EISAS Parent Survey: Assessment of Early Intervention Service Provider Quality

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EISAS Parent Survey Assessment of Early
Intervention Service Provider Quality
National Early Childhood Inclusion
InstituteAugust 5, 2005

• Presenters
• Lynette Aytch, FPG Child Development
  InstituteAnn Crane, Director Fayetteville CDSA

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Presentation Objectives

• Present brief overview of EISAS Parent Survey
• Discuss benefits and limitations of parent survey
  methodology
• Present rationale for and importance of
  provider-specific parent feedback
• Discuss implications of survey findings for
  improving quality of provider services

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Goals of EISAS Parent Survey

• To assess the extent to which parents have had
  the opportunity to participate in an active and
  meaningful way in all aspects of early
  intervention service provision
• To assess parent perceptions of the quality of
  early intervention services provided

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Overview of Parent Survey Development

• Extensive review of the literature
• Significant constituent input
• Multiple field studies
• Refinements based on results of field studies

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Core Values of EISAS

• The centrality of the family to promote and
  sustain optimal child development outcomes
• Parents as active participants and
  decision-makers in all aspects of early
  intervention service, to the extent they desire
• Coordination of services to facilitate seamless
  delivery
• Interagency collaboration to promote effective
  and efficient use of resources

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Core Values of EISAS

• Individualized services to address specific child
  and family strengths, needs, and desired
  outcomes
• Integration of intervention activities into
  typical child and family routines
• Provision of intervention services in natural
  environments
• Importance of informal family support and
  community resources

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Survey Methodology Benefits

• Practical and cost efficient way to get feedback
  from a broad group of parents
• Internally developed by diverse group of
  constituents to reflect program and practice
  priorities
• Provides opportunity for systematic review and
  reflection on perceptions of program practices

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Survey Methodology Limitations

• Subjective perspective of experiences and program
  practices
• Tendency toward inflated ratings
• One of multiple information-gathering strategies
  (e.g., focus groups, interviews, etc.) that can
  be used to collect parent feedback

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Rationale for Provider-Specific Feedback

• NC Early Intervention System Reorganization 7/04
• 18 statewide CDSAs (Local administrative agency
  for Infant/Toddler Program Part C
• CDSA provision of multi-disciplinary evaluations
  and service coordination
• Contracting with community providers for
  intervention services (PT, OT, Speech, Special
  Education)

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Rationale for Provider-Specific Feedback
(cont.)

• Family Choice of Service Providers
• Provider Profile Information
• EISAS Parent Survey Provision of Intervention
  Services used to obtain provider specific
  feedback from families regarding service
  provision

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Logistics of Survey Implementation

• Need for standardization process for statewide
  implementation
• Identification of children receiving therapy
  services using statewide database system
• Local CDSA identification of service providers

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Logistics of Survey Implementation (cont.)

• EI Branch and FPG identify recipients and
  assemble survey packets
• Cover letter and label specific to provider
  agency
• Inclusion of appropriate parent survey
• Dissemination of surveys to CDSAs for
  distribution by service coordinator
• Challenges encountered to obtaining provider
  specific feedback

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Implications of Survey Findings

• Program insight into experiences and perceived
  quality of services from a diverse sample of
  parents
• Feedback to providers about parents perceptions
  of services
• Information to inform program planning and
  improvement
• Impact on program policies and practices

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Next Steps

• Analyze data
• Develop feedback reports for parents, providers,
  and EI leadership
• Continue dissemination of EISAS Parent Survey
• Explore potential for national utility of the
  survey

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Acknowledgements

• Quality Improvement Director Sherry Franklin
• Licensure, Certification, Information
  Specialist
• Lynn Graham
• CDSA Program Supervisor Jerry Wilkinson
• Fayetteville CDSA Director Ann Crane
• Most importantly......Early Intervention parents
  and stakeholders across the state of North
  Carolina!!!!

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Contact Information

• Lynette Aytch
• FPG Child Development Institute
• [phone]
• lynette_aytch_at_unc.edu
• Ann Crane
• Fayetteville CDSA
• [phone] ext. 228
• ann.crane_at_ncmail.net