Children’s Waiver Services expand the range of services available to families whose children ages birth through 21 have extraordinary needs and a developmental disability. Intensive Services is a Medicaid Waiver program which provides strong case management and an array of other support services.
Children’s Wavier Services is designed to meet the needs of families whose children have extraordinary medical or behavioral needs as well as a developmental disability. By providing more resources to these families, CDC hopes to prevent out-of-home placement for children now living with their natural families and to allow children living in more restrictive environments, such as group homes, to return to the natural families or to be placed with foster families.
This program has a strong case management component. The Family Support Specialist (case manager) will ensure that eligible families are aware of and utilize appropriate services. Examples of such services include respite care, minor physical modifications to the home, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, adaptive equipment, and habilitation aide services. Each families’ needs will be considered when developing an Individualized Family Service Plan and personalized cost plan.
The Child Development Center is a licensed child placement agency and recruits foster homes when all efforts to keep a child in their natural home fail.
Crisis management is another component of Children’s Wavier Services designed to provide an appropriate and positive resolution to the family or child’s crisis. CDC has a crisis team in the Missoula and Kalispell offices, and a detailed crisis intervention process that ensures crises are addressed quickly and professionally.
The Child Development Center strives to remain current in intervention approaches and teaching techniques. Current innovative approaches include:
- Functional Analysis of Behavior
- Person Centered Planning
- Creating positive behavioral supports
- Alternative communication systems
- Personal profile books
- Social stories