Above all, service providers must strive to preserve and enhance the autonomy of the individual family in determining its present and future. The Natural Support System of the Family must be Preserved and Enhanced. Formal support services must not hinder nor displace the natural supports of extended family members, friends, neighbors, or other people in the community. Families are best supported in the context of their extended families, their friends, and their home communities. Successful support services must value the integrity of the family's natural relationships and strive to preserve and enhance those relationships.
Society has the responsibility to protect ALL children from abuse and neglect.
This policy focuses on eliminating the discrimination against parenting solely because of an individual's mental retardation or developmental disability.