News & Updates
NETWORK E-BULLETIN - NOVEMBER 2007 EDITION
Georgina Site Now Open; Win Lunch for Your Team & November eBulletin
NEWS AT A GLANCE:- Newly renovated Georgina Local Team Site Now Open
- Development of Local Teams Speeds Up
- Win Lunch for Your Team!
- Upcoming Single Plan of Care Training
- SPOTLIGHT ON…Region of York
- Network Evolution Snapshot
Newly Renovated Georgina Local Team Site Now Open
Renovations are complete and the site is now ready for use by all local professionals serving kids with special needs. Located in R.L. Graham Public School at 70 Biscayne Blvd. in Keswick, the facility partners with the school, Ontario Early Years and Kinark Daycare in its efforts to provide collaborative service to children and their families. It has been specially designed and equipped to support a wide range of services and therapies including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language, augmentative communication, feeding, walking and overall mobility functions. The facility includes:
- a fully equipped Therapy Gym and observation room
- 2 Activity/Treatment Rooms with observation rooms
- a small meeting room which can also be used as an adolescent treatment space
- drop down office space that therapists can use to make calls and update notes between appointments
- wireless internet connectivity
Tour the Site and meet with Kim Thorn to discuss your needs
Georgina Local Team Facilitator Kim Thorn (left) walks representatives from York Region District School Board and R. L. Graham School through the Therapy Gym during a recent tour of the site.
Kim is eager to meet with Network partners and professionals from education, healthcare and community service organizations to discuss how the facilities and equipment can be used to serve kids with disabilities in the Georgina area. She explains, "In addition to therapists booking the space and equipment, we're also having discussions with local groups on how the space can be used to meet community needs".
Top - Christine Cyr, Parent Volunteer at R.L.Graham Public School gives the Gym Spin a whirl. Accompanying Christine on the tour were (back left to right) Paula McFarlane, Parent Volunteer; Lorie Leetham, R.L. Graham School Council Chair; Marlene Ostrom, Education Assistant, York Region District School Board; Amanda Stribbell, Community Coordinator, York Region District School Board; and Kim Thorn, Georgina Local Team Facilitator.
Bottom - Amanda Stribbell (front), Christine Cyr (centre) and Paula McFarlane (back) try out some of the therapeutic toys in the Treatment Room.
How to arrange a tour and/or book appointments to use the facilities:
- Drop in to tour the new site and discuss your needs with Kim during Site Orientation sessions on:
- Wednesday Dec. 19 from 10:30 am - noon
- Wednesday Jan. 9 from 10:30 am - noon
- You can also arrange a tour and/or book appointments to use the facilities by contacting Kim Thorn directly at 905-722-6484 ext. 269 , kthorn@yssn.ca
- Network partners can book appointments to use the space and equipment on SharePoint, the Network’s online collaboration site http://sharepointcentral.sharepointsite.net/CTN1/default.aspx You will need your SharePoint password. If you have forgotten your password or need to arrange for a password, contact Silvie Thickett at 1-877-719-4795 ext. 2379, silvie.thickett@ctn-simcoeyork.ca
Development of Local Teams Speeds Up
Network partners have created the new tools and system that provide kids and families with intensive coordinated and integrated care. Now all of their front line staff is starting to come together locally, to ensure that families in their area have easy access to a single plan of care and well-coordinated service delivery.
There are 10 Local Teams being brought together to serve kids and families across Simcoe and York. The goal is to create comprehensive and robust community teams made up of professionals from all sectors -- education, healthcare, community and social services -- who work closely together. As members of the Child, Youth & Family Services Coalition of Simcoe County or the York Region Advisory Forum on Children, Youth & Families, all Network partners participate in these local school-community planning teams. Network partners will work with each team to increase coordination at the local level for kids with multiple needs.
Local Team Facilitators assist team members to create a culture of collaboration, ongoing professional development and integrated service delivery. Six of the Local Teams now have sites where team members can come together to plan, access specialized equipment and deliver services. Four more Local Team sites are under development and are scheduled to open in 2008.
If you deliver services to kids with special needs in Simcoe or York, you are a member of a Local Team. As more children and families transition into the single plan of care system, it is critical that you connect with your Local Team so that you can work together to implement the integrated approaches that will support each child through all the phases of their development.
It’s easy to connect with your Local Team. Here’s what you need to do:
- Register for access to SharePoint, the Network’s online collaboration and communication centre for professionals by contacting silvie.thickett@ctn-simcoeyork.ca or call 1-877-719-4795 ext. 2379. Add your contact information in SharePoint, and click on the Local Team(s) you are connected to (the geographic areas you serve)
- Read about single plan of care on SharePoint, and talk to your manager about scheduling training on the new process and shared electronic record. You can book your training sessions on SharePoint or contact Silvie Thickett for more information
- Contact your Local Team Facilitator (contact information is listed on SharePoint) for orientation dates where you can start networking with your local colleagues. For Local Team sites already open, you can arrange to tour the site, see the equipment available and book appointments to use the facility. Local Team Facilitators will keep you up to date on opportunities; they also want to hear from you about local needs
Win Lunch for your Team! Register for SharePoint
If you have registered for SharePoint by December 12th, you will be eligible to win a pizza lunch for your Network team. Lunch will be hosted and served by the Network’s CEO Bob Morton.
