Developmental services: quality assessment system.

Under existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, the State Department of Developmental Services contracts with regional centers to provide services and supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. Existing law requires the department to implement a quality assessment system, as prescribed, to enable the department to assess the performance of the state's developmental services system and to improve services for consumers. Under existing law, the department is required, in consultation with stakeholders, to identify a valid and reliable quality assurance instrument that assesses consumer and family satisfaction, provision of services, and personal outcomes, and, among other things, includes outcome-based measures such as health, safety, and well-being. Under existing law, the department is required to contract with an independent agency or organization that is, in part, experienced in designing valid quality assurance instruments, to implement the system. This bill would additionally require the quality assurance instrument to assess the provision of services in a linguistically and culturally competent manner and include outcome-based measures to evaluate the linguistic and cultural competency of regional center services that are provided to consumers across their lifetimes. This bill would require the independent agency or organization the department contracts with to be experienced in issues relating to linguistic and cultural competency. The bill would include legislative findings and declarations.