[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” admin_label=”Header” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_enable_image=”off” custom_margin=”-84px|||||” custom_padding=”18px|||34px||” custom_padding_tablet=”50px|||0px|false|false” custom_padding_phone=”” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#5b8500″ overflow-x=”visible” overflow-y=”visible” custom_padding=”42px|34px|42px||true|false” custom_padding_tablet=”40px|40px|40px|40px|true|true” custom_padding_phone=”20px|20px|20px|20px|true|true” border_radii=”off|130px||130px|” border_radii_tablet=”off|60px||60px|” border_radii_phone=”off|30px||30px|” border_radii_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.23.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#e02b20″ header_font=”Poppins|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#005450″ header_font_size=”80px” header_line_height=”1.2em” custom_margin=”|0px||0px|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”|||0px|false|false” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|tablet” header_font_size_tablet=”40px” header_font_size_phone=”24px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_3,1_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”521.6px” custom_margin=”26px|auto||auto||” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”2_3″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_toggle title=”Why Quality Home and Community Based Services Matter Research indicates the quality of services that people with disabilities receive has a direct impact on their quality of life and achievement of personal outcomes. According to research done by The Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL), The Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule is a guide for promoting community integration, rights, and higher quality services for people with disabilities. The Settings Rule is an opportunity for agencies to go beyond traditional regulatory compliance related to health and safety by focusing on new definitions of quality based on principles of civil rights, self-determination, personal growth, and community-involvement. \u00a0Pilot site agencies completed an agency self-assessment developed by the grant team at three points during the 5-year period. The \u201cLiving Well Self-Assessment Summary\u201d provides an analysis of agency self-assessments conducted across ten domain areas using Likert-scale questions. The self-assessments, completed by seven agencies at baseline (2019-2020), six at midpoint (2022), and seven at endpoint (2023), revealed improvements in most domain areas over time, with the largest gains in \u201cQuality Assurance and Improvement\u201d and \u201cPerson-Centered Planning.\u201d Factors like agency growth, leadership changes, and external challenges, including the COVID pandemic and caregiver crisis, were cited as influences on the scores. Despite some variability in participation, the process was generally seen as beneficial for strategic planning and accountability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n [\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”How Agencies Can Improve Home and Community-Based <\/p>\n Quality improvement, particularly in the new areas of focus brought about by the HCBS Settings Rule, can seem daunting amid the competing day-to-day priorities and lean budgets of HCBS agencies. The Living Well pilot agencies implemented a manageable set of specific, proven strategies to achieve the greatest impact in the most cost-effective way. Their strategies primarily focused on regular self-assessment, action planning, learning from each other, training staff and people who receive support on rights and self-advocacy, and developing community connections.<\/p>\n Prioritize continuous quality improvement and foster a learning organization culture.<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Provide education and training for staff and people who receive support.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Focus on community engagement.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Tools for Agencies ” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Basic Assurances<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a> – The Basic Assurances\u00ae is a tool developed by the Council on Quality and Leadership (CQL) to evaluate the essential, fundamental, and non-negotiable requirements of all human service organizations and system. The Basic Assurances\u00ae provide organizations with guidance for ensuring that systems translate into actual practices to positively impact the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and psychiatric disabilities.<\/p>\n Personal Outcome Measures (POM)<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> \u2013 The Personal Outcome Measures\u00ae (POM) is a person-centered discovery tool developed by CQL to explore the presence, importance, and achievement of personally-defined outcomes, along with the supports that help people attain their individual goals and dreams. 21 indicators are used to gain valuable insight into the lives of people with disabilities. The interview covers a variety of topics, including choice, health, safety, social capital, relationships, rights, employment, and more. For decades, the internationally recognized tool has been an effective data set for valid and reliable measurement of individual quality of life.<\/p>\n Living Well Agency Self-Assessment<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span> \u2013 This agency self-assessment from WI BPDD’s Living Well team provides an opportunity to gain full understanding of an agency\u2019s policies, procedures and practices related to providing high quality HCBS. It focuses on ten domains and includes select factors and probes from the Council on Quality and Leadership\u2019s (CQL) Basic Assurances. After completing this tool, choose your top three domains to focus your quality improvement work.<\/p>\n The 4 Disciplines of Execution<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span>: FranklinCovey\u2019s The 4 Disciplines of Execution\u00ae methodology provides a framework for organizations seeking to increase strategic execution by creating a culture of high performance. It is a simple, repeatable 4 part formula for executing important priorities.<\/p>\n HCBS Business Acumen Toolkit<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span>: This toolkit was designed with grant funds from the US Administration on Community Living for community-based organizations serving people with disabilities. Strong business acumen is essential for growing and sustaining high quality services.