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By Teresa Anderson, Director of Public Policy, The Arc of California and UCP Collaborative
Assembly Bill 136 (2021) required the Department of Developmental Services to establish a workgroup for the purpose of developing, and recommending, standard performance improvement indicators and benchmarks to incentivize high-quality Regional Center operations. The workgroup is made up of a wide range of stakeholders that include, but are not limited to, individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, family members, individuals form diverse backgrounds, regional center representatives, service providers, state agency representatives, representatives from CA University Centers of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability Rights, and advocacy organizations. The workgroup began meeting in September 2021, and they continue to meet monthly, with the expectation that the DDS will provide an update based on the recommendations to the Governor’s office by January 2022 for budget proposal purposes and then again at the time of the May Revise.
Priority areas for performance indicators include, but are not limited to, equity in services access and purchase of services, consumer employment, community inclusion, person-centered planning, compliance with Home and Community Based Services Standards, consumer and family experience and satisfaction, and innovation in service delivery and availability. The workgroup is also tasked with developing methods for measuring benchmarks and criteria for demonstrating performance improvement.
So… to answer the question “What are Regional Center Performance Measures?” They are benchmarks and outcome measures related to Regional Center performance that are being developed and recommended by a wide range of stakeholders. The outcome of these meetings will have a direct impact on budget and policy changes within the Developmental Disabilities Service System in California. We encourage all interested person to follow the conversation and provide input when opportunities arise. The next Regional Center Measures Workgroup meeting is November 17, 2021, beginning at 10:00 am. The meeting is open to the public but prior registration is required. You can register for the meeting here https://www.dds.ca.gov/event/rc-measures-workgroup-meeting/ If you would like to view previous meetings or material they can be viewed here https://www.dds.ca.gov/initiatives/stakeholder-events/