§ 42-72.2-1. Legislative findings and policy. (a) The general assembly finds that it is in the public interest of all of the citizens of the state to provide a comprehensive, integrated system of health care and education for special needs infants, toddlers, and their families, and while the general assembly embraces this goal on behalf of special needs children, it views the provisions of this chapter as an opportunity to promote the health, well being, and developmental competence of all preschool children and, therefore, finds there is a need for a commitment to implementing programs and policies in which all young children and their families are the beneficiaries of a coordinated human service system.

(b) The general assembly finds that consistent with this population based philosophical orientation, the state, via the provisions of this chapter, supports the development and statewide implementation of the family support program for all children from birth to three (3) and their families. The policy of the program is to reflect commitments to both prevention as well as intervention, and, therefore, the program shall include:

(1) Periodic and systematic appraisals of child and family needs;

(2) A comprehensive array of support and intervention services ranging from information on parenting and child care to the provision of coordinated educational, therapeutic, and/or medical services; and

(3) A mechanism for ensuring the appropriate and timely linkage between identified needs and community based services.

(c) The general assembly finds that the family support program acknowledges that effective parenting is essential to child competence and healthful outcomes, and consequently, promotes programs and policies which facilitate appropriate and meaningful parent/child experiences. Furthermore, the program supports the development of child care environments which reflect these effective parenting principles, and also provides maximum opportunity for the integration of special needs children in community based settings.

The general assembly further finds that families are strengthened to a greater extent if professionals work to facilitate already established informal support networks rather than substitute it with formal services. In recognition that no one program can or should meet the needs of all families, linkages between service systems take on critical importance. The general assembly also finds that developing intervention approaches which continually support the movement of families toward their maximum level of independence from professional intervention is a primary goal of this program, and that the rights, independence, and responsibility of parents as the primary determinant of their own child and family needs, as well as those services which would most effectively respond to these needs are recognized by the program. Accordingly, while the family support program is intended to be available to all parents statewide, participation at any level is voluntary and subject to parental judgment.

History of Section. (P.L. 1989, ch. 213, § 4.)