January 10, 2019 - Illinois Interagency Council on Early Intervention

Audience

Open to the general public.

Time

10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Location

Double Tree Hotel
5000 West 127th Street
Alsip, Illinois

Agenda

  • Call to Order
  • Introduction of Council Members
  • Approval of October 4, 2018 Draft Meeting Report
  • Early Intervention Training Program
  • Lead Poisoning Workgroup
  • Telehealth Workgroup
  • Early Intervention/Home Visiting Survey Review Workgroup
  • Council Membership Status
  • Ongoing Updates
    • State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP)
    • Federal Compliance for Determinations
    • IMPACT
    • Service Delivery Approaches (SDA) Workgroup Recommendations
    • Cornerstone
    • Digital Signatures
    • Budget
    • Bureau Staff
  • Annual Performance Report (APR)
  • Adjournment of Meeting

Meeting Report

Present

  • Karen Berman, Ounce of Prevention Fund, Advocate Representative
  • Meghan Burke, Parent Representative
  • Bob Cammarata, ICG Health Care Services, Provider Representative
  • Benny Delgado, Leaps and Bounds Family Services, Inc., Provider Representative
  • Kristy Doan, IL State Board of Education
  • Melissa Ehmann, Parent Representative
  • Ann Freiburg, IDHS, Bureau of Early Intervention
  • Margaret Harkness, IL Council on Developmental Disabilities
  • Vicki Hodges, ISBE, McKinney-Vento
  • Dee Dee Lowery, CFC 1 Program Manager
  • Lori Orr, Governor's Office of Early Childhood Development
  • Kathy Schrock, Easter Seals DuPage & Fox Valley
  • Ralph Schubert, Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC)
  • Lynette Strode, IL Assistive Technology Program, Provider Representative
  • Rita Wahl, CFC 20 Program Manager
  • Angel Williams, IL Dept. of Child and Family Services
  • Amy Zimmerman, Legal Council for Health Justice, Advocate Representative

Excused

  • J. Diane Adams-Alsberry, CALM, Inc., Provider Representative
  • Teresa Bertolozzi, Parent Representative
  • Kelly Cunningham, IL Dept. of Healthcare & Family Services
  • Donna Emmons, Head Start Representative
  • Heather Lalor, Parent Representative
  • Ginger Mullin, IL Dept. of Public Health
  • Rosie Perez, Parent Representative
  • Becca Trevino, Parent Representative
  • Kathy Ward, IDHS, Division of Developmental Disabilities
  • Therese Wehman, Elmhurst College
  • Constance Williams, Ph.D., IDHS, Division of Mental Health
  • Karen Woods, IL Dept. of Insurance

Council Packet

  • Agenda
  • Draft Council Meeting Report - October 4, 2018 Meeting
  • Lead Poisoning Materials
  • Early Intervention Program Caseload Summary Report
  • Early Intervention Monitoring Program - Family Survey

Call to Order

Kathy Schrock called the meeting to order at 10:08 am.

Introduction of Council Members

Kathy asked all Council members to introduce themselves and their role on the Council.

Approval of October 4, 2018 Draft Meeting Report

Bob moved to approve the report. Lynette seconded. Minutes approved.

Early Intervention Training Program (EITP)

Susan Connor provided an overview of the Training Program's activities. Overall goal is to provide professional development. Have a relatively small team that covers the entire state. Team is comprised of a few full-time staff and more part-time staff. Team members have experience as providers/service coordinators (SCs) or family members in the system. EITP collaborates with partners both outside of and within the University. Biggest deliverable is focused on enhancing the quality of services provided to the infants, toddlers, and families in our system via professional development opportunities. Other deliverables can be found in the handout provided to Council members and attendees.

