(a) Consistent with state and federal law, the Legislature finds and declares that children with developmental disabilities most often have greater opportunities for educational and social growth when they live with their families. The Legislature further finds and declares that the cost of providing necessary services and supports which enable a child with developmental disabilities to live at home is typically equal to or lower than the cost of providing out-of-home placement. The Legislature places a high priority on providing opportunities for children with developmental disabilities to live with their families, when living at home is the preferred objective in the childâs individual program plan. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that regional centers provide or secure family support services that do all of the following: (1) Respect and support the decisionmaking authority of the family. (2) Be flexible and creative in meeting the unique and individual needs of families as they evolve over time. (3) Recognize and build on family strengths, natural supports, and existing community resources. (4) Be designed to meet the cultural preferences, values, and lifestyles of families. (5) Focus on the entire family and promote the inclusion of children with disabilities in all aspects of school and community. (c) In order to provide opportunities for children to live with their families, the following procedures shall be adopted: (1) The department and regional centers shall give a very high priority to the development and expansion of services and supports designed to assist families that are caring for their children at home, when that is the preferred objective in the individual program plan. This assistance may include, but is not limited to specialized medical and dental care, special training for parents, infant stimulation programs, respite for parents, homemaker services, camping, day care, short-term out-of-home care, child care, counseling, mental health services, behavior modification programs, special adaptive equipment such as wheelchairs, hospital beds, communication devices, and other necessary appliances and supplies, and advocacy to assist persons in securing income maintenance, educational services, and other benefits to which they are entitled. (2) When children with developmental disabilities live with their families, the individual program plan shall include a family plan component which describes those services and supports necessary to successfully maintain the child at home. Regional centers shall consider every possible way to assist families in maintaining their children at home, when living at home will be in the best interest of the child, before considering out-of-home placement alternatives. When the regional center first becomes aware that a family may consider an out-of-home placement, or is in need of additional specialized services to assist in caring for the child in the home, the regional center shall meet with the family to discuss the situation and the familyâs current needs, solicit from the family what supports would be necessary to maintain the child in the home, and utilize creative and innovative ways of meeting the familyâs needs and providing adequate supports to keep the family together, if possible. (3) (A) To ensure that these services and supports are provided in the most cost-effective and beneficial manner, regional centers may utilize innovative service-delivery mechanisms, including, but not limited to, vouchers; alternative respite options such as foster families, vacant community facility beds, crisis child care facilities; group training for parents on behavioral intervention techniques in lieu of some or all of the in-home parent training component of the behavioral intervention services; purchase of neighborhood preschool services and needed qualified personnel in lieu of infant development programs; and alternative child care options such as supplemental suppor
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