<\/p>\n Open Future Learning<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 Open Future Learning is an affordable, effective online training platform designed exclusively for agencies supporting people with IDD. Open Future Learning has collaborated with revolutionary thinkers and leaders in the IDD field to create thought provoking, engaging training content for staff on a wide variety of topics.<\/p>\n Healthy, Safe and Connected Toolkit<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 People with disabilities need to be healthy, safe and connected. This toolkit was developed by WI BPDD’s Living Well Project team and self-advocates with People First Wisconsin. This toolkit can be used by agencies to give people ways they can be healthy, safe, and connected in their communities. It is written in plain language and has planning guides and worksheets.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s Talk About Rights Guides and Videos<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> – Rights are things that people can have or do. People with disabilities should be allowed to have and do all the same things as people without disabilities. When people understand their rights, they have better lives. These guides and videos from WI BPDD’s Living Well team can help agency staff, guardians and people who receive support learn about rights.<\/p>\n CQL Rights Conversation Cards<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> – CQL\u2019s Rights Conversation Cards can help agencies educate people about their rights. These playing cards provide a fun and engaging way to spark discussion about a variety of rights involving decision-making, due process, privacy, voting, healthcare, finances, accessibility, and so much more.<\/p>\n CQL Sex & Relationships Conversation Cards<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> – produced by CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership, help support staff and people receiving services to initiate conversations about sex and relationships. Through interactive card games, people receiving services can learn about sex and relationships, along with the array of rights and responsibilities involved, as well as supports that can help people along the way.<\/p>\n Safe and Free Meetings<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> – WI BPDD’s Living Well’s Safe and Free meetings are designed to help youth and adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I\/DD) learn about important topics and skills for self-advocacy, safety, and independent living. A self-advocate leader and an agency staff should co-facilitate the meeting series. The topics include – Knowing Yourself, Being Part of Your Community, Rights, Voting, Problem Solving, Communication, Abuse Awareness, Safety at Home and in the Community, and Healthy Relationships. There is a facilitator guide, workbook, and PowerPoint for all twelve meetings in the series. There is facilitator guide to guide the series.<\/p>\n Elevatus Sexuality Education for People with Developmental Disabilities<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 This is curriculum was designed to teach people with developmental disabilities about sexuality and healthy relationships. This curriculum has been field tested by Elevatus and used by Living Well pilot sites with positive results and feedback.<\/p>\n Community Conversations<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> – Community Conversations are a highly effective tool developed by the Waisman Center to bring people together to raise awareness and identify partnerships and solutions to issues affecting the lives of people with disabilities. Wisconsin has successfully used Community Conversations in Living Well and a number of other disability-focused projects, which have resulted in positive impacts on attitudes, engagement, and collaboration.<\/p>\n Asset Based Community Development<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 The ABCD Institute at DePaul University offers information, training, manuals and other resource guides on using Asset Based Community Development to leverage the gifts and mobilizing the assets of local communities. Faculty members Deb Wisniewski and Joe Erpenbeck both have experience providing training to HCBS providers.<\/p>\n Google Mapping<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> – A tool that can assist in creating agency and individual maps Google my maps. The tool allows you to create a resource map of your area and can be personalized for the assets in your agencies area. The tool can also be used to build individual client maps.<\/p>\n Friends: Connecting People with Disabilities to Community Members<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 This manual by Angela Amado provides concrete, \u201chow-to\u201d strategies for supporting relationships between people with disabilities and other community members. It describes why such friendships are important to people with disabilities and why it is important to promote community belonging and membership. The manual includes specific activities to guide users in creating a plan for connecting people.<\/p>\n Building Full Lives Service Model<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span> \u2013 Building Full Lives (BFL) is an individualized community-based day service model that creates pathways to competitive integrated employment (CIE) by supporting people in small group activities, usually involving 3-4 people and one staff, to explore their communities, identify their preferences and goals, develop life skills and contribute to\/be involved in their communities in meaningful ways. Check out the Building Full Lives Essential Elements and Agency Self-Assessment Tool in the BFL Model Toolkit in the Tools for Grantees section of the webpage.<\/p>\n
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\u201cPeople with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I\/DD) who were served by higher quality providers had significantly more personal outcomes present, regardless of their demographics or complex support needs. While quality improvement initiatives may require a significant investment of both time and financial resources from providers, our findings suggest the efforts translate to improved personal outcomes among people with IDD. The quality of life of people with IDD demands quality person-centered services and supports. The ultimate goal of service providers should be improvement of quality of life among those they support.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Living Well Grant supported pilot agencies to improve the quality of their Home and Community Based Services with a multipronged approach. The most effective strategies involved providing pilot sites with:<\/p>\n\n
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