NETWORK E-BULLETIN - FEBRUARY 2006 EDITION

Children's Treatment Network on Track for April Launch

NEW AND EXPANDED REHABILITATION SERVICES BRINGS IMMEDIATE HELP TO MORE THAN 500 KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN SIMCOE & YORK

Currently, parents of children with special needs are struggling to navigate the healthcare, education and community support systems to obtain the rehabilitation services and support their child needs to progress and participate fully in daily living, school and play. For many families in Simcoe and York, this means battling waitlists and traveling long distances to obtain services not available locally. It also means coordinating care and services from multiple agencies and service providers - a frustrating and daunting task. The children's services community is also struggling to meet these needs within a siloed and fragmented system challenged by overextended resources and rising costs.

Over the past year, teams of dedicated professionals from a wide range of agencies and community organizations have been collaborating on a more effective way to provide the comprehensive services desperately needed by over 4,200 children with multiple disabilities in Simcoe and York. The Children's Treatment Network is the result of that work.

One Point of Contact - Single Plan of Care - Coordination of Expanded Services
Children's Treatment Network of Simcoe York is designed to be a giant step forward for children with multiple disabilities and their families. Through one point of contact, the Network will provide a single plan of integrated care, as well as coordinate services from many agencies, throughout all the stages of a child's development into adulthood.

This Network builds on the strengths of existing service providers, expands services available in the community, and links all our healthcare, recreational and educational resources, to create a comprehensive rehabilitation system that can be easily accessed for children and youth from birth to age 19 who have special physical, developmental, and communication needs.

The Network model is an entirely new approach. It is based on service providers from different agencies and organizations collaborating and taking a team approach to each child's rehabilitation and habilitation. As part of the publicly funded system under the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Children's Treatment Network services are free.

The Network will be accessed through a 1-800 number and will begin operations in April of this year. Over the next two years, the Children's Treatment Network will continue to augment services. It will also add specialized resources which will significantly impact waitlists and the range of services and care available in Simcoe and York for children with multiple disabilities.

April - 1-800 Access to Coordinated Services & Local Teams
In April 2006, approximately 15 - 20 agencies and organizations will be official members and active participants in the Children's Treatment Network. Services will be provided through 4 Local Teams comprised of a range of professionals from member agencies. They will work closely together to provide coordinated care for each child and family. An Access Director, alongside Clinical Directors in both Simcoe and York , will support the Local Teams to ensure families have smooth and easy access to coordinated care plans and the seamless provision of services within the community. Network staff will also work closely with organizations like Sick Kids and Bloorview MacMillan Children's Centre, to better coordinate requirements for specialized services and care.

11 Current Members with Many More to Come
The Network is in the midst of discussions with all organizations in the Simcoe and York region who serve children with special needs. At this time, 11 organizations have formally become members, including:

• Community Care Access Centre of Simcoe County
• Community Care Access Centre of York Region
• Community Living Huronia
• Kinark Child and Family Services
• Markham Stouffville Hospital
• Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital
• Professional Rehabilitation Outreach
• Simcoe Community Services
• Southlake Regional Health Centre
• York Region Branch of Jewish Family & Child Services
• York Support Services Network

New Members will be announced in the near future.

Evolution of the Network is Key to Reducing Waitlists and Meeting "Closer to Home" Service Gaps
Throughout the next two years, the Children's Treatment Network will continue to add members, enhance and expand services, and add specialized resources in Simcoe and York. This will bring more critically needed services closer to home and shorten waitlists.

A key to meeting these goals is the recruitment of more staff. As the Network evolves, 90 additional professionals and specialists will be hired to augment the 4 Local Teams. By 2008, a total of 10 Local Teams will be on the ground, serving both communities. Two Resource Centres, one in Simcoe and one in York, will further enhance support for children, families and service providers.

New and Expanded Services Drives Immediate Help to More Than 500 Children in Simcoe & York
In parallel with the exceptional progress being made in preparation for the Network's initial launch in April, a number of new and expanded services have already been brought into the community. More than 500 children now have access to services previously unavailable under in the existing system.

These include services of highest priority need such as:

• Additional Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Speech Language Pathologists to augment rehabilitation services available in schools and at home through Community Care Access Centres in Simcoe and York
• Access to Expanded Developmental Pediatrician Services through Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital - a critical area of need in both regions
• Feeding & Swallowing Specialists - The Network is coordinating a team of specialists and equipping them with the expertise and capability to provide services in the community, negating the need for some children to travel to Toronto. The team of specialists come from Community Care Access Centres, their service providers in Simcoe and York, as well as from the Preschool Speech & Language programs, paediatric therapy services and York and Simcoe Hospitals
• Augmentative Communications Services are being brought to the community. Specialists from Bloorview MacMillan will be providing services locally, a priority for our region given the number of York & Simcoe children on waitlists
• Specialized Training is being provided to rehabilitation professionals across all existing member organizations to increase local capacity and expand the number of personnel authorized to provide access to priority need programs like the Assistive Devices Program
• Inclusive Recreation - The Network is working with York Support Services Network and Catulpa Community Support Services in Simcoe to enhance existing programs and add recreational therapies for kids with special needs

Teams from Healthcare, Education & Community Support Organizations Create a New Way of Working Together
Teams of front line staff and professionals in Simcoe and York are making incredible progress toward developing the systems, protocols, procedures, technology and tools needed to enable all agencies and service providers to work together seamlessly within the Network and provide a coordinated, continuum of care for kids with special needs.

Since January, a number of these teams have been working together three days a week to detail how the Network will operate. They include staff from:

• 1-1 Rehabilitation
• Children's Aid Society of Simcoe County
• Community Care Access Centres of both Simcoe and York
• Kinark Child & Family Services
• Markham Stouffville Hospital
• Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital
• Professional Rehabilitation Outreach
• Simcoe Community Services
• Southlake Regional Health Centre
• York Region District School Board
• York Support Services Network

These working groups are dealing with the complex issues associated with bringing the new Network model from concept to reality. They are developing the structures and systems that will create a seamless process for families and service providers - from initial contact, to a common needs assessment and single client file, to coordinating service delivery throughout all stages of the child's development. The teams expect to have all the details described and mapped out by the end of February, putting them solidly on track to meet the Network's launch target.

One of the next steps prior to the April launch is training staff from the organizations and agencies on the front line of the Children's Treatment Network who are working with parents to assess and coordinate the range of services required for each child.

Message from Bob Morton, CEO, Children's Treatment Network
We're delighted to report that there are many other collaborative efforts underway. For instance, organizations across Simcoe and York are providing advice and assistance on a communications campaign to raise awareness within our professional organizations and the community at large. We are also developing a user-friendly, information and resource-rich public web site that will play a critical role in helping families, Network members, and professionals learn about the Children's Treatment Network.

We're looking forward to providing you with regular eBulletin Updates as the Network evolves. A great deal has been accomplished so far because of the incredible collaborations taking place between everyone who serves kids with special needs. And there is much, much more to come. We'd like to thank each of you for your dedication, excellent work and continuing contribution.

Simcoe and York have a rich history and tradition of innovative thinking, strong planning and a dedicated professional community committed to meeting the needs of kids with special needs. The Children's Treatment Network is an example of that innovation, dedication and collaboration in action. Action designed to change the world for kids with multiple disabilities.