Monitoring Quality of Supports and/or Services – 15201

SERVICE POLICY GUIDELINES

MONITORING QUALITY OF SUPPORTS AND/OR SERVICES

Tri-Counties Regional Center is committed to enhancing the quality of life for persons with developmental disabilities by working with persons served, their families, and the providers of supports, services and program options.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will establish a system to ensure and certify that a proposed service provider, whether individual, program or service location, continues to meet or exceed the minimum standards to provide supports and/or services to persons served and to qualify to receive funding from Tri-Counties Regional Center.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will establish and implement a collaborative program of monitoring the supports, services, and program options it provides to individuals. This monitoring system will include program evaluations, ad hoc monitoring visits, and the timely response to deficiencies noted or complaints received.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will ensure the monitoring of all providers of supports and/or services provided to individuals. Monitoring will be implemented on a variety of levels including: program design assessment; systematic quality assurance reviews per Title 17 regulations; consultation and technical assistance identified as needed; ad hoc review visits; follow up activities as recommended through monitoring review visits; review of regular written progress reports required of all providers; and, coordination with licensing agencies.

The liaison may invite others to participate in the monitoring review including, but not limited to: other employees of Tri-Counties Regional Center; individuals receiving services; parents or other family members of persons served; clinical specialists either from the community or from the regional center; and/or, other providers of supports, services or program options.

The monitoring review will include review of the service environment, achievement of persons served outcomes, and the individuals’ satisfaction.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will ensure that the results of monitoring review visits are clearly communicated to the provider in order to facilitate the implementation of any recommendations. Technical assistance will be provided as necessary to enable the provider to execute the recommendations.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will ensure an immediate response to any situations identified as constituting an immediate danger or a substantial inadequacy. Situations that constitute an immediate danger or a substantial inadequacy may be identified through a monitoring review visit, by the direct observation of a regional center service coordinator or specialist, or by report received from a person served, parent or family member or other visitor, such as personnel from a licensing agency or another service provider.

Situations that constitute an immediate danger include:

• Conditions which pose a risk of immediate harm to the health or well-being of individuals receiving services;
• Life threatening structural conditions;
• Suspicion or allegation of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse to a person served;
• Lack of qualified direct supervision;
• Failure to provide an individual with prescribed medications or with a medically prescribed diet;
• Presence of an individual whose aggressive or assaultive behavior is likely to result in bodily harm to others; and/or,
• Failure to seek timely medical treatment or to follow medical orders which results in a danger to the health or safety of individuals receiving services.

Situations that constitute a substantial inadequacy include:

• Conditions which pose a threat to the health or well-being of individuals served which do not constitute an immediate danger;
• Staffing that is inconsistent with the approved service level;
• Failure to provide for the dietary needs of individuals receiving services;
• Failure to ensure the rights of persons served;
• Improper supervision of an individual’s self-administration of medications;
• Failure to follow approved program design or Individual Program Plan(s);
• Deficiencies in the handling of an individual’s funds;
• Failure to provide sufficient clothing in keeping with the individual’s physical condition and the weather; and/or,
• Failure to implement recommendations resulting from monitoring reviews.

Tri-Counties Regional Center will minimize unnecessary or unwanted disruption in the lives of persons with developmental disabilities and their families through the early identification of potential changes, such as possible closure or loss of an existing support, service or program option, and the proactive maintenance of service quality wherever possible.

Approvals:

• 2013 08 09: DDS