ELARC VAC MEETING 3-27-08
OPENING ROUND
CLARIFY AGENDA/MINUTES
The meeting was called to order at 10:04, beginning with introductions.
Thanks to People's Care for providing the refreshments.
Cathay Liu, VAC chair suggested keeping the goals of the three advisory committees apparent at each meeting. CAC and ELARC board have designated employment as the primary goal.
Designated Representatives for April 08 meetings:
FAC: Doug Pascover, Pat
CAC: Tammy Bachrach; meeting is this Tues. April 1, 4-6pm
Vision Statement: We, the VAC, CAC and FAC work with one voice as a team connecting and communicating the same goals, community inclusion and choice.
Introduction, part II: The attendees at the Whittier office were introduced at 10:30.
PRESENTATION
Last FAC meeting a question was brought up to discuss: Families are concerned that staff are not trained to work with their loved ones. How can families support the VAC to make sure that staff are better trained?
GROUP DISCUSSIONS:
GROUP 1:
Recognition of employees and letting them know that they are an important part of the company; offer employee appreciation incentives and bonuses; telephone/mail surveys
GROUP2:
Question is too broad; we need to work with families to be proactive and meet individuals' needs.
GROUP 3:
Acknowledge vendor's level of expertise; have open communication; offer staff constructive feedback; help families to understand/acknowledge vendor barriers: funding, entry level skills of new personnel, and turnover of staff.
DDS has trained direct support for professionals if you are a group home provider; curriculum is open to other service providers besides group homes. Help families/clients find the right match and vendor level of expertise. Outsource for other professional expertise/specialty.
GROUP 4:
Are there more issues for certain age groups or diagnoses? Offer standardized basic training/orientation of employees; address barriers and issues of concern with parents/families. There has to be communication with parents about their expectations to gain clarity. Vendors should be doing standardized in-house quality assurance.
GROUP 5:
Clarify issues with parents to help meet and match their loved one's needs; if they want or need more expertise that needs to be expressed to vendors.
GROUP 6: WHITTIER OFFICE
Open communication with care providers and family members. Functional Communication (FC) can be an important tool for consumers to express their needs for services.
FC training will take place at Radisson Hotel on July 10-12, 2008. Vendors can send staff for communication training. Flyers are available at ELARC. Everyone communicates differently and consumers feel more comfortable when they are able to communicate using FC training. Communication is vital to support their consumers
Subcommittees are encouraged to have representation and open channels of communication between committees. When hearing representatives' voices it is important to avoid getting into specifics and instead to look at the big picture; stay at the macro level.
ELARC has a legislative influence, and it takes into consideration the context of initiatives and legislation. Outcome has been that small group of representative concerns have been lining up with what is discussed in initiatives and legislation. When looking at the whole big picture, if issues are lining up then it is time to pay attention.
Vendors: Avoid bias toward certain things and listen to what parents/consumers have to say; take all points that line up.
New legislation has been proposed and vendors are responsible for reading monthly paperwork mailed by ELARC to become informed with new legislation.
VENDOR QUESTION: What is the forum to address serious vendor concerns?
Go to your representative. Most subcommittees and Boards have time in their meeting agendas for other committees to voice their concerns. Vendors can pre-request time in agenda.
For example: Occupational therapy there is an unmet meed. Families are having to wait for services, and consumers wanted to find a way to discuss this issue ELARC consumers can only be served by OTs and not OT trainees. FAC is interested in helping with that and understand it more; however, not many early start families attend FAC. FAC encourages family participation during meetings.
MARK STARFORD: BOARD working on a DVD where they are gathering questions that advocacy groups have about employment. These DVDs show people doing what they people describe in subcommittees and employment concerns.
Case stories will be identified to show in DVD. Vendors are encouraged to share success stories during VAC meeting to offer relevant consumer needs being addressed, such as employment, and to share ideas that have/have not worked.
CAC: Consumers are expressing a need for more information on consumers starting own successful business?
Louise: Motion to propose to identify an action step to address needs and have a plan of involvement from one meeting to the next. Motion approved.
ELARC will be following up with graduating consumers; vendors need to ask if they are meeting consumer needs?
Doug: Suggest an action step to have much larger meetings at a town hall level outside of VAC meetings to get a sense to see how people experience the RC system.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE?
ON GOING ISSUES
One of four areas that CAC has identified as issue are gainful employment and reliable transportation for consumers.
MEMBER INPUT FOR NEXT AGENDA
Request to have consumer employment go on agenda for every month.
Transportation issues brought up in Feb. 07 VAC meeting need resolution and closure. Jackie Valenzuela and Martin Cogan will be contacting individual transportation vendors.
Speakers are requested for future meetings. Please contact Cathay Liu for suggestions. Yvette Baptiste offered documentaries/short films on relevant consumer topics.
CLOSING ROUND
REFRESHMENT/RAFFLE ITEM: Cathay Liu requests that the same vendor bring refreshments and raffle item for tracking purposes.
