APD Strengthens Group Home Oversight
TALLAHASSEE — The Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) is enhancing
its group home monitoring procedures to improve oversight and
accountability. APD issued a new monitoring form to include a signature
line for a group home representative that is in addition to the APD
employee’s signature. This will verify and confirm that both parties are
aware of the inspection, the date it occurred, and the outcome of the
monitoring visit.
The agency already currently requires monthly monitoring visits, including
some unannounced inspections. These changes do not add any additional
burdens on service providers, but are additional accountability measures
within the process.
These actions are following a preliminary review by the agency’s inspector
general (IG) of some group home inspection reports. The IG determined that
the agency should consider strengthening the oversight of the group home
monitoring process.
APD Director Michael Hansen said, “Our agency is responsible for the health
and safety of all individuals in our care. I asked our inspector general to
take a look at our policies and procedures related to group home monitoring
to ensure as many safeguards were in place as possible. Based on the IG
findings and other reviews, we are immediately updating our monitoring
forms as another safeguard for our customers.”
The agency is working to automate its group home information over the next
several months. Once the system is operational, all monitoring information
will be available online.
Group home providers contract with the state of Florida under the Home and
Community-Based Services waiver to deliver services to APD customers who
are Floridians with developmental disabilities. There are 1,300
APD-licensed group homes statewide that are required to be inspected at
least once a month by APD employees. To review the agency’s policies and
procedures related to group homes, visit
http://apdcares.org/providers/group-homes.htm
APD annually serves more than 50,000 Floridians with the developmental
disabilities of autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intellectual
disabilities, spina bifida, and Prader-Willi syndrome. For more information
on the agency, visit APDcares.org or call toll-free 1-866-APD-CARES
(1-866-273-2273).
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Contact:
Melanie Mowry Etters
Communications Director
(850) 488-4257
