CASE CLOSURES
There are a variety of reasons a child’s referral is ended. The service coordinator will document contacts and contact attempts for each referral they are assigned.
End codes in the state IFSP system are used for children who do not develop an initial IFSP.
When a referral to Early ACCESS is ended, a reason is documented - these reasons are described below. Codes & Definitions Used in the ACHIEVE System - Early Intervention is a resource that will assist teams in documenting referral end codes in Iowa’s IFSP system.
No Contact
After following the procedures for First Contact with the Family, a referral may be ended for “no contact” reasons including:
- Unable to locate parent(s) due to incorrect contact information
- Contacts attempted by Early ACCESS and no response from parents(s) after multiple attempts
Consent to screen and/or evaluate declined
Parents have the right to decline to have their child participate in a screening and/or evaluation after a referral has been made to Early ACCESS. After following the procedures for First Visit with the Child and Family, a referral may be ended when “contact established and parent(s) not interested in screening or evaluation for Early ACCESS.”
There are times when a parent consents to have their child screened in order to determine if they would like to consent for a full evaluation. After following the procedures for Post Referral Screening, if a consent for evaluation is not signed, a referral may be ended when “child was screened by Early ACCESS and the parent(s) declined an evaluation for Early ACCESS eligibility.”
Consent withdrawn
Parents have the right to withdraw consent for a screening or an evaluation after the written consent has already been provided, even if the screening or evaluation has been started. At other times contact with the family may be lost after they consent to screening or evaluation. In both of these situations screening or evaluation procedures stop.
After following the procedures for First Visit with the Child and Family, “consent withdrawn” reasons for ending the referral include:
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Consent signed for post referral screening or Early ACCESS evaluation and assessment; lost contact with parents.
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Consent signed for post referral screening or Early ACCESS evaluation and assessment; parents withdraw/revoke consent.
Additional
Child Deceased
When a child passes away prior to finishing the evaluation process or after evaluation but prior to holding the initial IFSP meeting, the service coordinator selects the ‘Child Deceased’ as the reason for closing the child’s file.