Election Candidates Briefing

BRIEFING NOTE TO PROVINCIAL ELECTORAL CANDIDATES IN
YORK REGION AND SIMCOE COUNTY

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS FROM CHILDREN’S TREATMENT NETWORK OF SIMCOE YORK

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

• Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe York was created in response to the need to provide coordinated, integrated care services for over 4,500 children with multiple disabilities in York Region and Simcoe County.
• New service delivery model links over 40 healthcare, education, recreation and social services agencies and organizations. Provides one point of contact for a single plan of coordinated care for children and youth with physical, developmental and communication needs.
• New integrated care system is expanding and adding services needed in the community to help reduce wait times and meet gaps in ‘closer to home’ services.

This is to provide all electoral candidates in York Region and Simcoe County with background information about an important new initiative to provide critically needed services and supports for thousands of children with multiple disabilities who reside in Simcoe and York.

Parents of children with multiple disabilities are struggling to navigate the healthcare, education and community support systems to obtain the range of rehabilitation services and supports needed for their children to develop and participate fully in daily living, school and play. Battling waitlists, travelling long distances for services not available locally, briefing numerous therapists on their child’s history and coordinating services from multiple agencies and service providers are all daunting day-to-day challenges faced by parents of children with special needs. Thousands of dedicated children’s services professionals from various agencies and ministries serving kids with disabilities are unable to address these critical issues within the confines of a fragmented and siloed services environment.  In addition, a recent article in the Toronto Star (Sept. 18/07) reported on the results of study that determined health care and social services in the 905 area are eroding because funding hasn’t kept pace with a booming population. In fact, the funding differential for child care, children’s services and developmental services is startling, at well over 100%.

As a strategic response to funding inequities and the need to provide more integrated, coordinated services closer to home, service providers in Simcoe and York have joined together to form the Children’s Treatment Network.

The Network is a new service delivery model that links existing service providers so they can take a team approach to each child’s care.  Through one point of contact, the Network and its partners will provide a single plan of care and coordinate services from many agencies for children and youth from birth to age 19 who have special physical, developmental and communication needs.

Network partners include over 40 healthcare, education, recreation, social services and community agencies and organizations including school boards, hospitals and rehabilitation providers in Simcoe and York. The Network is funded by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services and works in close collaboration with agencies and organizations funded by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and Long Term Care/LHINs (Local Health Integration Networks) and the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

Since the Network was officially launched one year ago, Network partners have expanded and added services critically needed in both communities. During the first year of operation an additional 20,000 rehabilitation therapy sessions were conducted for over 2,000 children in need of services.  Wait times were reduced.  Network partners have also created the new ‘single plan of care’ tools, systems and processes that will provide children and families with coordinated and integrated services - from across all sectors and ministries.

Over the next three years, all children with multiple disabilities in Simcoe and York will transition into the new single plan of care system.  This new system includes developing an integrated care plan for each child, coordinating services and monitoring each child’s progress through all the phases of their development through the use of a shared electronic record.

There are over 4,500 children with multiple disabilities and thousands of front line professionals in York and Simcoe who passionately believe this new model will expand services and help reduce waitlists; provide overwhelmed families with better support; significantly improve outcomes for the child and; make more efficient use of resources and facilities. This significant group of voters want to support candidates and parties who will actively champion this new integrated care approach as part of their mandate and commitment.

We would be delighted to meet with you and provide you with more information about the Network and this new integrated care model.  In the meantime, please take a few moments to view the enclosed 9-minute video that will give you an idea of the impact this new approach is having on parents and front line professionals serving children with special needs.

 

Respectfully submitted,

Board of Directors
Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe York

Attachment

For further information or a personal briefing, please contact:
Robert Morton
CEO, Children’s Treatment Network
1-877-719-4795 ext. 2381
robert.morton@ctn-simcoeyork.ca
www.ctn-simcoeyork.ca

Backgrounder

Children’s Treatment Network of Simcoe York is a new not-for-profit service delivery model for children with multiple disabilities in Simcoe County and York Region. This unique integrated network model builds on the strengths of existing service providers, including healthcare, recreation, education, social and community resources, to create a revolutionary system that provides a single point of contact and a single plan of care for children and youth from birth to 19 who have special physical, developmental, and communication needs.

The Network model is an entirely new approach that is based on service providers from different agencies and organizations collaborating and taking a team approach to each child's rehabilitation and habilitation needs.  The ultimate goal of Children’s Treatment Network is to expand services available in the community and link all regional resources to create a comprehensive rehabilitation system that is easily accessed. The Network will coordinate services from many agencies throughout all stages of a child’s development. 

Network services are available to children and youth with a wide range of multiple disabilities and complex conditions that require intensive therapy, specialized equipment or travel to treatment centres outside of the community including: cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, brain injury, developmental and learning difficulties, spina bifida, autism or pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and other long-term medical conditions.

Services provided through Network members to these children and youth include: Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Recreation Therapy, Social Work, Psychology, Nursing, Orthotics, Audiology, Seating and Mobility, Feeding and Swallowing, Augmentative Communication, as well as additional medical and child development services.

As part of the publicly funded system under the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, Children's Treatment Network services are free.

1-866-377-0286 to access Coordinated Services and Local Teams  - Parents of children with multiple disabilities can access the Network through a toll free number.  The Network comprises over 40 agencies and organizations working together.  Services will be provided through Local Teams that are made up of a range of professionals from member agencies. These Local Teams will ensure families have smooth, easy access to coordinated care plans and seamless provision of services. The Network will also work closely with organizations such as Sick Kids and Bloorview Kids Rehab to coordinate specialized services and care, where needed.

Reducing Waitlists and Meeting Service Gaps - Children's Treatment Network will continue to enhance and expand critically needed services available in the community. Initiatives include local access to specialty clinics, equipment and therapies as well as provision of training programs to broaden the range of services available in Simcoe and York.  By the end of 2007, at total of 10 Local Teams will be on the ground.  Two Resource Centres will further enhance support for children, families and service providers.

Resource Centres provide more access to a full range of integrated services closer to home - The first Resource Centre located in The Common Roof in Barrie opened in September 2006 and brings expanded rehabilitation services and four critically needed specialty services to the area.  The specialty services include Augmentative Communication, Feeding and Swallowing, Seating and Mobility and Orthotics. For the first time, over 1700 kids with multiple disabilities in Simcoe County will have another point of access to a full range of enhanced and integrated rehabilitation and child development services, equipment and professionals in one location.  The Centre is also home to the first dedicated Paediatric Therapy Gym in Simcoe. 

A second Resource Centre located in Richmond Hill at the Multi-Service Hub opened in June, 2007 to serve over 2800 York Region kids with special needs.

For more information on the Network and its partners, visit www.ctn-simcoeyork.ca