CLARIFY AGENDA/MINUTES
The meeting was called to order at 10:04, beginning with introductions.
Thanks to People's Care for providing the refreshments.
Cathay Liu, VAC chair suggested keeping the goals of the three advisory committees apparent at each meeting. CAC and ELARC board have designated employment as the primary goal.
Designated Representatives for April 08 meetings:
FAC: Doug Pascover, Pat
CAC: Tammy Bachrach; meeting is this Tues. April 1, 4-6pm
Vision Statement: We, the VAC, CAC and FAC work with one voice as a team connecting and communicating the same goals, community inclusion and choice.
Introduction, part II: The attendees at the Whittier office were introduced at 10:30.
PRESENTATION
Last FAC meeting a question was brought up to discuss: Families are concerned that staff are not trained to work with their loved ones. How can families support the VAC to make sure that staff are better trained?
GROUP DISCUSSIONS:
GROUP 1:
Recognition of employees and letting them know that they are an important part of the company; offer employee appreciation incentives and bonuses; telephone/mail surveys
GROUP2:
Question is too broad; we need to work with families to be proactive and meet individuals' needs.
GROUP 3:
Acknowledge vendor's level of expertise; have open communication; offer staff constructive feedback; help families to understand/acknowledge vendor barriers: funding, entry level skills of new personnel, and turnover of staff.
DDS has trained direct support for professionals if you are a group home provider; curriculum is open to other service providers besides group homes. Help families/clients find the right match and vendor level of expertise. Outsource for other professional expertise/specialty.
GROUP 4:
Are there more issues for certain age groups or diagnoses? Offer standardized basic training/orientation of employees; address barriers and issues of concern with parents/families. There has to be communication with parents about their expectations to gain clarity. Vendors should be doing standardized in-house quality assurance.
GROUP 5:
Clarify issues with parents to help meet and match their loved one's needs; if they want or need more expertise that needs to be expressed to vendors.
GROUP 6: WHITTIER OFFICE
Open communication with care providers and family members. Functional Communication (FC) can be an important tool for consumers to express their needs for services.
FC training will take place at Radisson Hotel on July 10-12, 2008. Vendors can send staff for communication training. Flyers are available at ELARC. Everyone communicates differently and consumers feel more comfortable when they are able to communicate using FC training. Communication is vital to support their consumers
Subcommittees are encouraged to have representation and open channels of communication between committees. When hearing representatives' voices it is important to avoid getting into specifics and instead to look at the big picture; stay at the macro level.
ELARC has a legislative influence, and it takes into consideration the context of initiatives and legislation. Outcome has been that small group of representative concerns have been lining up with what is discussed in initiatives and legislation. When looking at the whole big picture, if issues are lining up then it is time to pay attention.
Vendors: Avoid bias toward certain things and listen to what parents/consumers have to say; take all points that line up.
New legislation has been proposed and vendors are responsible for reading monthly paperwork mailed by ELARC to become informed with new legislation.
VENDOR QUESTION: What is the forum to address serious vendor concerns?
Go to your representative. Most subcommittees and Boards have time in their meeting agendas for other committees to voice their concerns. Vendors can pre-request time in agenda.
For example: Occupational therapy there is an unmet meed. Families are having to wait for services, and consumers wanted to find a way to discuss this issue ELARC consumers can only be served by OTs and not OT trainees. FAC is interested in helping with that and understand it more; however, not many early start families attend FAC. FAC encourages family participation during meetings.
MARK STARFORD: BOARD working on a DVD where they are gathering questions that advocacy groups have about employment. These DVDs show people doing what they people describe in subcommittees and employment concerns.
Case stories will be identified to show in DVD. Vendors are encouraged to share success stories during VAC meeting to offer relevant consumer needs being addressed, such as employment, and to share ideas that have/have not worked.
CAC: Consumers are expressing a need for more information on consumers starting own successful business?
Louise: Motion to propose to identify an action step to address needs and have a plan of involvement from one meeting to the next. Motion approved.
ELARC will be following up with graduating consumers; vendors need to ask if they are meeting consumer needs?
Doug: Suggest an action step to have much larger meetings at a town hall level outside of VAC meetings to get a sense to see how people experience the RC system.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDE?
ON GOING ISSUES
One of four areas that CAC has identified as issue are gainful employment and reliable transportation for consumers.
MEMBER INPUT FOR NEXT AGENDA
Request to have consumer employment go on agenda for every month.
Transportation issues brought up in Feb. 07 VAC meeting need resolution and closure. Jackie Valenzuela and Martin Cogan will be contacting individual transportation vendors.
Speakers are requested for future meetings. Please contact Cathay Liu for suggestions. Yvette Baptiste offered documentaries/short films on relevant consumer topics.
CLOSING ROUND
REFRESHMENT/RAFFLE ITEM: Cathay Liu requests that the same vendor bring refreshments and raffle item for tracking purposes.
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