Ohio Department of Health Ohio.gov

Help Me Grow System Review Overview

As the lead agency for the Help Me Grow (HMG) Program in the State of Ohio, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) is responsible for the general administration, supervision and monitoring of the local HMG systems. This responsibility is partially carried out through the implementation of the Help Me Grow System Review (HMGSR).

The overall goal of the HMGSR is to improve the system of services to pregnant women, newborns, infants and toddlers at risk and those with developmental delays and disabilities. The process helps accomplish this goal by 1.) Assisting counties to evaluate their own local system of HMG services; 2.) Determining county compliance with federal Part C regulations, standards of practice and state policy; and 3.) Identifying trends and areas for future technical assistance and training.

The process is driven by HMG standards and indicators of practice that have been developed through state, county and family partnership. Standards reflect the policies of the HMG system.

The process consists of four phases: 1.) Pre-site activities; 2.) Onsite Monitoring Visit; 3.) Development of a Continuous Improvement Plan; and 4.) Ongoing Technical Assistance.

  1. During the Pre-site Activities phase there is ongoing communication between the Help Me Grow Monitoring Team program consultant and the local Help Me Grow project director (PD). A packet is sent to the HMG PD who is responsible for coordinating and collecting information specific to HMG standards and indicators of practice in the county. A listing of records requested will be sent to the PD. Copies of the information in the records are sent to the ODH. A customer call is made to the Central Intake and Referral Site during this phase to help evaluate the effectiveness of the county intake and referral process. Also, a consumer focus group is conducted by the Family Information Network of Ohio with families who have received HMG services.
  2. The On-Site Monitoring Visit phase involves a one-day visit to the county by a state team from the ODH (the lead agency), Ohio Family and Children First Council, the Ohio Department of MR/DD and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services if needed. The visit includes interviews with specific groups of individuals that can explain the administrative/fiscal structure of the county system as well as service providers. Specific interview questions have been developed that allow the state team to gather information about the local HMG program. A review of the Central Intake and Referral Site operations, including review of the county’s Early Track protocol, county’s process for maintaining qualifications and training of HMG personnel and county’s intake and referral process is also conducted. There is a brief wrap-up session to share general findings with the PD and the Family and Children First coordinator and discussion of the next steps. A final report will be sent to the county PD within 12 business days.
  3. The Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP) phase begins with a formal report of the findings from the state team. The HMG technical assistance program consultant reviews the findings in the final report with the HMG PD and the Family and Children First Council coordinator. The county is responsible for the development and submission of a CIP to ODH. The plan will address indicators in which the county was rated below full compliance and include plans to increase compliance to 100 percent.
  4. The Ongoing Technical Assistance is provided based on the county CIP. Technical assistance is county specific and based on the particular areas that the state team identifies as a needing improvement and any additional areas identified by the local system. Technical assistance is provided by any of the partner agencies under the guidance and direction of the lead agency. The HMG technical assistance program consultant will follow up with the county to ensure that the activities on the CIP are occurring within the identified time frames. The HMG monitoring team program consultant will review Early Track and provide feedback to the HMG technical assistant program consultant. This information will be used to provide ongoing technical assistance.

The HMGSR is conducted in all 88 counties once every two years. County records may be requested annually.