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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Michael Ames, MSW, MBA, The Heller School, Brandeis University, MS035, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, 617-587-1539, mames@brandeis.edu and Lorraine V. Klerman, DrPH, The Heller School for Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University, Mail Stop 035, Waltham, MA 02454.

The 2003 Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the 2004 Individual with Disabilities Act require states to establish “provisions and procedures for referral of a child under the age of 3 who is involved in a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect to Early Intervention services funded under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act”. This presentation will report findings from the Massachusetts Early Childhood Linkages Initiative (MECLI), which piloted such procedures, i.e., children in a newly substantiated abuse and neglect case were referred from the Massachusetts Department of Social Services (MDSS) to Early Intervention for developmental evaluations. This analysis covers 3,748 children who were identified as new recipients of EI services at 6 pilot sites between November 1, 2002 and June 30, 2004:151 were referred through MECLI (MECLI-Referred), 329 were referred by MDSS directly (Other MDSS-Involved), and 3,268 were referred by agencies other than MDSS (Not-MDSS-Involved). MECLI-Referred children and, to a lesser degree, Other MDSS-Involved children received fewer service visits than did children with no known MDSS involvement. While the magnitude of difference was less, MECLI-Referred children were also found to receive fewer services than Other MDSS-Involved children. Information will also be presented on the types of services received, the professional discipline of the provider, the site of the services, charges, and payers. This information should prove valuable to states working to comply with the new legislation's provisions and to Early Intervention practitioners working to serve this population of children.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Identify CAPTA and IDEA as requiring referrals of children under 3 with substantiated cases of abuse or neglect to Part C early intervention
• 2. Recognize differences in EI services received among children referred from different sources
• 3. Understand the reasons for different charges for EI services among children referred from different sources
• 4. Identify sources of payment for EI services among children referred from different sources
• 5. Recognize the implications for EI services of CAPTA and IDEA legislation requiring referrals of maltreated children

Keywords: Children With Special Needs, Service Delivery

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation