Special Needs Strategy April News: Update #4

For Release: April 1, 2015

April News: Update #4

Lanark Leeds & Grenville Special Needs Strategy (SNS) Proposal Development Table

Happy Spring!

The local SNS Table of service providers and parents are conscious of the few months remaining before we complete proposals for the Ontario Special Needs Strategy. For more information on the strategy see everykid.on.ca and lanarkkids.ca/special-needs/. What’s new since last month?

We are pleased to announce a major decision. After much discussion, the Child Development Centre located at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Kingston is the Table’s unanimous choice for the LLG proposed “Coordinating Agency” for Coordinated Service Planning. CDC will administer the new system working closely with other service providers to support children who are using more than one service. This system will include having only one plan for each child and coordinators to assist families.

In April we will be using the ideas of parents and providers as well as our research of models operating successfully elsewhere in the province to make a first draft of our proposal to better serve the children with most complex needs.

At the same time, we are developing ideas for reorganizing the system so that all children who receive rehab services (speech-language, occupational therapy and physiotherapy) will find them more holistic, effective, collaborative, continuous and convenient. Please send us your ideas using the surveys below.

We need your ideas on improving rehab service delivery!

Parents: If you are a parent of a child receiving speech-language services, occupational therapy or physiotherapy, please answer the questions on this parents’ on-line survey:

fluidsurveys.com/surveys/pamfergusson/children-s-rehab-survey-for-parents/

Service Providers: If you work for an agency, school or other body that provides rehab services, please provide your ideas using this service providers’ on-line survey:

http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/pamfergusson/children-s-rehab-services-survey-for-providers/

Kindly spread the word to other families or care providers by sending them this update, and encouraging them to send in their ideas on or before April 14. We seek as many ideas as possible!

How can I stay up to date?

Click here to request these regular updates or other information: mailto:[email protected].

Thank you and enjoy the warm weather!

Table Co-chairs

Margaret van Beers, Director, Child Development Centre, Hotel Dieu Hospital Paula Perrault, Principal of Special Education, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario

Gillian Jackson, Manager, Children’s Services Developmental Services of Leeds & Grenville

Donna Davidson, Director, Lanark Community Programs, Lanark Renfrew Health & Community Services

Special Needs Strategy Update #2

For Release: March 16, 2015

March News: Update #3

Lanark Leeds & Grenville Special Needs Strategy Proposal Development Table

Hello Community of Lanark Leeds and Grenville,

Our “Table” of service providers and parents continues to work toward improving special needs services for children in our region as part of the Ontario Special Needs Strategy. (The Strategy is described in more detail in earlier updates posted on lanarkkids.ca and everykid.ca). What’s new this month?

Our first proposal is due to the government in June. At the Table we are defining the model we will propose to improve the coordination of special needs services for children/families using more than one service. We are designing a system that will have only one plan for each child, will have service planning coordinators to assist families and we will have one coordinating agency for this area to keep track of the information-sharing and other things needed to support these changes.

On March 10 we held a meeting of six parents and 33 front-line workers (speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, community service workers among others) to look carefully at how to deliver rehabilitation services in a way that is more continuous and convenient for families. The ideas from that session will be gathered in a report. If you would like to receive a copy, make that request to our table administrator, whose email address is at the bottom of the page.

How can I share my thoughts on improving the coordination of special needs services? The survey can be found here:

http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/llgspecialneedsstrategytable/parent-caregiver-questions/ and encourage

Parents: If you are a parent of a child receiving services from more than one service, please answer the questions on this parents’ on-line survey.

Service Providers: If you work for an agency, school or other body that provides special needs services, please provide your ideas on service coordination using this service providers’ on-line survey.

Kindly spread the word to other families or care providers by sending them this update, and encouraging them to send in their ideas on or before March 31st. We want as many perspectives as possible!

How can I stay up to date?

If you would like to receive regular updates or other reports email Pam Fergusson, Table Administrator.

Thank you and stay tuned!

Table Co-chairs

Margaret van Beers, Director, Child Development Centre, Hotel Dieu Hospital Paula Perrault, Principal of Special Education, Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario

Gillian Jackson, Manager, Children’s Services Developmental Services of Leeds & Grenville

Donna Davidson, Director, Lanark Community Programs, Lanark Renfrew Health & Community Services