Transparency
Families who meet with Far Northern Regional Center to develop their Individual Program Plan, experienced a renewed focus on person-centered planning — a process agency leaders say is designed to put the individual at the center of their planning process.
“Basically, person-centered planning is where the individual who we’re providing services for meets with their interdisciplinary team, and develop a plan as to what services they need to live the life that they want to live,” said Tamra Panther, Associate Director of Case Management.
Panther said the Individual Program Plan, or IPP, is the state-required plan of services for individuals with developmental disabilities and now follows a standardized format across California.
“In the state of California, we have gone to the standardized IPP, which grabs all of those person-centered practices, to develop an IPP that is the same format throughout the regional center system,” Panther said. “The standardized process captures relevant information, while providing very individualized supports through plan development in life areas.”
What to Expect at an IPP Meeting
At its core, leaders say the meeting is about listening.
“First of all, they should expect to be heard and to feel heard,” said Rachael Newkirk, Case Management Supervisor. “They should expect to have their questions answered and to have a rich and informative discussion about their goals and the services that we have in the community that could help support meeting those goals.”
Chere Sullivan, Associate Director of Case Management, described the meeting as a conversation centered on strengths and aspirations.
“A discussion regarding the client’s strengths and their desires, to live the life that they’re hoping to live or to continue to support the life that they’re hoping to live,” Sullivan said. “Going over their different life areas and supports that may already be in place and discussing other
resources or referrals that might be appropriate based on the information provided regarding a client’s hopes and dreams.”
Panther said meetings often begin with questions that help describe the individual in their own words.
“It’s going to ask you for things such as what are great things about you? What do you like about you? What are some things you’re good at or proud of?” she said. “We are talking about a person’s whole entire life and what do they want to do.”
According to Newkirk the standardized IPP includes general information, a personal introduction that talks about things people should know about the person receiving services. This should include the person’s interests and strengths, and also a general idea of the support needs that are required to help them be successful. The IPP also includes information regarding how the person receiving services (and their families) participated in the development of their plan, their vision for the future, the person’s communication preferences, who supports them to make important decisions, and designated “life areas” where goals and services are more deeply identified.
“We build your plan around what you want to do and how those funding sources or generic resources are able to support you in doing what you want to do,” Panther said.
These plans should summarize how the services and supports a person receives address any barriers they may have to meeting their goals.
Emergency planning is also included, particularly given the region’s history with wildfires and other disasters.
“We have an entire system of emergency risk planning,” Panther said. “What’s going to happen if there’s an emergency in your area.”
How to Prepare
All three leaders emphasized preparation centered on goals.
“The biggest thing is what are your goals?” Panther said. “What does the individual envision in the next year for their own goals. What supports will they need to be able to accomplish those goals?”
Newkirk encouraged families to think in specific terms.
“One of the best ways that people can prepare is to start thinking well in advance of the meeting about what do they want to do,” she said. “The more specific you can get in terms of what your goal is, the better the conversation will go in terms of how we can support you to meet that goal.”
As part of the planning process, clients are encouraged to reflect on their health and wellness goals and consider what supports may help them maintain or improve their overall well-being.
“FNRC uses a person-centered approach during the IPP planning process to address the health goals of individuals we support to include health, safety, and social emotional well-being. Person-centered planning assists in facilitating individuals in identifying their own wellness goals
and in choosing selected services, targeted to support the individual to achieve specific health outcomes in allignment with their priorities and preferences,” said Sullivan.
Newkirk also suggested organizing documents such as insurance cards and any new school or health information ahead of time so the meeting can focus on conversation “about your hopes and dreams.”
Sullivan said families should come prepared to share openly.
“Prepare by being open as much as you’re comfortable with discussing where you’re at in life, the supports that you may already have in place,” she said. “What’s working and what’s not working and where you would like to go.”
Including Person-Centered Practices
According to Newkirk, person-centered practices are embedded throughout the process.
“If you’re doing the IPP process in a person-centered way, then the whole document, from how you schedule the meeting to how a person feels when they receive the finished product, all of that should feel person-centered,” she said.
“The key component of being person-centered is that the person receiving services is at the center of the IPP planning process,” Newkirk added. “Having them, (and their parents or legal decision-makers if applicable) drive and direct where they want this plan to go.”
Sullivan described the process as “client-driven.”
“You reflect those conversational pieces within the body of the IPP,” she said. “It’s about the individual’s future and reaching their goals to increase control over their lives or to empower them to be able to activate their dreams and wishes.”
Individual and Family Rights
Regional center leaders stressed that participation in regional center services is voluntary and rights are broad. If a person wants to receive regional center services, the IPP must be completed annually.
“Individuals have a right to invite who they want to have at their meeting,” Panther said. “They also have a right to ask for someone not to be there.”
Newkirk said individuals have the right to annual meetings, to direct who receives copies of their plan, and to have the plan translated into a language they understand.
“Our services are voluntary,” Newkirk said. “Whether or not they decide to choose a specific service or whether or not they decide to receive regional center services, that’s up to the person.”
If there is disagreement about a service, individuals have the right to appeal through a Notice of Action, she added.
Sullivan noted that clients also have the right to control what information is shared.
“They have a right to disclose what they’re comfortable with, and they have a right to refrain from having certain aspects not included in their IPP, if that is their wish,” she said.
Providing Feedback
Feedback can happen at any stage of the process.
“I would say the most successful way to do it is during the meeting itself and even before the meeting happens,” Newkirk said.
Families can also contact their service coordinator, a supervisor, or an associate director.
The new IPP format also includes a QR code that allows individuals to provide feedback directly to the California Department of Developmental Services.
Panther said families can request revisions if the written plan does not match what was discussed.
“Sometimes maybe the wording of it isn’t quite the way that they intended for it to be, and they might ask for it to be reworked, and we’re willing to do that,” she said.
Additional Information and Resources
For more information, families can visit the Far Northern Regional Center website, which will include updated materials. In addition, a brochure on the standardized IPP format is being developed.
Newkirk also pointed families to the Disability Rights California website and the California Department of Developmental Services website, which includes a detailed handbook on IPP meetings.
Resources available through the IPP process may include community services, educational supports, public agencies such as the Department of Rehabilitation, medical providers and regional center-funded services, depending on the individual’s goals and needs.
“It’s all about what you want in your life and how can others help you obtain that, or how can you do it on your own,” Panther said.
Scan the QR code below to participate in the (IPP) Survey
