§ 42-72.2-1. Legislative findings and policy.
(a) The general assembly finds that it is in the public interest of all of the citizens
of the state to provide a comprehensive, integrated system of health care and education
for special needs infants, toddlers, and their families, and while the general assembly
embraces this goal on behalf of special needs children, it views the provisions of
this chapter as an opportunity to promote the health, well-being, and developmental
competence of all preschool children and, therefore, finds there is a need for a commitment
to implementing programs and policies in which all young children and their families
are the beneficiaries of a coordinated human service system.
(b) The general assembly finds that consistent with this population-based philosophical
orientation, the state, via the provisions of this chapter, supports the development
and statewide implementation of the family support program for all children from birth
to age three (3) and their families. The policy of the program is to reflect commitments
to both prevention as well as intervention, and, therefore, the program shall include:
(1) Periodic and systematic appraisals of child and family needs;
(2) A comprehensive array of support and intervention services ranging from information
on parenting and child care to the provision of coordinated educational, therapeutic,
and/or medical services; and
(3) A mechanism for ensuring the appropriate and timely linkage between identified needs
and community-based services.
(c) The general assembly finds that the family support program acknowledges that effective
parenting is essential to child competence and healthful outcomes, and consequently,
promotes programs and policies that facilitate appropriate and meaningful parent/child
experiences. Furthermore, the program supports the development of childcare environments
that reflect these effective parenting principles, and also provides maximum opportunity
for the integration of special needs children in community-based settings.
The general assembly further finds that families are strengthened to a greater extent
if professionals work to facilitate already established informal support networks
rather than substitute it with formal services. In recognition that no one program
can or should meet the needs of all families, linkages between service systems take
on critical importance. The general assembly also finds that developing intervention
approaches that continually support the movement of families toward their maximum
level of independence from professional intervention is a primary goal of this program,
and that the rights, independence, and responsibility of parents as the primary determinant
of their own child and family needs, as well as those services that would most effectively
respond to these needs are recognized by the program. Accordingly, while the family
support program is intended to be available to all parents statewide, participation
at any level is voluntary and subject to parental judgment.