Self Determination

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Person walking on boardwalk


We work with the following Regional Centers:

  • North Los Angeles County Regional Center

  • Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center

  • Inland Regional Center

  • Westside Regional Center

  • San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center


Click Here to Join Our Waitlist


 

What is Self-Determination?

The Self-Determination Program is a new program available through California Regional Centers that allows individuals to take control of their own futures.

There are many families involved in Regional Centers all around California who have not had their needs met with the services available to their children. Your local Regional Center contracts with local vendors that can provide respite, adaptive skills, independent and supported living services, employment support, adult day services, and more. However, those vendors can often be limited when it comes to the contract they have with the Regional Center, creating setbacks to finding effective services for many individuals with special needs.

Why Should I Choose Claudia Cares?

  • Receive expert and individualized support. We have been helping families with SDP since 2019, and trust us when we say we know our stuff!

  • We are responsive and will work with you. Claudia Cares is proud to have a quick turnaround response time for email and other communication.

  • We have expertise in the areas of mental health, co-occurring disabilities, behavioral intervention, and special education.

  • We serve a diverse group of clients in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability. We provide culturally competent trauma-informed care.

  • We are proud members of Cal-IF, a professional organization dedicated to the promotion of Independent Facilitators.

 

The Self-Determination Program puts control back into the hands of each client and their family. Once you enter the program, you will be able to decide how funds should be spent in a way that fits your unique needs.

 

Is Self-Determination Right for you?

 

  • Are you a Regional Center client, or do you have a child who is a Regional Center client?

  • Would you/your family like to have more control over the budget they receive for services from the Regional Center?

  • Are you interested in hiring your own staff, using funds in a creative way, or do you want to use non-vendored entities?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, Self-Determination may be a great fit for you and your family.

Claudia and Ariela

Claudia Cares consulting supports clients with person centered planning, transition support, and ongoing independent facilitation

Claudia Cares Consulting’s Model to Support to enter SDP

  • Person-Centered Planning

    In our initial sessions, we will create a person-centered plan, incorporating goals from the IPP as well as your/your child’s hopes and dreams for the future. We will also identify any unmet needs or changes in circumstance requiring additional services.
    CCC is proud to conduct collaborative and in-depth Person Centered Plans. We truly strive to get to know you and your needs.

  • 099 Vendored Transition Support

    Claudia Cares Consulting is 099 vendored and is able to help with all aspects of transition support including attending IPP meetings, reviewing the budget, creating the spending plan, and connecting you to a FMS.
    We will ensure that you receive the support you need from the first meeting until entering SDP.

  • Hands On Support & Teaching

    Claudia Cares Consulting operates in a team-based model. You will be assigned a Lead IF for your case who you can easily get in contact with for all questions and to help you every step of the way. You will also benefit from the collective knowledge of all the IF’s on our team to ensure you get the support you need.
    We believe the SDP involves empowering and teaching participants about the program along the way.

Claudia Cares Consulting has been supporting families to enter and within sdp since 2019.
We are proud to provide individualized and culturally competent care to our clients.

 

What you’ll get

What you'll get from Claudia Cares Consulting services
 
 

  • A service discovery meeting to determine which generic and RC services and supports you may benefit from

  • Person-Centered Planning meetings to generate hopes, goals, and dreams for the future, and plan for how Self-Determination can assist with achieving those goals

  • Facilitate Person-Centered Planning Party with circle of support

  • Support at IPP meetings and Budget meetings with the Regional Center

  • Education and support in choosing a Financial Management Service (FMS)

  • Collaboration to create a Spending Plan

  • With you every step of the way until you/your child enters Self-Determination

  • Optional extension of services into Year 1 and beyond

Our Ongoing IF Services

  • Choose how many hours of support you'd like per SDP Year- we are flexible!

    Some common standard services include:

    • Keeping track of spending

    • Quarterly check-in meetings

    • Updating a spending plan during the year

    • Getting ready for a subsequent year, including updating the PCP

    • Text, phone calls, and email communication for support year-round.

  • For clients who want a bit more hands- on support, CCC is happy to provide additional help.

    Premium support may be a better fit for clients who anticipate a change of circumstance mid-year, think they may want multiple updated spending plans (3+), request new Regional Center services mid-year, want to transition FMS mid-year, or have other special circumstances.

    Some clients also increase to premium services to meet monthly to review their spending or get support with submitting vendor invoices.

  • CCC is proud to provide a variety of higher level supports to clients in our concierge service model. This can look a lot of different ways- we are prepared to be as individualized as our clients!

    Some concierge level supports we provide include:

    • Finding services and programs

    • Designing individualized programs (SLS/Day Program)

    • Attendance at IEP meetings, behavior services, and SLS provider meetings

    • Hiring, interviewing, and onboarding staff

    • Navigating and applying to generic services

    • Complex cases: management and support for behavioral needs and/or co-occurring mental health issues

Claudia Cares Consulting bills hourly for clients in SDP. We are happy to create a service model that works for your needs! Please email us at welcome@claudiacares.com to receive a copy of our ongoing Independent Facilitation service guide.