Susan then provided some of the numbers associated with these deliverables. 550-700 people are welcomed to our system through over 20 Systems Overview training's each year. Provide 150-200 pediatric specific learning opportunities each year. Over 5000 participants access our online training each year. 200-400 participants in our linked series each year. Over 1500 people participate in our face to face events. Process over 2000 requests for early intervention credit each year. Sent out over 20,000 family outcomes surveys last year. In addition, we process and analyze the responses. We also train and test interpreter/translator candidates each year.

Collaborate with both Illinois and national partners for some of our work. Innovations, in addition to or in support of, our deliverables include: developed a rubric (based on 2015 Dunst Infants and Young Children article) and process for ensuring our offerings include the elements associated with high quality professional development; created a system of support (SC blended training, trainer forum, service coordination community of practice, CFC conferences, family assessment institute, national SC training workgroup, IL SC stakeholder group) for service coordinators starting at system entry; collaborated to develop universal online Part C EI curriculum; hosted winter webinars; created resource packages to support State Systemic Improvement Plan work; planned home visiting and early intervention joint professional development; supported early intervention and child care providers through the natural partners offerings and EI and childcare video and supplements. On the horizon, virtual office hours each month for new providers/service coordinators.

Kathy commented on how impressed she was with the breadth of support being provided to the SCs and asked Rita and DeeDee how this was impacting their CFCs. Dee Dee said that her new folks really see the benefits in the change of format for the initial training, and the other service coordination support has been helpful too. Rita echoed her sentiments. Amy added that EITP's support of the Lead Poisoning Pilot has been critical to successful implementation. Karen also shared positive experiences with EITP and described some of their work that has reached beyond Illinois' EI system. Bob echoed others' support and said that from the provider standpoint, he appreciates the enhanced online offerings. Susan thanked all and explained that we are exploring more blended approaches because it is challenging to offer high quality professional development without including ways for people to come together to reflect and ask questions. Trying a virtual face to face (FTF) option with upcoming Trauma training. Angel shared her appreciation for the breadth of EITP's work and is feeling that DCFS workers might benefit from some of the online offerings to better support the infants and toddlers they serve. Amy mentioned that IDPH nurse home visitors may benefit from these offerings as well. Benny asked Susan, given what EITP already does, what are the dreams for the program that the Council could help with? Susan said that she continues to feel that family leadership training is something that would be beneficial. Also hopes that more leadership opportunities for SCs can be realized in the future. Margie mentioned her willingness to collaborate around partners in policymaking for EI families.

Lead Poisoning Workgroup Update

Amy Zimmerman provided an update on the lead pilot (see materials in Council packet). Amy reminded everyone that we began this discussion in October 2016 and provided some background on why it is important. There was an understanding of the impact of lead exposure on child development and the possibility of altering the repercussions of lead exposure through offering early intervention. Created two workgroups that included Council members. Received funding from Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities and Illinois Children's Healthcare Foundation to support the work. Began with CFCs 1 &7. Will be adding CFC#9 to the pilot this month. Provide training to providers in these areas so that they can support lead-exposed children and their families. Erikson Institute is partnering with the project to evaluate the work. Have been doing local, state, and national presentations on the work happening in Illinois. Articles have also been published on this work.

Amy passed a sample folder for medical providers around to Council members. A number of materials have been developed to help both medical providers and family members understand why it is important for lead-exposed children to receive early intervention. Families receive a financial incentive to participate as well as books from Reach Out and Read to build a home library. A primary challenge has been family recruitment to the pilot. New maps (included in Council packet) show expectations for numbers of children that may benefit from the pilot. The number of children with blood lead levels (BLLs) above 5 micrograms/deciliter goes down by about 10% each year. If 75% of the children with venous-confirmed elevated BLLs are served in EI, this would result in approximately 2000 more children being served across the state. Amy also shared an update on legislative changes that alter the landscape of services for children with BLLs of 5. Amy made a motion for the Council to adopt the EI and Lead workgroup 1 recommendation to the Bureau to adopt automatic eligibility for EI services for children with elevated blood lead levels (EBLs) at 5 and above and include it under the medical condition category. Bob seconded. Motion carried. Karen asked for clarification on next steps.

