PARENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE (PAC)
Meeting Minutes
April 11, 2016
- Call to Order
Maria Figueroa, Community Relations Specialist, initiated the regular meeting of the PAC at 10:00 a.m. on April 11, 2016, at Legacy Building, Room 432.
- Roll Call
Marsha Mitchell-Bray conducted a roll call. The following persons were present:
Reuben Lee – Director of Consumer and Support Services Department, SCLARC
Marsha Mitchell-Bray – Director of Community Services and Family Supports, SCLARC
Maria Figueroa – Community Relations Specialist, SCLARC
Nuria G. Castellón– Secretary II, SCLARC
Desiree Boykin– Consumer Advocate, SCLARC
Carla Vega– Parent and Community Organizer
Maria Alvarado– Parent and Community Organizer
Herlinda Rodriguez – Parent and Community Organizer
Alicia Cortez – Parent and Community Organizer
Javier Cortez – Parent and Community Organizer
Irene Cortez – Parent and Community Organizer
- Open Issues/Ideas:
Mrs. Mitchell-Bray asked the parent group leaders to provide a recap of their monthly group meetings to the rest of the advisory group.
Sueños y EsperanzaGroup Update
Mrs. Vega shared the following summary with the group:
Our group is composed of young adults who are now out of high school. The group’s purpose is to allow its members to learn socialization skills. We meet every Friday at Plaza Mexico. We have started a baseball team that meets on Sundays, and it’s another opportunity for the group to improve their socialization skills. The consumers are very happy because they get to participate, and they all get a chance to hit and throw the ball. Everyone,regardless of their abilities, participates in the game. The parents bought their uniforms, and the caps are donated by the group. The current needs for the team are more gloves and helmets, as there aren’t enough. Some parents have purchased helmets for their kids. We have made fliers to share with others about the team. Everyone is welcome to come out and join the team. The team plays at Ted Watkins Park.
On April 17th, we are hosting our Spring Event. We will pay for the rental of the facility, which is $1,200.00. We will have a contest to elect a King and Queen, and a crown will be given to each. We’ll have entertainment, which will include a norteño band,folclórico dancers, and a dance contest for parents. We are working on the flier,whichwe’ll publicizeon Facebook. We have a secretary who is helping us a lot. The group is also working on planning a picnic for the summer, possibly in Big Bear. The group is considering an overnight stay, but it’s not certain yet. Each parent will be responsible for transporting their family to the summer picnic, as transportation will not be provided.
Downey Parent Group Update
Mrs. Alicia Cortez shared the following summary with the group:
The group is working on finding a presenter for the children’s group. We are working with Chris Arroyo.This coming Thursday we will have a workshop for parents who have issues with the school district. The parents need more support from the Regional Center in the form ofIEP workshops in order for them to understand the process and then adequately request the services their children need. The service coordinators have to support parents with their children’s IEPs. There are times when service coordinators do participate at the meetings, but other times they’re just silent and do not offer any opinions. Parents also need more support with IEPs when theirkids are ready to transition out of high school to regional center services.
Reuben Lee, Director of the Department of Consumer and Support Services, SCLARC, joined the conversation and stated that if parents are requesting service coordinators be part of their IEP meetings, they have to give the service coordinators at least a two week notice to find out their availability and also conduct a preliminary meeting, which should take place in order to strategize the parents’ request to the school district based on the needs of the consumers. Also, newer service coordinators may need additional training on IEPs since they are new to the system and may not be experienced with IEPs.
Mrs. Cortez asked if parents can also attend the trainings provided to the service coordinators. Mr. Lee stated that the service coordinator trainings are solely for employees of the regional center. Maria Figueroa, Community Relations Specialist,mentioned to the parent groups that SCLARC hosts trainings and workshops for parents on IEPs. The FRC hosts these meetings at least once a quarter, either in Lynwood or at our offices.
Marsha Mitchell-Bray , Director of Community Services and Family Supports,stated that service coordinators handle a large number of cases. In order for the SC to participate in the IEP, they have to be contacted in advance in order to prepare themselves for the meeting. The role of the parent is advocate for their child, and the service coordinator is only there in a supportive role.
Mr. Lee also mentioned to the group that transition IEP planning usually starts at the age of 16,before the consumer is about to exit the school district. Parents should start working with the school district and their service coordinators to set transitioning goals before the consumer begins receiving services from the regional center.
Mrs. Cortez brought up the issue that there is no occupational therapy or physical therapy availableat adult day programs. The SCLARC team once again explained to Mrs. Cortez that there are limits to the services SCLARC is able to provide and which services instead need to be requested from and provided by generic resources.
Mrs. Mitchell-Bray reiterated that a meeting was previously set up with Rancho Los Amigos, who were able to offer all of the services that the parent group was requesting, but the group didn’t want to join Rancho Los Amigos because they would have to switch insurance providers. Mrs. Cortez then went on to state that Rancho Los Amigos has a long waiting list. Mrs. Mitchell-Bray stated that Rancho Los Amigos was going to be working with SCLARC on this issue, and that they were willing to make accommodations for SCLARC’s clients.
Mrs. Mitchell-Bray stated that she would reach out to Rancho Los Amigos to set up a meeting in order to see if they would be willing to partner with SCLARC once again. Mrs. Cortez told Marsha Mitchell-Bray that if she meets with Rancho Los Amigos,she would like to participate in these meetings.
The group then moved on to scheduling upcoming meetings that were left pending:
1. Visit provider programs
2. Meeting with Rancho Los Amigos
3. Meeting between VAC and PAC
4. Work on parent survey
Mrs. Herlinda Rodriguez stated that she needed a copy of the survey. SCLARC staff responded that they will send it to her. It was requested that once the survey is developed it be shared among the parent groups to facilitate their participation. The survey will also be posted on SCLARC’s website. Mrs. Rodriguez stated that although she will post it on the Internet, she still needs hard copies because some parents don’t have access to the internet or don’t understand how to access it via the internet.
The group presented one of SCLARC’s newsletters with pictures from SCLARC’s grand opening and stated that they weren’t invited to the event. Mrs. Mitchell-Bray assured the group that they were invited, and she apologized if they didn’t receive their invitations. Mrs. Rodriguez stated she had found out about the event from Fiesta Educativa. Ms. Figueroa also stated to the group that she knew the group was invited and didn’t know why they didn’t receive their invitations.She also apologized to the group for the oversight.
Mrs. Cortez went on to ask who the members of the PAC group were, and SCLARC staff stated that the PAC was composed of parent groups from throughout its service area. Mrs. Cortez stated that the groups’ names needed to be mentioned in the newsletter because there were pictures in the newsletter but not theirs. SCLARC staff tried to clarify that the mention of the PAC in the newsletter was as an advertisement for the group, and it didn’t have anything to do with the pictures shown in the newsletter.
The group moved and provided dates for the following meetings:
PAC meeting – Monday at 10:00 a.m. – June or July
Downey Group – June 2nd Thursday & June 9th at 10:00 a.m.
Familia Sin Limites – June 16th 10:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Visit Programs:
- May 20th , May 11th, & May 18th – 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Meeting with Rancho Los Amigos:
- April 22 & April 27 – Time: 10:00 a.m.
Training For Tomorrow:
- Clinical Team member requested
Adjournment
Maria Figueroa, Community Relations Specialist, adjourned the meeting at 12:00 noon.
Minutes submitted by: Nuria G. Castellón, Secretary II, CSD
Minutes approved by: Maria Figueroa, Community Relations Specialist
NEXT MEETING: Monday,May 9, 2016 from 10:00 a.m.– 12:00 p.m.