A. The division shall administer a family support program subject to funding appropriated by the legislature or otherwise available for this purpose. The division shall adopt rules to implement this article.
B. The division's annual budget request shall include a specific request for family support program funding.
C. The division shall develop a family support plan to:
1. Assess needs, establish goals and set priorities for the provision of family support services.
2. Provide a coordinated delivery of family support services.
3. Develop comprehensive services, resources and programs for families.
4. Review and comment on plans and services that are provided by state agencies and that affect the family support plan.
D. The developmental disabilities advisory council shall review the plan prescribed under subsection C.
E. The division may coordinate and assist in coordinating efforts by public and private agencies to provide family support services. These efforts include:
1. Identifying services provided by different agencies to eliminate duplication.
2. Designing areas of responsibility for services, identifying gaps in services and assigning responsibility for providing missing services.
3. Coordinating planning and implementation among agencies and consumer groups to ensure that interagency programs receive full support from all affected persons and agencies.
F. The division shall work with families to develop criteria to be used as a standard of services based on need and used during the individual program plan process to determine family eligibility for family support services. To do this the division may:
1. Use existing districts as the single entry point for families seeking services from the division and the family support program.
2. Use existing public and private local agencies, facilities and resources, including parent advisory groups, to carry out the daily operations of the family support program.
3. Provide grants to or contract with agencies, grantees and vendors to provide family support services, subject to funding appropriated by the legislature or otherwise available for this purpose, especially in regions of this state that are inadequately served.
4. Provide technical assistance to agencies and consumer groups that are developing or offering family support services, resources and programs.
5. Use available state, regional and local media to support outreach to families.
6. Expand the hearing process in the department to include reviewing family support program eligibility decisions.
7. Provide funding and other resources for technical assistance, research, education, preservice and in-service training and other staff development relating to family support services.
G. The division may:
1. Act as an advocate for families with members with developmental disabilities.
2. Advocate for family support services before the legislature, the public, the department and the governor.
3. Advise the governor, the legislature and all concerned state and local agencies on issues affecting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.
4. Direct complaints by consumers of family support services to the proper agencies for resolution, review actions to resolve these complaints and take action to enforce a resolution of complaints if necessary.
H. The division shall annually evaluate the family support program and collect the following information and make that information available to the public on request and on the department's web site:
1. Information on the impact of the family support program on families who participate as well as those who do not participate or who participated before becoming ineligible.
2. Sample assessments of families receiving family support services, including assessments of the adequacy of the services, the consumer satisfaction with those services and the fiscal and programmatic impact of adding services not currently available.
3. Statistics on the actual number of appeals, the outcome of those appeals and changes in the program made as a result of the appeals.
4. A summary of evaluation reports submitted annually by all designated regional and local agencies.
5. Information on efforts to reach families who may be eligible for the family support program.
6. Information on any individuals discharged from institutions that can be attributed to the alternative services offered by the family support program.
7. Information on programs to prevent further disability or to ameliorate the impact of disabilities on families that can be attributed to the family support program.
8. Information on efforts to develop new community based services for families.
9. Recommendations for additional programs and services to further serve families.
10. Steps taken by the family support program to increase coordination with other agencies.
11. Administrative costs associated with the family support program.