The Blueprint for System
Redesign in Illinois
In partnership with
The Human Services Research Institute, Dr. Sheila Romano and the
Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities has published its
Blueprint for System Redesign in Illinois, an action plan for the
next seven years to reconfigure the Illinois system of developmental
disability services. Their overall goal is to more effectively support
people with developmental disabilities and families in their
communities.
The Blueprint,
along with the Illinois System Environmental Scan Project Brief,
(February 2007), and the Gap Analysis:
Services and Supports for People with Developmental Disabilities in
Illinois (January, 2008), reported the results of interviews with
Illinois stakeholders concerning
the state’s efforts to support
its citizens with developmental disabilities. Illinois’ system was
then compared to performance benchmarks widely used to
gauge the provision of publicly-funded services and supports for people
with developmental disabilities.
The
Gap Analysis noted the following deficits inherent within the
Illinois developmental disability system:
1.
Illinois does not furnish services with reasonable promptness to its
citizens; there is an over-reliance on large congregate care facilities
to serve people with developmental disabilities to an extraordinary
extent.
2.
Opportunities for individuals to receive services in the most integrated
setting are truncated.
3.
Illinois has not configured its developmental disabilities system to
embrace person-centered service delivery. Services and funding are tied
to “programs” and service provider agencies.
4.
There is not place sufficient emphasis on services and supports that
promote valued outcomes for people with developmental disabilities.
Illinois lacks critical capabilities to address the needs of people with
challenging conditions in the community.
5. The
developmental disabilities service system infrastructure is fragmented
and under-resourced. This poses barriers to people accessing services.
6.
There is a serious lack of confidence in Illinois quality assurance and
oversight processes.
7.
Illinois’ financial level of effort in supporting services for people
with developmental disabilities is sub-par. The present system
overemphasizes the use of costly service models.
Building upon the
Gap Analysis, the Blueprint recommends a seven year timetable
during which six actions must be undertaken for the Illinois system be
become more aligned with recognized best practices. At the heart of this
system redesign is the need for additional resources and expertise to
create a system that would:
1. Embrace the
principle of supporting people in the most integrated setting by
reducing the role that large congregate care facilities play in the
Illinois service system.
2. Strengthen
existing community services by taking actions to retain a competent
workforce, build capacity to address challenging individual needs, and
improve oversight of community services.
3. Expand system
capacity so that by 2014 all people who have emergency or critical needs
will be served with reasonable promptness.
4. Redesign service
coordination and single point of entry to assure people with
developmental disabilities are linked to the services that best meet
their needs and have an independent source of assistance when they need
it.
5. Redesign services
and funding to promote person-centered service delivery.
6. Measure
performance and engage in quality improvement to guide better system
performance through quality improvement along with better outcomes for
people with developmental disabilities.
Advocates in the
field of developmental disabilities recognize the complexity of the problems in Illinois and
applaud Dr. Romano and the Illinois Council for bringing this
Blueprint to the forefront of our mutual efforts on behalf of individuals
with developmental disabilities. Supporters are urged to engage in activities to implement many of the actions outlined by the
Blueprint and to work with the Council and other developmental
disability supporters to make the necessary changes in Illinois.
