Parents Rights in Help Me Grow
When your child who is birth through age two receives services from the Help Me Grow program, you receive certain rights.
Your rights include:
- The right to accept or decline some or all services from Help Me Grow program
- The right to be informed of your rights
- The right to provide informed written consent before any information about your child or family is shared between service providers and before evaluation and services begin
- All information about you and your records are kept private and confidential
- The right to review and make changes to records about your child and family at any time
- The right to request, be present at and take part in meetings about your child and family
- The right to make a formal complaint about services for your child
- The right to know to whom to make a written complaint and then get an answer to that complaint within 30 days
- Assessment of the strengths and needs of your family
- Service Coordination
- Help with writing and updating the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)
Parents Rights of Children With a Developmental Delay or Disability
Parents of children with a developmental delay or disability have special rights stated in the federal law called Individualized with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If your child has a delay or disability, your rights include:
The right to the following services at no cost to you:
- Developmental evaluation to determine eligibility
- Help with transition planning before your child turns three
- The right to have an advocate, friend or interpreter present at any or all contacts with service providers
- The right to receive written notice before there is a change in services. The written notice should include what and why the change is being proposed or denied.
There are two ways to make a complaint—
- Contact your local Help Me Grow program or
- Contact the Bureau of Early Intervention Services at the Ohio Department of Health,
- by phone (614-644-8389),
- by email (beis@odh.ohio.gov)
- or by mail to:
Ohio Department of Health
Bureau of Early Intervention Services
ATTN: Help Me Grow Program
246 North High Street
PO Box 118
Columbus, Ohio 43216-0118An Equal Opportunity Employer/Provider
