We're back with our second post of our "A Day In The Life Of... " series. Let's welcome Sharon Stone, Quality Assurance Specialist. Take it away, Sharon!
1.
Name: Sharon Stone
2.
Role/position: Quality
Assurance Specialist at the Texas Department of Health and Human Services Early
Childhood Intervention state office
3.
Length
of time in role or position: I’ve been in my current position nearly five
years, but have worked at the ECI state office for over ten years. Prior to that, I worked in the EI field as an
Early Intervention Specialist and Social Worker for seven years. I am also the mother of a 21-year-old
daughter who received EI services as a toddler.
4.
Location: Austin,
Texas
5.
What
brought you to the field of Early Intervention:
I have spent most of my professional life working with people with
disabilities. My first job out of college
was at a state school for people with intellectual disabilities. On my campus,
there was also a program for infants and toddlers. I used to love to see the little ones coming
in and I realized many of the adults and older teenagers I was working with
might have been able to live more independently. That experience led to me to
seek a career in EI as soon as I had the opportunity.
6.
Describe
a typical work day: There really isn’t a
typical day. My primary role is working
with two other members of the state QA team to assess the services provided by
the agencies the state of Texas contracts with to provide EI services. This
happens through record reviews, observing services and meeting with agency
staff to learn about their training, supervision and oversight processes. Every
quarter, the QA team reviews program data related to quality services to
complete a risk assessment, and select the programs we will review the next
quarter. We review approximately one
program per month. The review consists of a program self-assessment, a review
of twenty records (ten of children who are enrolled in services, ten of
children who were evaluated, but did not enroll), and observations of as many
services as possible in a two-day period, including therapy and Specialized
Skills Training (what Specialized Instruction is called in Texas), evaluations,
and Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings. These observations are my favorite part of the job, as they
keep me connected to the mission of serving kids and families. Following the review, we complete a
comprehensive report identifying program strengths and areas for improvement,
and recommending strategies and technical assistance to help the program
address identified needs. Another aspect of my role as a QA specialist is using
my time meeting with EI program staff to identify concerns that might be
systemic, rather than specific to one program.
The QA team often works with our state training and technical assistance
team to develop products that help our contract agencies and their staff
provide high quality services as efficiently as possible. We also work with staff who develop policy to
identify particular policies or changes in policy that might lead to better or
more efficient services.
7.
Successes
you’ve experienced in the field: Because
I have been involved in EI as both a direct service provider and a parent, I
try to bring those experiences to my work at the state office. I believe I’ve been able to help some of my
coworkers without those experiences understand how what we do at the state
office directly impacts kids and families, as well as service providers.
I’m proud to say that almost all of the feedback
we’ve received from our contract agencies about the QA process has been very
positive. Programs find the information
we provide helpful, and like that we offer concrete, practical solutions. Our providers are proud of the work they do
and are glad that the state is observing their work rather than just relying on
data and paperwork to assess how they are doing.
8.
Concerns
or challenges you’ve experienced in the field: My biggest concern is related to
funding of therapy services for children and toddlers. Another concern is helping physicians and
other medical professionals understand how EI services in Texas are all about
helping parents learn to provide intervention in the course of daily
activities, rather than more traditional hands-on therapy. Finally, I would love to see therapy
education programs offer more training on this model of service delivery and on
early childhood.
The Texas ECI QA
team frequently recommends the DEC Recommended Practices to programs during our
reviews, particularly those related to engaging families and teaming.
10.
How
have you used any other DEC resource to guide your work? I often reflect on DEC’s Promoting Positive
Outcomes for Children with Disabilities when evaluating individual programs and
thinking about our statewide system. I
want to make sure our focus stays on the ultimate assessment of success: Are children with disabilities and
developmental delays getting the best start they can, and do parents feel
competent and confident in their abilities to help their children?
11.
Any
EI-related question you would like to pose to the DEC EI SIG community? I would love to hear how other states
approach quality assurance, and I would also like to know what data about
quality indicators other states collect.
Thank you Sharon, for sharing information with us!
Please comment below to respond to Sharon's question on how other states approach quality assurance.
