Special Needs Strategy Update January 2017 Special Needs

Special Needs Strategy Update January 2017

Special Needs Strategy In February 2014, four ministries launched a provincial strategy to improve services for children and youth with special needs in Ontario • Children and Youth Services (MCYS), • Community and Social Services (MCSS), • Education (EDU) • Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC)

Vision An Ontario where children and youth with special needs get the timely and effective services they need to participate fully at home, at school, in the community and as they prepare to achieve their goals for adulthood.

Special Needs Strategy Overview • A new standard developmental screen for preschool children • Coordinated family-centred service planning for children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs • An integrated approach to the delivery of rehabilitation services (speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy).

Provincially • 34 planning tables were formed across Ontario and tasked with developing proposals for Coordinated Service Planning and Integrated Rehabilitation. CSP Proposals were submitted in June 2015 • IR Proposals were submitted in October 2015

Integrated Rehabilitation • Integrated Rehabilitation Services: a seamless experience of speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy services from birth to school leaving • Addresses access, referral, intake, wait list management, assessment, intervention, transitions, system oversight and accountability

Integrated Rehabilitation • Integrating the delivery of rehabilitation services will require significant system transformation • Despite active engagement and excellent discussion, our table did not arrive at a consensus on how to achieve the vision for Integrated Rehabilitation in LLG • Implementation, including service transitions among providers, provincial policy changes, and provincial decisions around service delivery, is estimated to begin in 2017 -18.

Coordinated Service Planning • A single Coordinating Agency in each service delivery area through which families can access coordinated service planning for a range of services across sectors • Dedicated Service Planning Coordinator(s) who will lead coordinated service planning for families of children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs by working with all providers of services for children and youth with special needs • A Single Plan of Care for each child/youth that takes into account all of his/her goals, strengths, needs, as well as all of the services that the child/youth is and will be receiving

What will this look like in LLG? • Kids. Inclusive is the coordinating agency for LLG (pending approval) • We will be contracting with Lanark Community Programs and Developmental Services of Leeds and Grenville to provide “target population” service coordination • Agencies that are currently providing CSP for their clients will continue to do so

Target population • The Ministries’ mission is to provide Coordinated Service Planning for a defined target population : the target population for coordinated service planning is families of children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs who would benefit from the added support provided by coordinated service planning, due to the breadth and cross-sectoral nature of their children’s service needs and/or potential challenges in coordinating services because of factors affecting the whole family.

Our vision Our Table’s vision is a system that supports all children/youth with special needs and their families who require service coordination • We recognize that this is an ambitious vision • This will require a phased-in approach • We will support each other in recognizing and addressing capacity concerns • We will work together on appropriate messaging to families

Future Vision • A family-centred, Single Plan of Care for all children/youth with special needs • Shared electronic record with web access • Parent portal – families can access to see parts of their child’s file and communicate securely with their child’s team

Front line service provider training dates Tuesday February 28 Thursday March 23 3 hour sessions morning and afternoon on each day, with a lunch One day in Kingston the other somewhere in LLG

Next steps - Ministry CSP – implementation 2017 • Currently responding to ministry requests prior to implementation • Submitting draft partnership agreement • Letter of agreement to be signed with MCYS • Funding received IR – implementation 2017 • waiting for further instructions