 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Project Web Site
WebCast |
ODRC - Communities - MissouriJefferson County, Missouri
The
JCECC has a history of going beyond what is required. As an
example, Missouri requires local interagency coordinating
councils (LICC’s) to be formed to address the needs of
children with special needs in the First Steps (Part C) program.
Recognizing the needs of all young children, JCECC – as the
local LICC - expanded its mission to focus on all children in
the community ages birth to eight years, with an emphasis on
those who have or are at risk for developing special needs. Council
members represent families and middle-management program
supervisors/administrators from early intervention programs, the
School Districts’ Part B preschool programs, the Division of
Family Services, the Bureau for Special Health Care Needs,
Parents as Teachers, Head Start, the Department of Mental
Health, a community mental health clinic, and the Nurses for
Newborns home visiting program. Andrea Wolf, employed by the
Jefferson County ARC and a long-term member of the JCECC, serves
as the liaison for the ODRC project. Andrea’s leadership,
positive attitude, and commitment paved the way for the further
success of this community’s efforts. 1.
Joint referral form. The
original plan was to develop a computerized system that would
send referrals electronically as well as serve as a shared data
system to monitor referrals. Shortly after Jefferson County
began working on its ODRC action plan, the Missouri First Steps
Part C program began a redesign effort to improve the system for
children ages birth to three with disabilities. Not knowing the
specifics of how the new Part C system would be changed, the
JCECC revised their action plan. For example, the Missouri First
Steps administration envisioned a system point of entry, whereby
families would call a single number to be connected to First
Steps and other related services. Wisely, the JCECC revised its
plan to commit the funding dollars toward a computerized
referral system to avoid incompatibilities with the state’s
redesign efforts. Meanwhile, the JCECC developed a hard copy
referral form that could be faxed to referring agencies. The
joint referral form was developed and interagency training
helped to ensure its proper use. One critical component of the
referral form’s use was the interagency agreement signed by 10
agencies, demonstrating the necessary interagency support for
the form’s purpose and use. 2.
Parent notebook. As
a result of their successful experience in this project, more
parents were recruited to participate in the JCECC. In fact,
parents currently represent one third of the council members.
Kimberly Bolin, a parent representative and co-chair of the
JCECC, reflected “…I have always been made to feel as though
my opinion was needed and appreciated. I feel as though my
contribution is an asset to the agencies involved and helps to
make a difference within my community.” 3.
A toll-free phone number . Sustainability The
Missouri First Steps program plans to adopt the Jefferson County
Parent Notebook for statewide replication. Although communities
and families will have the ability to adapt the notebook to best
fit their community, Jefferson County’s notebook will serve as
the foundation on which others will build. The
sustainability of the common referral form and the toll-free
number also will be influenced by Missouri’s First Steps
redesign effort. The state intends to identify a “system point
of entry” for children potentially eligible for the First
Steps Part C program. This involves a new toll-free number to
connect families with an interim service coordinator, to receive
necessary evaluations, and to determine eligibility for First
Steps services. Jefferson County council members would like to
maintain their expanded focus on children birth to eight and
will need to coordinate their efforts with the state’s “system
point of entry” requirements. The joint referral form will
continue to fill a need to serve the broader population,
particularly those who do not qualify for the First Steps
program. Given the active participation that JCECC members play
in the state-level planning activities, the community is in a
position to ensure state-community coordination to sustain their
mission to ensure access to services for young children and
families. For further information about Jefferson County’s service integration efforts, contact: Andrea Wolf |
|||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Jefferson
County, Missouri, located about 60 miles south of St. Louis, is
a large, rural community with rolling hills, woodlands, and
limestone. The county was identified as the community catchment
area by geography and its politics; the county is the
jurisdiction for the majority of the public service agencies,
and families travel throughout the county to obtain services as
well as conduct their daily routines. Most importantly,
coordination of services for young children with special needs
occurs via the county-wide collaborative, the Jefferson County
Early Childhood Council (JCECC). This council was recognized by
the state First Steps Part C program as one of the strongest,
most successful collaboratives in Missouri. For this reason, the
JCECC was asked to participate as a community in the Opening
Doors into Rural Communities Project.
![[ Mail ]](\images/Mail.gif){kind=small}
![[ Phone ]](\images/Phone.gif){kind=small}
![[ Fax ]](\images/Fax.gif){kind=small}
![[ Email ]](\images/Email.gif){kind=small}