Impact of a Consumer‐Directed Family Support Program on Reduced Out‐of‐Home Institutional Placement

Abstract

Abstract The impact of a consumer‐directed family support program on actual out‐of‐home placement in one American state was evaluated over an 8‐year period. Under this program, individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families control their own resources and design and direct supports through the use of cash allowances or individualized budgets. It was observed that individuals with disabilities enrolled in the family support program were significantly less likely than individuals with disabilities on a waiting list to move into an out‐of‐home placement, particularly to an institution, after controlling for differences in ethnic group and age.