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Supporting Families Community of Practice Evaluation

Washington State Data Brief

Evaluation Overview

In 2012, the Administration for Community Living (ACL), through the Administration on 

Disabilities (AoD)1, awarded the five-year National Supporting Families Community of Practice 

(CoP) grant to the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services 

(NASDDDS), which partnered with the University of Missouri-Kansas City Institute on Human 

Development (UMKC-IHD). In the first year of the grant, 15 states applied and five were selected 

to participate, including Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and

Washington, with Missouri serving as the mentor state. Given growing interest in the work of the

CoP, NASDDDS and UMKC-IHD decided to expand and sustain the CoP outside of the initial 

grant. A second cohort, known as the expansion states, joined in 2016, including Alabama, 

Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. 

With interest continuing to grow around the nation, the CoP welcomed five new states—

Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Virginia, and New Jersey—in 2019 and created 

opportunities for participating states to adjust their level of participation.

Three project outcomes guide the work of the 

National Supporting Families CoP:

¡ State and national consensus on a national 

framework and agenda for improving supports

for families with children with I/DD

¡ Enhanced state policies, practices, and 

sustainable systems that result in improved 

supports to families

¡ Enhanced capacity of states to replicate and 

sustain exemplary practices to support 

families and systems

To examine progress toward federal project 

outcomes and identify which activities are leading 

to success, ACL funded the National Supporting 

Families CoP evaluation. The evaluation team 

gathered data that align with the three project 

outcomes to determine how the CoP is producing 

outcomes of interest to ACL, which reflect the 

five AoD priority areas (Exhibit 1). Findings will provide ACL with outcomes data and 

recommendations to improve supports to families of individuals with I/DD. They will also provide 

information on how the CoP and CtLC framework improve support and systems delivery of 

services to families and individuals with I/DD.

 

1 The Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) initiated the evaluation in 2017. The 

Administration on Disabilities (AoD) now oversees the evaluation.

Exhibit 1. AoD Priority Areas

The Five AoD Priority Areas

§ Ensure the continued protection of rights of 

individuals with I/DD and prevent their abuse, 

neglect, and exploitation

§ Improve and maintain effective and responsive 

management of responsibilities under 

Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of 

Rights Act of 2000 (the DD Act)

§ Promote Employment First as a key strategy for 

individuals with I/DD to be contributing and 

productive members of society participating in 

the competitive integrated workforce

§ Empower individuals with I/DD and their families 

to access home and community based (HCBS) 

and supports that are self-directed and ensure 

opportunity for community participation

§ Support advocacy efforts of individuals with I/DD 

in order to ensure their participation in system 

and service delivery design
 2

The evaluation includes all 16 states that participated in the National Supporting Families CoP for 

at least two years between 2012 and 2018. For evaluation purposes, evaluators stratified states into 

three groups based on their stage of development, as described in Exhibit 2.

Exhibit 2. Evaluation Participants

Group One Group Two Group Three

The six original CoP states:

§ Connecticut

§ District of Columbia

§ Missouri (mentor state)

§ Oklahoma

§ Tennessee

§ Washington

States with previous exposure to 

the CoP and CtLC framework before 

joining the expansion state cohort:

§ Maryland

§ Ohio

§ Pennsylvania

§ South Dakota

States with little or no exposure to 

the CoP and CtLC framework before 

joining the expansion state cohort:

§ Alabama

§ Delaware

§ Hawaii

§ Indiana

§ Kansas

§ Oregon

Evaluators collected data from states using four tools:

¡ Reporting tools (one for each state grouping) gathered descriptive data about CoP structure, 

activities, and impact.

¡ Telephone interviews (informed by the reporting tools) collected contextual data about CoP 

activities and accomplishments specific to each state.

¡ Site visits (to select states) with CoP leadership and other stakeholders provided data on the

relationship between CoP activities, outputs, and outcomes.

¡ Materials review (on an ad-hoc basis) collected needed data on areas of interest.

Evaluators analyzed the collected data using a conceptual framework developed by Wenger, 

Trayner, and de Laat2(Exhibit 3), which assesses value creation in communities. Adapted for 

evaluation purposes, the framework considers five different cycles of value creation to capture the 

richness of value created by communities of practice. The following page describes the value 

generated from CoP activities and the CtLC framework within the Washington CoP.

