Section 120. Individualized family service plan (IFSP) development

Part V. Service Planning, Delivery, Transition, and Discharge

A. A written IFSP shall be developed and implemented, with parental consent, for each eligible child.

B. The IFSP shall include:

1. The child's name, date of birth, gender, and city or county of residence; IFSP date and the dates the six-month IFSP review is due and dates reviews are completed; child's and family's primary language or mode of communication; parents' and, if requested by the family, other family members' contact information; and the service coordinator's name and contact information;

2. Information about the child's and family's daily routines and activities;

3. The child's present levels of physical, including vision, hearing, motor, and health status, cognitive, communication, social or emotional, and adaptive development based on the information from eligibility determination and assessment for service planning;

4. With the concurrence of the family, a statement of the family's resources, priorities, and concerns related to enhancing the development of the child;

5. The measurable outcomes to be achieved for the child, including preliteracy and language skills, as developmentally appropriate for the child, and the criteria, procedures, and timelines for determining the degree to which progress toward meeting the outcomes is being made and whether revisions to the outcomes or early intervention services identified in the IFSP are necessary;

6. The specific early intervention services, based on peer-reviewed research (to the extent practicable), that are needed to meet the unique needs of the child and family and to achieve the identified outcomes including:

a. Assistive technology devices and assistive technology services;

b. Audiology services;

c. Developmental services;

d. Counseling services;

e. Family training services;

f. Health services;

g. Medical services;

h. Nursing services;

i. Nutrition services;

j. Occupational therapy;

k. Physical therapy;

l. Psychological services;

m. Service coordination services;

n. Sign language and cued language services;

o. Social work services;

p. Speech-language pathology services;

q. Transportation services and related costs;

r. Vision services; or

s. Other services, as identified by the IFSP team;

7. The length, duration, frequency, intensity, method, and location of service for each service;

8. A statement of the natural environment in which each early intervention service will be provided or a justification made by the IFSP team, including the parent, as to why, based on the child's outcomes, the service cannot be provided in the natural environment;

9. Payment arrangements, if any;

10. To the extent appropriate, the medical and other services that the child or family needs or is receiving through other sources, but that are neither required nor funded under Part C and the steps the service coordinator or family may take to assist the child and family in securing those other services if those services are not currently being provided;

11. The projected date for the initiation of each early intervention service identified in the IFSP, which shall be as soon as possible but no more than 30 days from the date the parent signs the IFSP unless the IFSP team agrees on a later start date in order to meet the needs of the child or family;

12. The name of the service coordinator who will be responsible for implementing the early intervention services identified in the IFSP; and

13. The steps and services to be taken to support the smooth transition of the child from early intervention services to preschool services under Part B or other appropriate services, if any. The transition steps in the IFSP shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

a. Discussions with, and training of, parents, as appropriate, regarding future placements and other matters related to the child's transition;

b. Procedures to prepare the child for changes in service delivery, including steps to help the child adjust to, and function in, a new setting;

c. Confirmation that the required notification, unless the parent disagrees, and with parental consent additional information, such as copies of evaluations and assessments and the most recent IFSP, needed by the local school division to ensure continuity of services have been sent to the local school division; and

d. Identification of transition services and other activities that the IFSP team determines are necessary to support the transition of the child.

C. A meeting to develop the initial IFSP shall be held within 45 days from the date the referral is received.

D. Meetings of the multidisciplinary IFSP team, which must include two or more certified early intervention practitioners from separate disciplines or professions, shall include the following participants:

1. The parent or parents of the child;

2. Other family members, as requested by the parent, if feasible to do so;

3. An advocate or person outside of the family if the parent requests that the person participate;

4. The service coordinator who will be responsible for implementing the IFSP;

5. A person or persons directly involved in conducting eligibility determination, assessment for service planning, or both; and

6. As appropriate, persons who will be providing early intervention services to the child or family.

E. Each meeting to develop an IFSP shall:

1. Take place in a setting and at a time that is convenient to the family; and

2. Be conducted in the native language of the family or other mode of communication used by the family, unless it is clearly not feasible to do so.

F. If an IFSP team member is unable to attend an IFSP meeting, the service coordinator shall make arrangements for the person's involvement through other means, which may include participating by telephone, having a knowledgeable authorized representative attend the meeting, or submitting a written report.

G. The service coordinator shall provide prior written notice of the date, time, and location of the IFSP meeting to the family and other participants early enough before the IFSP meeting date to ensure that they will be able to attend.

H. The service coordinator shall assist the parent in preparing for the IFSP meeting and shall ensure that the parent has the information needed in order to fully participate in the meeting.

I. With parental consent, an interim IFSP shall be developed and implemented when an eligible child or the child's family has an immediate need for early intervention services prior to completion of eligibility determination and assessment for service planning.

1. The interim IFSP shall include the name of the service coordinator who will be responsible for implementing the interim IFSP and coordinating with other agencies and persons; the early intervention services that have been determined to be needed immediately, including the frequency, intensity, length, location, and methods of delivery; and the parent's signature indicating consent to implement the interim IFSP.

2. The development of an interim IFSP shall not negate the requirement to complete the eligibility determination and assessment for service planning and develop an initial IFSP within 45 calendar days of referral.

J. The service coordinator shall document in a contact note any circumstances that result in eligibility determination, assessment for service planning, or initial IFSP development occurring more than 45 calendar days after referral.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 32, Issue 10, eff. February 27, 2016.

Statutory Authority

§ 2.2-5304 of the Code of Virginia.