Section 2070.25 Public Awareness and Child Find

Section 500

TITLE 23: EDUCATION AND CULTURAL RESOURCES

SUBTITLE A: EDUCATION

CHAPTER XI: DEPARTMENT OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

PART 2070 EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM

SECTION 2070.25 PUBLIC AWARENESS AND CHILD FIND

Section 2070.25  Public

Awareness and Child Find

a)         The Department shall provide ongoing and continuous public

awareness efforts focused on the early identification of eligible children

throughout the State.

1)         The Department shall prepare information on the availability

of EI services under this Part.

2)         With the assistance of the regional intake entities and local

interagency councils, the Department will disseminate to all primary referral

sources (especially hospitals and physicians) the information to be given to

parents of infants and toddlers, especially parents with premature infants or

infants with other physical risk factors associated with learning or

developmental complication.  The information to be provided shall include:

A)        description

of the availability of EI services under this Part;

B)        description

of the child find system and how to refer a child under the age of three for an

evaluation or EI services; and

C)        information about the Central Directory (see Section 2070.30).

3)         The Department may make direct mailings to primary referral

sources as defined in this Part, distribute pamphlets and posters at pertinent

locations and use media releases and campaigns to the public and professional

organizations as necessary to create awareness, in addition to the activities

set forth in this Part.

4)         Primary referral sources are required to make referrals to the

EI System as soon as possible, but in no case more than five business days after

a potentially eligible child is identified

ters at pertinent

locations and use media releases and campaigns to the public and professional

organizations as necessary to create awareness, in addition to the activities

set forth in this Part.

4)         Primary referral sources are required to make referrals to the

EI System as soon as possible, but in no case more than five business days after

a potentially eligible child is identified. Primary referral sources, as listed

in subsection (b), with assistance of the regional intake entities and local

interagency councils, will disseminate information on the availability of EI

services under this Part to parents of infants and toddlers, especially parents

with premature infants or infants with other physical risk factors associated

with learning or developmental complication.

b)         The regional intake entity as set forth in Section 2070.45

serves as the central intake for each eligible child within its geographical

area.  By use of the Central Directory set forth in Section 2070.30, primary

referral sources can identify and contact the appropriate regional entity.

Primary referral sources include:

1)         hospitals, including prenatal and post-natal care facilities;

2)         physicians;

3)         parents, including parents of infants and toddlers;

4)         child care programs and early learning programs, including,

Early Head Start Programs;

5)         local educational agencies and schools;

6)         public health facilities;

7)         other public health and social services agencies;

8)         other clinics and health care providers;

9)         Public agencies and staff in the child welfare system,

including child protective service and foster care;

10)         Homeless family shelters; and

11)         Domestic violence shelters and agencies.

c)         The local interagency council shall be responsible for

coordination, design and implementation of child find and public awareness

activities for their geographic region

ers;

9)         Public agencies and staff in the child welfare system,

including child protective service and foster care;

10)         Homeless family shelters; and

11)         Domestic violence shelters and agencies.

c)         The local interagency council shall be responsible for

coordination, design and implementation of child find and public awareness

activities for their geographic region.  Such efforts shall take into

consideration the region's cultural, communication, geographical and

socio-economic make-up.

d)         The regional intake entity and the local interagency council

shall assure that activities are coordinated with comprehensive local and

statewide efforts and shall provide information to the Department as requested

and required in order for the Department to monitor the effectiveness of the

efforts and determine possible gaps in public awareness and child find.  If

gaps are determined, the regional intake entity and the local interagency

council shall increase efforts as required.

e)         Local interagency councils shall assist in:

1)         Development of collaborative agreements between local service

providers, diagnostic and other agencies providing additional services to the

child and family and agreements related to transition and integration of

eligible children and families into the community;

2)         Local needs assessment, planning and evaluation efforts;

3)         Identification and resolution of local access issues;

4)         Provider recruitment; and

5)         Development of an annual report to the Council regarding child

find and public awareness.

f)         The Department has entered into interagency agreement with the

Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) regarding coordinating ISBE's

responsibility under Part B of IDEA to conduct child find of 0-21 year olds

with the Department responsibility under Part C.  Local education agencies

(LEAs) are responsible to ISBE for carrying out specific obligations regarding

child find

wareness.

f)         The Department has entered into interagency agreement with the

Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) regarding coordinating ISBE's

responsibility under Part B of IDEA to conduct child find of 0-21 year olds

with the Department responsibility under Part C.  Local education agencies

(LEAs) are responsible to ISBE for carrying out specific obligations regarding

child find.

1)         LEAs shall:

A)        conduct public awareness activities targeting families and

other primary referral sources;

B)        conduct screenings (by developmental checklists) to actively

seek out infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays, report to the

Department on these screenings and maintain procedures to assure compliance

with the five-day referral time frame (schedules of screening dates and

locations will be provided to the regional intake entity, other providers and

the local advisory body);

C)        work closely with their regional intake entity to assure

evaluations of identified children; and

D)        participate actively in their local advisory body (and as a

member participate in coordination of public awareness and child find).

2)         ISBE will:

A)        provide technical assistance to LEAs to carry out screening and

identification;

B)        monitor to assure that services are available in each LEA

jurisdiction; and

C)        if notified by the Department that an LEA is not providing

appropriate public awareness and child find, contact the LEA to assure the

establishment of appropriate awareness, screening and identification (and

report effort and screening dates back to the Department).