Head Start Self-Assessment: Your Foundation for Building Program Excellence

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Program Self-Assessment Booklet 9

Child Development and Health Services: Tracking and Follow-up

Core Question to be answered by Self-Assessment team:

How does the grantee track the provision of all child health and developmental services and ensure that follow-up services are received in a timely manner?

Purpose:

The objective is to ensure that all child health and developmental concerns are identified, and children and families are linked to an ongoing source of continuous, accessible care to meet their basic needs (Introduction to 1304.20, p. 41).

This booklet will help you assess if the program meets Federal Performance Standards relating to monitoring and necessary follow-up of all child health and developmental services. Related Performance Standards include: 1304.20(c)-1304.20(f); 1304.41(a)(1); 1304.51(g); 1308.18.

As you conduct your assessment of the program’s health care tracking and follow-up, pay close attention to how the program:

• Utilizes a system for tracking health and developmental services to provide a safety net for children to ensure that they receive all necessary services
• Promotes communication between and among managers and staff to plan and coordinate follow-up services in an integrated way
• Accesses community resources to connect children and families with follow-up services

Helpful tools to support data collection in this area follow.

Review:

Ask the Head Start director and/or responsible manager to provide you with access to:

• Sample child/family files
• Written plans and procedures describing health services
• Sample tracking reports
• Important data sources relevant to this area such as the PRISM report, PIR data, Community Assessment, strategic plan or short and long term program goals

Are there procedures to track the provision of health care services?
 Yes    No  Comment___________________________________________________________

Are there written procedures on the handling, storage and administration of medications?
 Yes   No  Comment___________________________________________________________

Are there procedures by which staff can identify any new or recurring medical, dental or developmental concerns so that they may quickly make appropriate referrals?
Yes   No  Comment___________________________________________________________

Note: At least one staff person should sit on this review team so they can access and review child/family files. Other team members may not have access to these files based on the program’s confidentiality policy.

Ask your team leader to provide you with a number of children’s records that represent children with identified health and nutritional needs. Review these records to answer the following:

Are parents requested to inform the program of a child’s particular health needs and dietary considerations (allergies, medications) upon enrollment?
 Yes   No   Comment___________________________________________________________

Do the files indicate that follow-up plans have been developed and implemented for health conditions that have been identified?
 Yes   No   Comment___________________________________________________________

Are doctor’s instructions and parental consent obtained before medication is administered?
 Yes   No  Comment___________________________________________________________

Is there a record maintained of all medications dispensed?
 Yes  No  Comment: _________________________________________________________

Is the record reviewed regularly with parents?
 Yes   No  Comment: _________________________________________________________

Interview:

The Self-Assessment team member should interview the health manager. Use the questions below to assist you with interviews:

What are your procedures for tracking child health services?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How do you make sure follow-up treatments are provided in a timely manner?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the system that you use within your own program to integrate and coordinate services to children and families. Do managers meet regularly to communicate about and coordinate services? Describe that process.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Do direct service staff (e.g., teachers and family service workers) meet to coordinate services? Describe that process.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the role that the parent plays in arranging and providing for follow-up services to children.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Describe the role that direct service staff (e.g., teachers, family service workers) have in implementing follow-up services to children.
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

How has the program reached out to partner with health care providers and other providers in the community to link children and families with needed services?
_________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________

Incorporating Relevant Data Sources:

Additional observations, document reviews, or interview questions that this team may choose to add:
___________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Include any key insights you may have learned from reviewing important data sources such as the PRISM report, PIR data, Community Assessment, strategic plan or short and long term program goals:
___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

Team Member Summary Worksheet

Summary of Results for Tracking and Follow-up

Areas where the program is working well. Provide examples of program strengths or areas where the program exceeds Performance Standards:
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Areas where the program needs improvement:
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

Additional areas of concern:
_____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________

TEAM LEADER BOOKLET ANALYSIS

Booklet # ____________
Booklet Name: ______________________________________________________________________________

Program Strengths	Data Source
Specific Program Weaknesses and Areas to Strengthen	Data Source