Guiding Principles:
- Empowering Clients-Clients shall participate in setting their own goals and decide what services they will receive. Efforts shall be made to involve clients and their families in relevant committees, boards and councils. Planners, providers and administrators shall respond to the individuals' stated needs, concerns and preferences.
- Family Focused-Families are frequently the most important and accessible resource and support to individuals with disabilities. Attention to the family is essential for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and emphasis should be placed on preserving the integrity of the family and maximizing family responsibility and participation in planning and delivery of services. Systems shall include support and assistance to such families.
- Racially and Culturally Appropriate-Through the use of culturally appropriate needs assessment tools, the system shall be sensitive and responsive to persons who are members of minority and ethnic racial groups. Other helpful measures include relevant quality assurance indicators; alternative service delivery models; neighborhood support systems; adequate representation on advisory boards and program planning committees; cross-cultural training for staff.
- Flexible-Services for adults, children and families shall be available whenever and for as long as needed and shall be provided in a variety of ways with the individual being able to choose services and move in and out of the system as his or her needs vary.
- Focus on Strengths-Services shall preserve and build upon the assets and strengths of clients and their families to help them maintain a sense of identity, dignity and positive self-esteem.
- Normalizing and Incorporating Natural Supports and Adapting to Meet Special Needs-Services shall be designed in such a way that individuals are encouraged to use the natural supports in their communities. Services shall be integrated, to the greatest extent possible, into the normal living, working, learning and leisure time activities of those communities. Normalization efforts shall be respectful of and sensitive to the specific needs of children and adolescents, elderly persons, minorities and special populations.
- Accountable-Services shall be accountable to the users of service and monitored by the state and CPSWI to assure quality of care and treatment and continued relevance to their needs.
- Protect Rights-The rights of adults, children and adolescents with disabilities shall be protected and effective advocacy efforts promoted by CPSWI.
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