The team you treat to lunch could be your Local Team, your Specialty Services Team or your Working Group team … the choice is yours and we’ll help you get your invitation list together. And of course, your team lunch will be scheduled at the date and location of your preference. Here’s all you have to do.
- Contact Silvie Thickett at silvie.thickett@ctn-simcoeyork.ca, 1-877-719-4795 ext 2379 and register for SharePoint
- Enter your contact information
That’s all there is to it. Once you have registered for SharePoint and entered your contact information, your name will be entered into the draw along with your colleagues who are already using SharePoint to collaborate together. The winner will be announced in the December eBulletin. Good luck!
Preview of Upcoming Single Plan of Care Training Sessions
Over the next few months, the first wave of 300 children are transitioning into the Network’s single plan of care system. And Network partners are gearing up! Although over 300 professionals have already been trained on the new process and shared electronic record, we’re ramping up efforts to train everyone working with children with multiple needs.
You can complete both the Process and Electronic Record training during a full day session or schedule your training in 2 half-day sessions. If you have a number of people in your organization who want to train together, Silvie Thickett silvie.thickett@ctn-simcoeyork.ca can arrange for customized training session(s) to be scheduled. So contact Silvie or book your training on SharePoint.
Single Plan of Care Process & Shared Electronic Record Training Schedule:
Location: York Resource Centre, Richmond Hill
Friday Dec. 7: 9am - 4pm (full day Process & Electronic Record training)
Thursday Dec. 13: 9am - 12 noon (Process training)
Tuesday Dec. 18: 9am - 12 noon (Electronic Record training)
Tuesday Jan. 8: 9am - 12 noon (Process training)
Thursday Jan. 17: 9am - 12 noon (Electronic Record training)
Tuesday Jan. 22: 9am - 12 noon (Electronic Record training)
Location: Simcoe Resource Centre, Barrie
Tuesday Jan. 29: 9am - 1pm (Process training)
Thursday Jan. 31: 9am - 1pm (Electronic Record training)
SPOTLIGHT ON…Region of York
The Region of York has a long standing reputation for leadership in the delivery of coordinated services and support programs for families in the community. Among other programs, York Region has been delivering the pre-school Early Intervention Services program for more than three decades. Today, over 70 staff members serve a growing population of children age birth to age six with multiple disabilities annually. This past year alone, 1,600 children benefited from the support of EI Services.
The Early Intervention Services program in partnership with Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Pre-School Speech and Language program delivers a range of integrated services, from group and individual therapy services (speech, language, physio, recreational, etc.), to providing support for children attending day care centres and those transitioning to the school system. Services are delivered in the home, as well as through resource and child care centres throughout the region.
Elizabeth Wagle, Director of Family and Children's Services for the Regional Municipality of York, notes that when early intervention is combined with other services, “Our programs touch 5,000 children a day including those with special needs.”
The Region of York’s Early Intervention Program has been a leader in the development and delivery of integrated services through a single plan of care model, she adds. “The Region of York is co-located with numerous agencies and/or services at all our sites. In addition, our KidsLine provides central, one-stop access to service information and intake for families. This is a unique program in Ontario.”
As an organization whose success has been built on an integrated care model, the Region of York has played an invaluable and active role in the design and development of the Children’s Treatment Network’s coordinated care initiatives. Manager of Early Intervention Services Dan Beale, supervisors Margo Allen and Cathy Saul, and numerous front line staff members have been actively participating in various Working Groups that have been integral to the Network’s development.
Region of York now hosts eight Network staff including a service coordinator, physiotherapy and occupational therapy professionals, and the Vaughan Local Team Facilitator, Carolyn James. All front line workers throughout the Region are now part of the Network’s Local Teams. In addition, the Network’s York Resource Centre is co-located in the Regional Municipality of York’s own multi-service hub in Richmond Hill.
“We have fully supported the Network’s efforts since the beginning,” says Wagle. “Partnering through the multi-service hub demonstrates to the community that the partnership is working well.”
She adds, “York Region has had a very strong tradition of integrating services for children with special needs. Working as a participant in the Children’s Treatment Network continues that tradition of creating strong partnerships to better serve children with special needs.”
NETWORK EVOLUTION SNAPSHOT - as of November 2007
- Transition to Single Plan of Care: 105 kids have started the process
- Recruitment: 83% of target reached; 71 additional professionals hired
- Electronic Record & Single Plan of Care Training: 310 professionals trained
- 2 Resource Centres and 4 of 8 Local Team Sites Operational (Barrie, Richmond Hill, Alliston, Midland, Georgina, Markham)
- Research Study: 52% of families needed are confirmed to participate
To learn more about Children’s Treatment Network visit www.ctn-simcoeyork.ca
To submit news or information for inclusion in Network eBulletins please email info@ctn-simcoeyork.ca