Waterloo Children & Youth Services Planning ... - Social Services

June 2012
In discussions and in survey results with service providers regarding a complaint process,
there were mixed responses about having a complaint process in place and the ways in
which parents are advised of the process. Many expressed concern that they may not pay
enough attention to gathering parent’s views on their process for accessing service and
that this would be an area for improvement.
Both parents and service providers talked about ideas and efforts to improve the quality
of experience for parents attempting to access a service in Waterloo Region. One parent
commented that his business background helped him to see that “services are not set up
for quality initiatives” and wondered why service providers didn’t “use the data, it is
there”
One parent who described complaining to a service was buoyed by a response from the
provider that she would be going to “mommy heaven” for her courage. Many parents
commented that the Access to Services Project itself was long overdue. Many expressed
their gratitude to being asked about their experience, and most felt there was
tremendous opportunity for improvement.
5.7 Paperwork
The topic of paperwork or the filling in of forms came up over and over in both parent
forums and in discussions with service providers. Parents consistently expressed their
frustration with filling out forms that were “tedious” and repetitive. I addition, many
parents expressed concern that their files were not read by service providers and that
assessment reports went unopened. In some cases, parents felt their children’s ability to
adapt to new situations and achieve success was jeopardized by service providers not
paying attention to documentation that clearly outlined recommendations. As one
parent stated “I’m tired of filling in forms that nobody reads”.
5.8 Resources and Capacity of both Parents and the System
Many of the participants in the project, both parents and service providers described
considerable concern about the lack of resources and capacity of both the system and the
parents of vulnerable children. Cross cultural issues, stigma, parent readiness, wait lists, a
lack of access to a diagnosis, financial and emotional stress were examples of issues faced
by parents and service providers alike.
Cross cultural and language issues were commented on by both parents and service
providers who agree that the associated issues complicated an already complex system
and made the experience for parents far more difficult. Despite a variety of efforts made
by service providers to meet the needs of our multicultural community there is a sense
that we have not made much progress.
Some expressed worry that for those parents who might not be ready to recognize the
urgency or severity of their child’s needs, that the current system may not be built for
engaging them in a way that can address their needs early enough.
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