 

2 Wenger, E., Trayner, B., and de Laat, M. (2011). Promoting and Assessing Value Creation in Communities and 

Networks: A Conceptual Framework. Rapport 18, Ruud de Moor Centrum, Open University of the Netherlands.

Exhibit 3. Value Cycle Framework
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A Look into Washington’s Community of Practice

Washington (WA) is one of the six original states to join the National Supporting Families CoP in 

2013. The WA CoP leadership includes the WA Developmental Disabilities (DD) Council. The 

timeline below (Exhibit 4) provides detailed information about WA’s participation in the CoP over 

time.

Exhibit 4. Timeline of Washington’s CoP Participation

Using data from the most recent Residential Information Systems Project Report developed by the 

University of Minnesota, the number of people with I/DD known to or served by the WA

Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) in 2016 was 44,594. Long-Term Services and 

Supports (LTSS) recipients include people with I/DD who receive Medicaid or State-funded 

supports and services. In 2016, 65% of 20,885 LTSS recipients in WA lived at home with a family 

member. The report also shows annual Medicaid Waiver expenditures for recipients with I/DD, 

which amounted to $23,737 per recipient in 2016.3

Understanding the current state of I/DD services and supports in WA is important in better 

understanding how CoP activities and the CtLC framework impact families and individuals with 

I/DD. The evaluation team gathered valuable data from WA through administration of the 

reporting tool, telephone interview, and materials review. After careful analysis of the data using 

the value cycle framework, the evaluation team determined the following to be WA’s key 

achievements during evaluation year one:

¡ There has been a spike in people applying for DDA services. The Route to Success tool is used

to track CoP activities. For example, 337 people attended Community Engagement Trainings 

and the number of people using that service rose from 20 to 900.

¡ The WA CoP created a workgroup focused on better supporting older adults with I/DD who 

live with their parents and families. The workgroup developed three ambitious systems-based 

recommendations for which they are seeking legislative buy-in and support.”

Recommendations include enhanced case management planning around aging, health 

conditions, and end of life.

 

3 Larson, S.A., Eschenbacher, H.J., Anderson, L.L., Taylor, B., Pettingell, S., Hewitt, A., Sowers, M., & Bourne, M.L. 

(in press, 2018). In-home and residential long-term supports and services for persons with intellectual or developmental 

disabilities: Status and trends through 2016. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Research and Training Center on 

Community Living, Institute on Community Integration.
 4

WA’s continued participation in the National Supporting Families CoP shows their commitment to 

the CtLC framework and advancing supports for families of individuals with I/DD. The following 

tables includes a more comprehensive list of WA’s achievements from evaluation year one.

Exhibit 5. Washington’s Achievements in Evaluation Year One, 2018-2019

Value Cycle CoP Activities and Achievements

Cycle 1: Immediate Value

Value of Activities and 

Interactions Themselves

§ In WA, self-advocates are involved in every aspect of the CoP.

§ Within the state, collaboration among stakeholders is common. This includes 

partnerships between DDA and community partners. Because of extensive 

collaboration, the state CoP has encouraged merging communication efforts, 

such as sharing information and engaging communities.

Cycle 2: Potential Value

Changes in Knowledge 

Capital

§ The DD Council and DDA are dedicated to advancing current initiatives, 

including streamlining services, furthering existing initiatives, conducting 

outreach with diverse communities, and developing services that are more 

outward-focused.

§ The WA CoP created a platform for ongoing training and education sessions for 

families, providers, and stakeholders to increase awareness of available 

services and supports in the state.

§ DDA is developing an assistive technology policy for usage across all programs.

Cycle 3: Applied Value

Changes in Practice

§ DDA aligned rules and polices across programs within the service system.

§ There is a greater use of assistive technology within the state.

§ DDA updated eligibility requirements to align with eligibility criteria across the 

department (e.g., residency requirements).

§ DDA amended waivers to include service expectations and descriptions. New 

and innovative services include Community Engagement and Peer Mentoring.

Cycle 4: Realized Value

Performance 

Improvement

§ The CtLC framework changed the state's approach to serving individuals with 

I/DD and their families.

§ Families report an enhanced "front door" experience, increased satisfaction, 

and increased efficiency in accessing services.

Cycle 5: Reframed Value

Redefining Success

§ As a result of the CoP and CtLC framework, DDA and the DD Council is 

approaching its work from a more holistic perspective while continuing to 

provide direct support.

§ The DD Council’s state plan aligns with the CoP work and CtLC framework.