OLYMPIA -- In an era of declining state revenues and deep cuts in Washington's biennial operating budget, there is a bright spot. Funding and legislation were approved for a new, home-based program to serve the most challenging children with developmental disabilities.

The Children's Intensive In-home Behavioral Support Program will help families stay together and support their children's success in their own homes, instead of sending them to residential habilitation centers, such as Rainier and Fircrest schools. The new options became available May 1.

There is funding available to serve as many as 100 children and youth, ages eight through 20. Six children will be enrolled each month.

The primary services are training, consultation, respite and behavior support. Additional services can include therapeutic equipment and supplies, specialized medical equipment and supplies, adaptations for accessibility, specialized nutrition and clothing and vehicle adaptations.

"Families will benefit significantly from these additional supports," said Sue Elliott, executive director of The Arc of Washington state. "Bringing more people to the table in developing a plan of action will allow children to thrive at home."

The program is supported through the passage of Senate Bill 5117 and a federal waiver of Medicaid provisions allowing more community options for long-term care. This new law directs the state Department of Social and Health Services:

• To help children with challenging behavior remain in their own home
• Recruit providers who address each child’s unique needs
• Establish effective supports for each child in multiple settings by collaborating with service providers, family members, schools and health practitioners
• Provide intensive case management
• Evaluate and monitor the program

"This new program means families have another choice when caring for a child with challenging behaviors," said Linda Rolfe, director of the Developmental Disabilities Division. "Parents, advocates, stakeholders, legislators and others worked diligently to make this happen."

In recent years, the number of children in Washington state with developmental disabilities and challenging behavior has increased while the options available to serve them, such as the Voluntary Placement Program, have decreased.

Placement in an Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) is a Medicaid funded entitlement option for families. When alternatives are unavailable, families rely on ICF/MR. Since 2006, the number of children placed into an institution certified as ICF/MRs has increased from two or fewer children per year to five to eight children per year. Challenging behavior is a significant factor contributing to families' request for institutional placement for their children.

The monthly cost of services in an institution, such as the Rainier School in Buckley, is $15,938. The average monthly cost of community out-of-home placements in a licensed staffed residential home is $9,714. Funding to support intensive in-home behavior services averages $4,000 per month.

More information on the DSHS Division of Developmental Disabilities is available at http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/ddd/index.shtml. More information on the home and community-based waivers is available at http://www1.dshs.wa.gov/ddd/waivers.shtml.

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DSHS does not discriminate and provides equal access to its programs and services for all persons without regard to race, color, gender, religion, creed, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, age, veteran's status or the presence of any physical, sensory or mental disability.