Chapter 4.3. Family Empowerment Centers On Disability of California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 30. >> Chapter 4.3.

It is the intent of the Legislature, through enactment of this chapter, to the extent feasible, to do all of the following:
  (a) Ensure that children and young adults with disabilities are provided a free and appropriate public education in accordance with applicable federal and state law and regulations.
  (b) Ensure that children and young adults with disabilities receive the necessary educational support and services they need to complete their education.
  (c) Offer parents and guardians of children and young adults with disabilities access to accurate information, specialized training, and peer-to-peer support in their communities.
  (d) Ensure that parents, guardians, and families of children and young adults with disabilities are full participants in their child's education, school reform, and comprehensive systems change efforts.
  (e) Build upon existing local and regional service delivery systems to improve, expand, and offer coordinated technical assistance to the network of existing resources available for parents, guardians, and families of children and young adults with disabilities.

(a) The State Department of Education shall award grants to establish Family Empowerment Centers on Disability in each of the 32 regions in the state established under the Early Start Family Resource Centers. In the first year of operation, the State Department of Education shall award these grants no later than February 15, 2002. In subsequent years, to the extent funding is available, the State Department of Education shall award these grants no later than February 15 of that year.
  (b) Once funding is secured, and annually until all centers are established, the State Department of Education shall submit a report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature documenting progress in establishing the centers.
  (c) The department shall develop the grant application, with advice from stakeholders, including parents, guardians, and family members of children with disabilities, as well as adults with disabilities and representatives of community agencies serving children and adults with disabilities.
  (d) The sum of twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) shall be made available to the department, from the funds appropriated for the purposes of this chapter, for the purpose of securing an outside contractor to develop a request for proposal, disseminate the proposal, empanel readers to evaluate the proposals, and cover other costs related to this process.

To be eligible to receive funding to establish Family Empowerment Centers on Disability pursuant to this chapter, applicants shall meet the following organizational requirements:
  (a) Be a nonprofit charitable organization organized under the Internal Revenue Code pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c) of Section 501 of Title 26 of the United States Code.
  (b) Be staffed primarily by parents, guardians, and family members of children and young adults with disabilities and by adults with disabilities.
  (c) Have as a majority of board members of each center, parents, guardians, and family members of children and young adults with disabilities who have experience with local or regional disability systems and educational resources. Additional members shall include, but not be limited to, persons with disabilities and representatives of community agencies serving adults with disabilities, and other community agencies.
  (d) Demonstrate the capacity to provide services in accordance with the family support guidelines developed by the Early Start Family Resource Centers pursuant to Section 95004 of the Government Code and administered by the State Department of Developmental Services, and Parent Training Information Centers established pursuant to Sections 1482 and 1483 of Title 20 of the United States Code.

(a) The State Department of Education shall issue requests for proposals, select grantees, and award grants pursuant to this chapter by not later than February 15, 2002. Grants awarded to Family Empowerment Centers on Disability by the State Department of Education shall be based upon a formula that does the following:
  (1) Establishes a minimum base rate of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for each center to provide the basic services pursuant to this chapter and serve parents and guardians of children and young adults from age three years to age 18 years, inclusive, and to those young adults from age 19 years to age 22 years who had an individualized education plan prior to their 18th birthday.
  (2) Establishes an allocation mechanism that is determined according to school enrollment of the region served.
  (b) Each grant applicant shall demonstrate all of the following:
  (1) That the need for training and information for underserved parents and guardians of children and young adults with disabilities in the area to be served will be effectively met.
  (2) That services will be delivered in a manner that accomplishes all of the following:
  (A) All families have access to services regardless of cultural, linguistic, geographical, socioeconomic, or other similar barriers.
  (B) Services are provided in accordance with families' linguistic and cultural preferences and needs.
  (C) Services are coordinated with the existing family support organizations within the region.
  (D) Promotes positive parent and professional collaboration with local educational agencies, special education local plan areas, and other community agencies.

As a condition of receipt of funds, each Family Empowerment Center on Disability that receives assistance under this chapter and serves the parents and guardians of children and young adults from age three years to age 18 years, inclusive, and those young adults from age 19 years to age 22 years, who had an individualized education plan prior to their 18th birthday shall do all of the following:
  (a) Provide training and information that meets the training and information needs of parents and guardians of children and young adults with disabilities living in the area served by the center, particularly those families and individuals who have been underserved .
  (b) Work with community-based organizations and state and local agencies serving children with disabilities.
  (c) Train and support parents and guardians of children and young adults with disabilities to do the following:
  (1) Better understand the nature of their children's disabilities and their children's educational and developmental needs.
  (2) Communicate effectively with personnel responsible for providing special education, early intervention, and related services.
  (3) Participate in decisionmaking processes and the development of individualized education programs.
  (4) Obtain appropriate information regarding the range of options, programs, services, and resources available to assist children and young adults with disabilities and their families.
  (5) Participate in school improvement and reform activities.
  (6) Advocate for the child's needs in a manner that promotes alternative forms of dispute resolution and positive relationships between parents and professionals .

A statewide Family Empowerment and Disability Council composed of the executive directors for the Family Empowerment Centers on Disability shall be established. Membership on the Family Empowerment and Disability Council may also include the Executive Director or representative from the Family Resource Centers, funded by the Department of Developmental Services, and from the parent centers funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1400 et seq.). The department shall contract with an outside entity experienced with developing a statewide technical assistance disability network. A base amount of one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) shall be made available, from the annual appropriation made for the Family Empowerment Centers, to support the work of the council. The Family Empowerment and Disability Council shall, at a minimum, do all of the following:
  (a) Provide central coordination of training and information dissemination, content, and materials for Family Empowerment Centers on Disability.
  (b) Develop a technical assistance system and activities in accordance with a plan developed in conjunction with the directors of the Family Empowerment Centers on Disability.
  (c) Ensure that a periodic assessment and evaluation of the service delivery and management of each Family Empowerment Center on Disability conducted by Family Empowerment Center on Disability directors and includes on the assessment and evaluation team at least one parent advocate from another region. The goal shall be to improve center management and the quality and efficiency of services delivered.
  (d) Assist each center to build its capacity to serve its geographic region.
  (e) Develop uniform tracking and data collection systems, which are not duplicative and interface with existing special education data systems, to be utilized by each Family Empowerment Center on Disability.
  (f) Establish outcome-based evaluation procedures and processes to be used by the State Department of Education.
  (g) Conduct media outreach and other public education efforts to promote the goals of the Family Empowerment Centers on Disability.
  (h) Support and coordinate system change advocacy efforts at the local, state, and national level.

When at least four Family Empowerment Centers on Disability have been in operation for two years, the State Department of Education shall contract, pursuant to funding made available in that fiscal year's Budget Act, with an outside entity to conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of the services provided by the centers, including, but not limited to, the number of parents who have been trained, the number of cases handled by the centers, an estimate of the number of lawsuits avoided, and the overall effectiveness of the centers.

The State Department of Education is required to implement this chapter only if an appropriation is made for this purpose in the Budget Act.