Telehealth Workgroup

Bob and Benny provided information about the work of the telehealth workgroup. The group has developed a presentation and a potential action plan for distribution through LICs. Benny reviewed the presentation with Council members. Bob also shared that Meghan Burke reached out to the workgroup with resources and a potential plan for gathering family feedback. Benny asked Council members for any questions they have. Ann asked to see the results from the survey. There was a poor response rate from other states, but they hope to reach out directly to providers next.

Karen feels that we have been exploring this for a while and wants to know what is next to get this moving for families. Is legislation, a waiver, or funding needed for a pilot? Kathy said that the primary barrier has been Medicaid reimbursement. Karen asked if a motion from the Council was needed. Ann shared that she had met with providers in Missouri to see how this was implemented. There are a number of issues that need to be resolved beyond Medicaid reimbursement, e.g. equipment, safety protocols, responsibilities of involved parties. Ann can follow up with Missouri folks to see where they are with their project and can follow up with our Cross State Learning Collaborative facilitators to see if they can obtain additional information from Colorado. Workgroup's plan was to begin with information distribution and gathering. Karen asked if fact-finding and cost-estimating can be done at the same time as the presentations. Ann thinks that this can be done simultaneously. Bob feels that this would be an expansion of workgroup's purpose and wants to be sure that information gathered is the right information for moving the larger work forward. Amy wonders if some of the information that needs to be done has already happened in other systems/with other groups, e.g. telemedicine and other therapies. Kathy explained that her agency has been a teletherapy provider for children over 3 for some time and would be happy to share their experiences and/or engage in a pilot. Margie shared that the Department of Information Technology (DoIT) may be a resource for technical needs. Ann shared that, even with a pilot, there are decisions that need to be made. Ann will provide a list of questions needing answering before beginning a pilot. Angel provided a reminder that the needs of families in our system are diverse and many may not have the resources to provide their own equipment. Her current experience with telepsychiatry has occurred by bringing clients into her office and using her equipment. Benny reminded everyone that this exploration began as a solution to service delays. He proposed starting our information sharing/gathering in the areas with the greatest need. Kristy suggested being mindful of licensure and credentialing requirements for those who would be providing teletherapy. In addition, Heather shared that, in Illinois, most of the work that has been approved for Medicaid reimbursement is being conducted in a clinical setting.

Early Intervention/Home Visiting Review Workgroup

Information was shared with members in the Council Packet. Benny said that he has been part of the group that reviewed the survey information received. Benny asked for Council member participation in a webinar prior to the next Council meeting to review this information and prepare recommendations for the Bureau. Bob and Amy volunteered. Karen let people know that there is a fair amount of survey data available via different groups and she feels that we should be responsive to the workforce's input. Could those folks participate in the webinar Benny is proposing or would that need to be separate? Also, Karen asked that Bureau staff review the information to work out some of the potential changes that could be made in order to address survey-identified barriers. Susan talked about different options for sharing survey results and described how the objectives you are trying to accomplish may dictate the way you share. Since there may be different purposes for the two webinars, they will likely be separate.

Council Membership Status

Kathy mentioned that there are members whose terms have expired. Need to address this in near future. CFC Managers were asked to help with provider recruitment. We have two parent, five provider, one Head Start, one CFC manager, one personnel preparation, and one General Assembly position open. Bob shared that the process is online and not overly burdensome. Benny asked that a summary of openings and a link for applying be sent to Council members. Karen asked if Council members want to be more proactive in recruitment so that we have diversity in membership. Also, is there a way to pre-emptively share expectations about member responsibilities? Ann and Kathy can work on this and post it to the EI website.

