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

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June 2012 Acknowledgements Waterloo Region Parents To all of the parents in Waterloo Region who took the time to attend the parent forum and answer the survey, many thanks. Your willingness to share your experience and make suggestions for future consideration has been invaluable! Sue Simpson Director, Waterloo Region Family Network Thanks for your valuable assistance with the parent forums and with the distribution of the parent surveys. Your support for this project had a significant impact on its successful completion. Access to Services Working Group Denise Watson, KidsAbility Sue Simpson, Waterloo Region Family Network Randy Penney, Kathy Payette, Lutherwood Thanks for your guidance on the design of the project, the interpretation of the results and the careful thought you put in to the final recommendations. 2 | P a g e
June 2012 Executive Summary The focus of the Integrated Access to Services Project was to explore the feasibility of developing a “single point screening” service (telephone line) in Waterloo Region for Ministry of Children and Youth Services funded organizations that would serve as the information and screening gateway for parents seeking services for vulnerable children. Through face to face meetings and electronic surveys, participants were asked; a) to describe their experience accessing and/or supporting parents to accesses services for vulnerable children and; b) for feedback on the idea for a single phone screening line. Feedback from parent participants resulted in a number of themes that suggest that parents in Waterloo Region spend a great deal of time searching for the right service at the right time for their vulnerable child(ren). In many cases, parents shared challenges such as calling over 9 services, filling out numerous forms and sifting through inaccurate and conflicting information before services were found. A review of the current system of access resulted in a finding that there are over 35 separate access points (points on intake) in Ministry of Children and Youth Service funded organizations in Waterloo Region. According to many parents, they generally felt that service providers listened to their needs and understood their situations. Often their experience while in a service was described as very positive. Information collected from service providers was limited to face to face feedback as the response to the electronic survey was poor. Service providers spoke regularly about their efforts to provide up to date and accurate “information services” to parents, and demonstrated a strong commitment to ensuring they had capacity to stay informed about service options for parents. Service providers describe similar internal practices to keep up to date on available services by informal means, via a professional network that is focused on keeping each other knowledgeable on available services. Some suggested that up to 35% of their time is spent providing information to families. Service providers’ description of this function of their role suggests that there is a great deal of duplication in the system across the region. It is argued, that this is due, in part, to fact that over 35 organizations are providing similar information services to families. Very few services are marketed directly to the public by service providers. The strengths and challenges of the experiences of many individuals who participated in this review led to a number of important recommendations presented in this report by the Access to Services Steering Committee. Specifically the Committee agrees that the recommendations are feasible and would serve to significantly improve the system of accessing services for vulnerable children in Waterloo Region. Strategic Recommendations 1. Develop an efficient system of access to services that supports parents to find the “right” service at the “right’ time for vulnerable children in Waterloo Region”. 2. Create a single/coordinated “screening” phone line for families of vulnerable children and youth in Waterloo Region. 3. Ensure the model is reviewed and coordinated within the broader context of child and 3 | P a g e
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