Fla. Stat. § 391.301
Early Steps Program; establishment and goals
Redline — January 1, 2011 → current.View current text →
Current — January 1, 2016
As of January 1, 2011
(1) The Legislature finds that the high-risk and disabled newborn infants in this state need in-hospital and outpatient developmental evaluation and intervention and that their families need training and support services. The Legislature further finds that there is an identifiable and increasing number of infants who need developmental evaluation and intervention and family support due to the fact that increased numbers of low-birthweight and sick full-term newborn infants are now surviving because of the advances in neonatal intensive care medicine; increased numbers of medically involved infants are remaining inappropriately in hospitals because their parents lack the confidence or skills to care for these infants without support; and increased numbers of infants are at risk due to parent risk factors, such as substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and other high-risk conditions.
(1) The Early Steps Program is established within the department to serve infants and toddlers who are at risk of developmental disabilities based on a physical or mental condition and infants and toddlers with developmental delays by providing developmental evaluation and early intervention and by providing families with training and support services in a variety of home and community settings in order to enhance family and caregiver competence, confidence, and capacity to meet their child’s developmental needs and desired outcomes.
(2) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish developmental evaluation and intervention services at all hospitals providing Level II or Level III neonatal intensive care services, in order that families with high-risk or disabled infants may gain the services and skills they need to support their infants.
(2) The program may include screening and referral services at all hospitals providing Level II or Level III neonatal intensive care services, in order to promptly identify newborns with disabilities or with conditions associated with risks of developmental delays so that families may gain as early as possible the services and skills they need to support their infants’ development.
(3) It is the intent of the Legislature that a methodology be developed to integrate information on infants with potentially disabling conditions with other early intervention programs, including Part C of Pub. L. No. 105-17 and the Healthy Start program.
(3) The program must integrate information and coordinate services with other programs serving infants and toddlers, including, but not limited to, the Healthy Start program, the newborn screening program, and the Blind Babies Program.
(4) The program must:
(a) Provide services to enhance the development of infants and toddlers with disabilities and delays.
(b) Expand the recognition by health care providers, families, and the public of the significant brain development that occurs during a child’s first 3 years of life.
(c) Maintain the importance of the family in all areas of the child’s development and support the family’s participation in early intervention services and decisions affecting the child.
(d) Operate a comprehensive, coordinated interagency system of early intervention services and supports in accordance with part C of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
(e) Ensure timely evaluation, individual planning, and early intervention services necessary to meet the unique needs of eligible infants and toddlers.
(f) Build the service capacity and enhance the competencies of health care providers serving infants and toddlers with unique needs and abilities.
(g) Ensure programmatic and fiscal accountability through establishment of a high-capacity data system, active monitoring of performance indicators, and ongoing quality improvement.
Official source: Online Sunshine (Florida Legislature). Reproduced from public-domain Florida statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.