We will work with most FMS agencies.

What do I need to have Ready?

  • Take SDP Orientation and receive Certificate (you will need it later!)

  • Current consumer of a Regional Center 

  • The consumer must be over 3 years old 

  • 1- 2 hours per week to meet with your Independent Facilitator 

  • Desire to participate in The Self-Determination Program

  • Ability to connect with us virtually for meetings. We conduct meetings on Zoom. It is best to connect with a computer to see documents when we share screens.

  • Be at the beginning of the process! We start at the beginning- creating a PCP. Please note, we are not able to work with a client who is already in process to transition either on their own or with another IF.

Regional centers We Work With:

  • North Los Angeles County Regional Center

  • Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center

  • Inland Regional Center

  • Westside Regional Center

  • San Gabriel Pomona Regional Center

 

Each regional center has its own unique personality- different ways of combining and using services, difference processes, and different standards.

We are experienced Independent Facilitators with over 100 clients.

We strongly recommend choosing an Independent Facilitator who has worked with your Regional Center before- it will help keep a confusing process a bit more streamlined!

 FAQs

 

  • The title “Independent Facilitator” is actually a bit confusing regarding pre-transition supports. There have been a series of directives from the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) since 2022 which dictate how supports can be provided to individuals in order to enter SDP. As of January 1, 2024, a Person-Centered Planner can get paid to do a Person Centered Plan by the Regional Center. A Pre-Transition Support person can get paid to help with the rest of the process into Self-Determination.

    Long story short, the Regional Center can fund all pre-transition supports to help you enter Self Determination. Claudia Cares Consulting helps from the very beginning- we create Person Centered Plans, help with transition under 099, and provide ongoing Independent Facilitation Services. We work within the framework set up by DDS and do not charge families anything out of pocket for SDP services.

    We will get paid via DDS- up to $1000 for the Person Centered plan, and then up to 40 hours of pre-transition support for the rest of the process.

    Once you enter Self-Determination, funds for an Independent Facilitator come from the budget.

    If you are already in SDP and want an IF to get started now, we can work together!

  • Budgets are entirely based on the past 12-month expenditures incurred by the individual, unmet needs, and any change of circumstance (this would be any circumstance that would require additional services or reduction of services). Based on our years of experience, we can help you develop an effective budget and understand eligibility, ultimately maximizing services based on your or your child’s needs.

  • Yes, we often provide ongoing IF services! This cost would come from the individual budget.
    If you are already in SDP and want CCC to be your IF, please join our waitlist and feel free to request our service guide!

  • This depends! There are a number of lengthy steps on the Regional Center side, but things can be sped up if a family is determined to move quickly. On average, it takes between 3-9 months from start to finish to enter SDP.

  • It can be difficult to navigate the Regional Center resources. You may not be fully aware of what is available for you/your child and, therefore, are forced to adhere to what Regional Center recommends for your child’s case. An Independent Facilitator specializes in person-centered planning so that you and your family can get the best quality services, understand how to navigate your budget, and enter your child into the Self-Determination Program with confidence. As your Independent Facilitators, it is our job to support you through the process and maximize your success.

  • We are currently taking clients interested in being on our Waitlist.

    If you are interested in working with us, click “Join Our Waitlist” on this page to fill out our form!

    We are inviting clients for a Discovery Meeting to see if we are good fit on a rolling basis as space opens up.

  • At Claudia Cares Consulting, we believe that every individual with a disability has the right to live a Self-Determined, independent, and fulfilling life.

    Claudia and Ariela are both Masters-Level educated in their respective fields, with years of experience working with individuals and families. They combine their training and backgrounds to provide truly holistic, individualized, and expert services to each of their clients.

  • The first step is always to take the Self Determination orientation through your Regional Center or SCDD. This is required before we can get started!

    It can also help to take stock of your Regional Center services and gather important paperwork, like your IPP and expenditure report from the Regional Center.

  • We will spend some time talking about our business, how we work, and the services we provide as Independent Facilitators. We will hear a bit about you and what you are looking for from an IF.

    Please expect to join this meeting from a computer with a working camera and be available to spend the whole 30 minutes with us.

    The purpose of this meeting will be to determine if we can accept you as a client.

    Please note:

    -We cannot accept a client who is entering into SDP and is already working with another IF. Once you have entered SDP, we could take on your case at that time.

    -The person served or their legal guardian must be present at the meeting.

  • Claudia Cares Consulting has been providing supports to families to enter the Self Determination Program since January 2019. We have supported close to 300 participants and families directly as IFs and hundres of other families through coaching about the Self Determination Program.

    We work with participants of all ages- our youngest was 3 when we helped them enter SDP- and our oldest client in their 60s. We work with all age groups!

    All of the IFs on our team have higher level education (BA or MA degrees) and many years of experience working with the I/DD population.