Referral and Intake in TEAM EI Colorado

TEAM EI Colorado Vision: Every child and family served by EI Colorado has access to a primary provider in addition to a diverse team of early interventionists that possess expertise to build family capacity to support the child in everyday learning

Definition

Referral and intake activities are completed by 1) a Care Navigator on Early Intervention Colorado’s state team or 2) an intake staff member at an Early Intervention Broker (EI Broker) designated to complete referral and intake activities in alignment with scripts and process steps provided by EI Colorado. At the time of this writing, there are five such EI Brokers. Any EI Staff performing these activities will be referred to as a "Care Navigator" in this document.

Care Navigators are responsible for receiving referrals initiated by phone, fax, email, e-Referral, and EI Colorado's online referral form. They ensure that referral case information for any child who may be eligible for EI Colorado services is entered in the EI Data System. They are the first point of contact for families, communicating with them via phone, text, and email when needed. Intake calls are completed via phone call.

Care Navigators are responsible for explaining the EI program and the process for evaluation, family rights, eligibility, and service provision, while working with non-English speaking families to determine their interpretation needs. They obtain consent from the family and schedule evaluations when needed. After the evaluation is completed, Care Navigators follow up with families, offering a warm handoff to the EI Broker for eligible children, and offering resources when needed to children who are not eligible.

Guidance

Care Navigators explain the EI program to families and provide a brief overview of what services can look like for eligible children. They will share that services are delivered through a collaborative approach. Families have a primary provider who works with a team and uses a coaching interaction style to support the family’s priorities and routines.

Requirements

As part of the larger intake conversation, briefly explain EI services for eligible children and TEAM EI Colorado.

How to Implement

Use the script below, customizing as needed to support the family’s unique questions and concerns during their intake call.

Script

The following script is intended to be used as part of the larger intake conversation Care Navigators have with families. It should be modified to meet the family’s individual needs, concerns, and experience with Early Intervention. A full intake script can be found in the Care Navigation Referral and Intake Process Guide distributed by EI Colorado.

“If your child is eligible for early intervention, you will meet with one main provider. This person will get to know your family and routines. They will help you find ways to support your child's learning and growth in daily life. They also have a team of other providers who will share ideas to make sure you and your child get the right support. This teamwork makes sure the support fits your child's and family's needs.”

Documentation

These steps will be documented the same way Care Navigators currently document their intake call and communication with families.

Resources

• TEAM EI Colorado Flyer for Families

  • English

  • Spanish