Rhode Island Making Progress on Consent Decree

The consent decree called for major initiatives to change the design, nature and operation of day and employment services to individuals with I/DD that was initiated on April 9, 2014 according to a recent report from the DOJ Court Monitor.  The consent decree called for major initiatives to change the design, nature and operation of day and employment services to individuals with I/DD.  Key components of RI’s system of employment and day supports that were identified in the report include: leadership, vision and values, policy alignment, funding and financing flexibility, interagency collaboration and outcome and performance data.

 The Court Monitors report outlines the progress that has taken place in RI related to supports provided to individuals within the two target populations covered by the consent decree:  youth exit population and youth in transition population.  The report also covers updates on all activities related to the key infrastructure developments that are being worked on in RI such as the establishment of a sheltered workshop conversion institute, a conversion trust fund and quality improvement efforts. 

 According to the report, “During the first year of implementation, the State has spent considerable time and effort developing the plans and strategies to implement the requirements of the Consent Decree and establish mechanisms for adequately funding needed services, tracking individual outcomes and insuring system performance and outcomes.” 

             The report is broken up into the following sections, with benchmarks included within each of these sections:  Outcomes, Supported employment placements, career development plans, training, outreach and education, transition planning, provider capacity, state and other agency actions, interagency collaboration, funding improvement, quality and data collection and reporting.

 FMI:  Read the full report here http://www.riemploymentfirst.ri.gov/policy/pdf/CD Monitor Report Final 8-17-15.pdf