Ongoing Updates

a) State Systemic Improvement Plan

Quarterly update will be sent soon.

b) Federal Compliance for Determinations:

Draft is almost final and will be shared with workgroup after discussing with OSEP.

c) Illinois Medicaid Program Advanced Cloud Technology (IMPACT):

No new issues have been identified, but still working on several outstanding concerns. Amy asked how IMPACT enrollment would affect the parent reimbursement policy. Ann shared that many of these providers are likely already IMPACT-enrolled.

d) Service Delivery Approaches (SDA) Workgroup Recommendations:

No new information at this time.

e) Cornerstone:

Got information this week that we have been authorized by DoIT to prepare a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a new data system. Amy asked if a workgroup can be established to help with this proposal. Ann said that she feels that she can let others review before submitting. She plans to let stakeholders have a role in this process. Cornerstone sunsets in March or April of 2020, so it would be good to have something available by then.

f) Digital Signatures:

No new information at this time.

g) Budget:

No new information at this time.

h) Bureau Staff:

No new information at this time.

i) Birth to Three Initiative:

IDHS/DCFS work with Intact families is continuing. DCFS is ramping up statewide. Current DHS/DCFS collaboration will only continue in Cook County for now. Amy asked for, and Ann provided, a short overview of the initiative. Working to get DCFS intact families into DHS supportive services to reduce infant death and serious harm. Theory is to get more eyes on the child and family. Childcare legislation has been passed to provide childcare for a short period of time beyond a family's involvement with DCFS intact services in order to provide continuity and learning opportunities for children. Other parts of this initiative aim to get back to families more quickly and to be more responsive to their identified needs. Karen wants to know if we have data that shows this effort has resulted in greater participation in early intervention. Not yet, but Ann clarified that for this initiative, children are referred directly for evaluation and can skip DCFS developmental screening. They are finding that EI is often quicker than DCFS in doing outreach to families so families may not know who we are or why we are calling. This is one of the issues that needs resolution before ramping up. Angel acknowledged that there is an educational role that DCFS can play in order to help families understand the benefits of early intervention. Have also worked on some Cornerstone changes to support this effort. Amy asked if risk factors are also being considered for these referrals. CFC managers reported that this is occurring as the information they are receiving is much more thorough.

10) Annual Performance Report (APR):

Ann will share full document with Council members next week. Wants to share at least the numbers today. Reminded Council members that we have both results and compliance indicators. Ann reviewed a PowerPoint that contained the numbers for each indicator. Indicator 1 (timely services- 100% target) dipped slightly to 97.87%. Indicator 2 (natural environments-90% target) increased slightly to 98.92%. Indicator 3 (child outcomes- varying targets) has three parts, each with two summary statements. All six percentages increased. Indicator 4 (family outcomes-varying targets) also has three parts. All three declined slightly. Indicator 5 (birth to one child find- 1.29% target) increased slightly to 1.35%. Indicator 6 (birth to three child find- 3.89% target) increased slightly to 3.48%. Indicator 7 (45 day timeline- 100% target) continued to rise to 99.98%. Indicator 8 has three transition-related components, all with targets of 100%. 8A rose to 96%, 8B is 100%, and 8C rose to 84%.

11) Other news:

Lori announced that IL (GOECD and ISBE) was one of 45 awardees receiving a birth to five preschool development grant. The details of the work that will be conducted is still currently in the planning process, but they will likely be seeking input from a number of people present. Karen shared information about some developments from the Data, Research, and Evaluation (DRE) branch of the Early Learning Council. Concerns about the scope and purpose of the study were raised at the meeting and NIU is open to additional input on the proposed study. NIU is convening a call with some members of the DRE and agreed to include members of the IICEI. The call is scheduled for January 17, 2019 from 10 am - 11 am. If you are interested in participating or have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Karen.

12) Adjournment

Amy motioned to adjourn the meeting and Benny seconded. The meeting adjourned at 1:08 pm.

Contact Information

Jenni Grissom
IDHS - Bureau of Early Intervention
823 East Monroe
Springfield, IL 62701
Ph: 217/524-1596

Email: jennifer.grissom@illinois.gov

If you are need of special accommodations, please email or call Jenni Grissom.