Assuring the Family's Role on the Early Intervention Team: Explaining Rights and Safeguards

The procedural safeguards required by The Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program (Part C) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are intended to protect the interests of families with infants and toddlers with special needs and of the early intervention system. Procedural safeguards are the checks and balances of the system, not a piece separate from the system. For families, rights and safeguards help ensure that an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is developed that addresses their priorities and concerns. For the early intervention system, rights and safeguards assure quality and equity. For families and for the system, procedural safeguards provide the protection of an impartial system for complaint resolution. Early intervention system personnel are legally obligated to explain procedural safeguards to families and to support an active adherence to and understanding of these safeguards throughout the early intervention system.  More>> [PDF, 139KB]