluation and assessment, in accordance
with Secs. 303.322 and 303.323; or
(ii) As appropriate, the provision of
services, in accordance with Sec. 303.342(a) or Sec. 303.345.
(2) The procedures required in
paragraph (b)(r) of this section must-
(i)
Provide for an effective method of making referrals by primary referral
sources;
(ii) Ensure that referrals
are made no more than two working days after a child has been identified;
and
(iii) Include procedures for
deterniining the extent to which primary referral sources, especially hospitals
and physicians, disseminate the information, as described in Sec. 303.320,
prepared by the lead agency on the availability of early intervention services
to parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities.
(3) As used in paragraph (d)(1) of this
section, primary referral sources includes-
(i) Hospitals, including prenatal and
postnatal care facilities;
(ii)
Physicians;
(iii)
Parents;
(iv) Day care
programs;
(v) Local educational
agencies;
(vi) Public health
facilities;
(vii) Other social
service agencies; and
(viii) Other
health care providers.
(e) Timelines for public agencies to act on
referrals.
(1) Once the public agency
receives a referral, it shall appoint a service coordinator as soon as
possible.
(2) Within 45 days after
it receives a referral, the public agency shall-
(i) Complete the evaluation and assessment
activities in Sec. 303.322; and
(ii) Hold an IFSP meeting, in accordance with
Sec. 303.342.
Authority:
20
U.S.C. 1432(4)(E)(vii),
1435(a)(5)
Note: In developing the child find system under this
part, States should consider
(1) tracking systems based on high-risk conditions at
birth, and
(2) other activities that are being conducted by various
agencies or organizations in the State.
Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under
control number 1820-0550