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Description of Services What
are Regional Centers? What
are Regional Centers?
The State of California contracts with 21 private non-profit
corporations called regional centers, each one covering a different
geographic region. The centers are the initial agency in each area where
persons with developmental disabilities of all ages, and their families,
can go for help to obtain services. Who
is Eligible for Services?
Children and adults are eligible who are substantially
handicapped due to conditions falling within the legal definitions of
"developmental disability." These conditions are mental
retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and autism. Or the person may
have a condition closely related to mental retardation which requires
similar treatment. The onset of these conditions must have been prior to
age 18. Finally, an infant or young child under three may be accepted by
the regional center as "high risk" because of a significant
delay in one or more developmental areas, because of medical problems
and complications, or because of having a parent with a developmental
disability. The disability is likely to continue indefinitely. What
is the Referral Procedure?
Parents, guardians and conservators, or a consumer over
age 18, begin by telephoning the local branch office and asking for the
On Duty (OD) person for an "Inquiry." Professionals and other
interested parties may also refer, but only with permission from the
individual or family. The OD collects basic information. Then the branch
manager arranges an appointment for the referring persons to meet
face-to-face with a service coordinator to complete an assessment for
eligibility. What
is Assessment?
The service coordinator obtains information from the
consumer, the consumer's parents and other family members, advocates and
service providers. The purpose of intake is to assist families in
understanding the nature of their situation and to determine whether a
person is eligible for services. Later, the purpose is to gather
information and conduct evaluations in order to develop a
Person-Centered Plan. What
is a Person-Centered Plan?
Based on hopes and dreams for the future as well as an
assessment of the person's needs, preferences and life choices, the
Person-Centered Plan states specific objectives to develop competencies
and achieve personal goals in the areas of community participation,
housing, work, school and leisure time. When children with developmental
disabilities live with their families, the plan includes a special
section describing those services and supports necessary to maintain the
child at home. The person with a developmental disability, parents, the
service coordinator and a wide circle of relatives and friends are among
those responsible for writing the plan. What
is Service Coordination?
Service coordination assures that the Individual Program
Plan and Person Centered Plan is successfully implemented. What
are Services and Supports?
The supports and services provided depend on the
capabilities and strengths, needs and preferences, concerns and problems
of the individual or family. Some supports and services are provided by
agencies mandated to serve the public (i.e. generic resources). Some are
purchased by the regional center from vendors (vendor
search), POS
Guidelines,
POS
Guidelines Spanish, POS
Guidelines Vietnamese. What
is the Charge for Services?
There is no charge for assessment services. However, a
fee is established based on a sliding scale when a child, under age 18,
lives outside the home with regional center support.
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