TransparencyGolden Gate Regional Center's mission and responsibilities are the result of two major legislative acts: the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act and the California Early Intervention Services Act. The substance of this (and other) legislation, including the role of the regional centers, is explained below.
What is the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act?
The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Lanterman Act) is the section of California law that:
- Specifies the rights and responsibilities of persons with developmental disabilities
- Establishes the agencies responsible for planning and coordinating services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities and their families
The significance of what the Lanterman Act seeks to address is perhaps best explained in Section 4501 of the California Welfare and Institutions Code:
The State of California accepts a responsibility for persons with developmental disabilities and an obligation to them which it must discharge. Affecting hundreds of thousands of children and adults directly, and having an important impact on the lives of their families, neighbors and whole communities, developmental disabilities present social, medical, economic and legal problems of extreme importance.
Thus, the Lanterman Act establishes a process to determine services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities and their families. The central coordinating agencies in this process, as designated by the act, are the state's 21 regional centers.
What responsibilities does the Lanterman Act designate to the regional centers?
The Lanterman Act designates a number of duties and responsibilities to the regional centers. Broadly, these include:
- Outreach activities to identify persons who may need regional center services
- Assessment and evaluation to determine individuals' eligibility for regional center services
- Preventive services for persons at high risk of having a child with a developmental disability
- Development of Individual Program Plans (IPPs) through a person-centered planning process
- Coordination of services and supports to assist individuals in meeting the desired outcomes specified in their IPPs
- Development of flexible and individualized services and supports (with an emphasis on integrating individuals into the community)
- Assurance of quality and effectiveness of services and supports
- Advocacy to protect the civil, legal and service rights of individuals served by the regional centers
In addition to the above, the Lanterman Act requires that the regional centers be accountable for the monies they receive to provide services and supports. To that end, a regional center must:
- Operate within its budget
- Locate and develop innovative and cost-effective ways to achieve desired outcomes for individuals and families
- Secure services and supports from qualified service providers and only continue to do so where there is reasonable progress and agreement
- Account for parental responsibility when making decisions about the purchase of services or supports for minors
- Pursue all possible sources of funding before spending regional center funds
- Ensure that the regional center does not pay for services or supports that should be provided by other programs or agencies (Department of Education, Medi-Cal, Social Security, etc.)
- Ensure that service providers offer quality services at a fair price
What is Early Start?
The state's Early Start program is the service delivery system established by the California Early Intervention Services Act. The program, which is also governed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), provides early intervention services to infants and toddlers (up to 36 months of age) who have a developmental delay or for whom there are established risk conditions or high-risk biomedical factors that could lead to a delay. The services offered by Early Start may include:
- Assistive technology (devices and services)
- Audiology or hearing services
- Family training, counseling and home visits
- Health services necessary for a child to benefit from other early intervention services
- Medical services necessary for diagnosis or evaluation
- Nursing services
- Nutrition services
- Occupational therapy
- Physical therapy
- Psychological services
- Service coordination
- Social work services
- Special instruction
- Speech and language services
- Transportation and related costs necessary for a child to receive services
- Vision services
These services are provided by either the local regional center or a local education agency, with most of the funding coming from Early Start program monies. Some services, however, may be funded by another public program or by a private insurer.
For more detailed information regarding Early Start, see the Early Start Information Packet that is now available in a variety of languages on the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) website.
What responsibilities does Early Start designate to the regional centers?
Local education agencies are primarily responsible for providing Early Start services to infants and toddlers with vision, hearing and/or severe orthopedic impairments; the regional centers are solely responsible for providing services to all other children eligible for Early Start.
What is the Department of Developmental Services?
The Department of Developmental Services (DDS) is the department of state government responsible for overseeing and regulating the regional centers under both the Lanterman and Early Intervention Services legislation. As part of its duties, DDS maintains a performance contract with each of California's 21 regional centers.
