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<\/p>\nLet me say it again…parents should never ever sign an incomplete\u00a0IFSP. Or a blank prior notice form. Or a blank or incomplete anything.<\/p>\n
1. The IFSP is a Contract<\/strong><\/p>\n First and foremost, the IFSP is a contract between the early intervention program and the parent. Signing the IFSP means that the parent consents to what is written into the plan, including the outcomes and services that they and their child will receive. Asking a parent to sign an incomplete or blank IFSP is inappropriate because he\/she cannot consent to what is not included on the form. It is also a violation of family rights and safeguards.<\/em><\/p>\n 2. Families Should Not Be Pressured<\/strong><\/p>\n Families might feel vulnerable at the time of the initial IFSP development, having just found out that their child has a delay. They may be\u00a0eager to get services started. They may agree to sign an incomplete form because someone they perceive to be in authority has requested this. Perhaps that person said that services will start sooner if the parent just goes ahead and signs the incomplete IFSP form. Waiting to sign the form when it is complete might require another visit by the service coordinator and perhaps that visit won’t occur for a few days. This pressure should not be part of the IFSP process. If the IFSP is incomplete and another visit is needed, then the service coordinator should present that as just part of the process and do his\/her best to visit the family again as soon as possible to avoid any delay.<\/p>\n 3. The\u00a045-day Timeline is Our Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n Delaying the signature does affect the 45-day timeline requirement, but this is our problem to ensure that this timeline is met, not the parent’s.\u00a0The team should\u00a0plan ahead\u00a0when scheduling\u00a0the assessment and IFSP meetings with time to spare to so that if an additional visit is needed to obtain the parent’s signature, this can be achieved in a timely and honorable manner.<\/p>\n 4. Liability – It’s Not Worth the Risk<\/strong><\/p>\n If a family signs an incomplete form then questions their services through\u00a0a formalized\u00a0complaint process,\u00a0your program will be found out-of-compliance. This is a very serious issue and affects local and state-level compliance with federal requirements.<\/p>\n 5. Don’t Miss an Empowerment Opportunity!<\/strong><\/p>\n Ensuring that families have the time to read what they sign, ask questions\u00a0and make informed decisions must be priorities for service coordinators. For many families in early intervention, their journey is just beginning in the special education system. Helping families understand the importance of being informed about what they are signing is an empowerment skill that can be very useful\u00a0in the future\u00a0when they need to\u00a0sign family rights forms and IEPs in the school system.<\/p>\n What are your thoughts about this topic? How do you handle it when a parent says that she is fine signing\u00a0an incomplete\u00a0form just to get it done sooner?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Let me say it again…parents should never ever sign an incomplete\u00a0IFSP. Or a blank prior notice form. Or a blank or incomplete anything. There are\u00a0so many\u00a0reasons why this is not a good idea…here are 5 of them. 1. The IFSP is a Contract First and foremost, the IFSP is a contract between the early intervention […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[139,11,14,16],"tags":[31,48,50,59,64,86,104,112],"class_list":["post-891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all","category-ifsp-development","category-practical-strategies-for-intervention","category-service-coordination","tag-challenges","tag-early-childhood","tag-early-intervention","tag-family-centered-practices","tag-ifsp","tag-parent-professional-partnership","tag-service-coordination-2","tag-strategies","clearfix"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Traffic](\"http:\/\/veipd.org\/earlyintervention\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/shutterstock_46030192-300x198.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMy\u00a04 Challenges to You<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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