Self-Determination and Quality System Design
Posted by: CQL on 12/29/2006
Filed under: Hawaii
Hawai’i State Council on Developmental Disabilities
The Situation
Hawai’i was one of the states receiving a Self-Determination grant – known as ’O Wau Ke Alaka’i -from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the mid 1990s. The State DD Council recognized the need take a new approach in quality assurance, one that was outcome-based and established on the principles of self-determination.
What CQL Did
Building on the existing quality assurance system in the state, CQL staff worked with local stakeholders and advisory groups to identify critical requirements and establish guiding principles for an enhanced outcome-based system. We led a strategic planning session to review the current environment and identify needed changes.
CQL staff collected baseline data and followed that with in-depth interviews with a sample of individuals receiving services in the developmental disabilities system. We identified a quality framework focused on results and outcomes. CQL also conducted training sessions with staff, consumers and families on the project.
The final report offered recommendations for changes in quality assurance activities, tools and processes that combine assurances of health, safety and human security with systems to improve the outcomes people experience.