SSCY Status Report April 2007

March 2007

Background

Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) is an initiative focused on the integration and where possible, co-location of services for Manitoba children and youth with disabilities and special needs. The initiative addresses the many recommendations made over the past decade to improve the coordination and integration of services for children and families. It is also in keeping with the direction that the provincial
government and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) have been taking in integrating services and ensuring improved client centred service.

SSCY is an alliance of government departments, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and various service provider agencies. The three supporting provincial departments are Manitoba Family Services & Housing, Manitoba Education, Citizenship & Youth and Manitoba Health.

The service provider agencies are St. Amant Centre, the Society for Manitobans with Disabilities, the Rehabilitation Centre for Children, Community Respite Services, Central Speech & Hearing Clinic, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, Mount Carmel Clinic, Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre, The Movement Centre and Open Access Resource Centre.

Services provided by the WRHA as part of SSCY are Child Development Clinic, Children’s Hospital OT
and PT, Home Care, and Communications Disorders. A Family Services & Housing and a WRHA representative represent all participants on the Intersectoral Working Group (IWG), which is co-chaired.

SSCY’s Mission Statement is as follows:

Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) is an association of families, community agencies, government and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority that provides integrated family centred, communitybased services for children and youth with disabilities and/or special needs to support them in reaching their full potential.

SSCY brings together expertise in service delivery, research, education and technology serving the Province of Manitoba and surrounding areas.

Accomplishments

Using a project management approach, seven task teams have been established to address specific aspects of SSCY. Representatives from SSCY agencies participate on the task teams. They meet regularly to work through detailed work plans. Progress reports are made to the Intersectoral Working Group at the monthly meetings and
teams gain approval from the IWG on key decisions. Participant representatives communicate with their departments and agencies to inform them of SSCY decisions. SSCY participants maintain final approval authority for all strategic and policy decision.

The following outlines the work of the task teams to date.

1. Leadership, Partnership, Human Resources and Environment

The team’s mandate is to develop mechanisms for joint planning, the administration of shared service delivery, joint operating guidelines, internal and external communications, and evaluation of SSCY and staff relations. 

Accomplishments to date include:

  • The development of an approval process which supports the existing governance structures
  • The development of an overall communications plan.
  • The development of a draft Framework Agreement. This has been based on a similar agreement used to guide the implementation of the Winnipeg Integrated Services Initiative. This intent of this agreement is to confirm the commitment of each party in moving forward with the vision of SSCY. Further, the agreement will provide guidance in the development of operating guidelines as the initiative progresses. The agreement is currently under review. Following final revisions, it is planned that all participants will sign the Agreement. Commitment to the Agreement will secure the position of each of the participants as voting members of the Intersectoral Working Group.

Next steps

  • The team will be addressing fundraising for SSCY, the development of a quality improvement/risk management/evaluation framework. 
  • The team is also developing a proposal to establish a centralized intake system and direct service coordination.

2. Front End Services

The team’s mandate is to develop a centralized client registry and intake system to fulfill the vision of integrated service delivery in accordance with the principles of family centered care.

Accomplishments to date include:

  • The articulation of an ideal reception, intake and referral work flow,
  • The identification of appropriate space and equipment requirements to support the proposed reception, intake and referral work flow
  • The development of integrated intake instruments, procedures, and standards; the instrument has been pilot tested with one partner site and now being revised.
  • The development of a receptionist, intake and greeter position descriptions
  • The identification of a multi-agency intake team role description and composition, staffing requirements, and principles.

Next Steps

  • Develop a transition plan and identify supports required to manage change.
  • Complete an integrated intake process and form.

3. Direct Services

The team’s mandate is to design an integrated delivery system of specialized services for children with physical and developmental disabilities and their families and make recommendations for an implementation process. Without an integrated system, children and families can experience fragmented service, gaps in service and inconsistent service recommendations.

Accomplishments to date include:

  • Hosted an interactive information session with service providers in April 2005 to elicit feedback on emerging workflows and models. 40 staff from the participating agencies attended this session.
  • The completion of a Family Centred Practice philosophy and Families’ Bill of Rights & Responsibilities. This has been shared with families at a family forum held in October 2005 where input was also sought.
  • Completion of a draft Lead Service Coordinator principles and operating guidelines.
  • Survey of rural services provided by participants is complete.
  • The team has completed a profile of all services delivered outside of Winnipeg. 

Next Steps

  • The team is finalizing a service guide for families, which will describe all services and programs offered through SSCY by the various participants.
  • The team will develop shared policies and operating guidelines for shared service areas.

4. Family Resources

The mandate is to provide a comfortable and accessible Family Resource Centre that has a range of current resource materials for children, youth and families, a play area, meeting space for groups, trained staff to collect and maintain materials and to assist individuals with access to materials.

Accomplishments to date include:

  • The team has successfully established a Family Resource Centre temporarily at the Rehabilitation Centre for Children until a capital decision is made. The SSCY Family Resource Centre opened in June 2004 with $65,000 in grant and donor raised funds. It is equipped with computers for Internet searches, a toy lending library, over 1,000 resources (books, videos, etc.), play structures and comfortable seating arrangements. There are currently 286 library cardholders.
  • The Centre is open to the public.
  • The Family Resource team continues to seek private/grant funds for ongoing support.
  • Additional funds have been approved by Healthy Child Manitoba to address the two-way postage needs so that all families (urban, rural and northern) may borrow materials.

5. Family Engagement

The team’s mandate is to create mechanisms for ongoing consultations with families. Several different methods will form the strategy and will include questionnaires, newsletter, comment cards, a collaborative management style and adherence to family centered care, and issue specific focus groups.

Accomplishments to date include:

  • An interactive information session was held in April 2005 for families and service providers to obtain feedback on the architectural space plan.
  • A second session was held on October 25, 2005 in Winnipeg to gain feedback on the Family Centered Care Philosophy, Family Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, proposed intake and centralized client registry systems and the draft Lead Service Coordinator model.
  • The team has also held sessions for service providers in 10 rural and northern communities throughout October 2005.

Next Steps

The team will be formalizing a framework for ongoing family participation.

6. Information Management

The team’s mandate is to develop a range of information management processes for SSCY that will address issues including but not limited to centralized intake, confidentiality, information technology, coordinated record management and communication. Current and future information management needs will not be met without proper processes.

Accomplishments to date include: 

  • The team has identified preliminary information management processes related to information technology, file management and internal communications
  • The team participated in the WRHA RFP process for a primary care and community care IT solution. This work identified that the SSCY data requirements are closely aligned with other community care services. This close alignment will further assist assuring that SSCY can link closely with other community services.
  • A privacy impact assessment is in process pending decisions regarding integration of electronic and paper records. 
  • A preliminary IT project scope for SSCY has been completed.
  • Establishment of a web site. 

Next Steps

Further work on the privacy assessment has been deferred until IT solutions are further delineated.
ƒThe Leadership and Partnership task team will undertake continued Information Management work.

7. Capital Planning

The team’s mandate is to prepare, review and advise on plans and design of a facility to house co-locating SSCY service providers.

Accomplishments to date include:

  • A preliminary functional plan was completed in 2001 and updated in 2005
  • A detailed adjacency plan and functional plan has been completed (May 2005) for a new facility that will house each of the co-locating partners services.
  • Several meetings have occurred with government officials to review the capital and operating requirement for SSCY
  • Several briefing notes have also been prepared for government officials.
  • Rehab Centre for Children has met with the WRHA regarding the urgent need to address the current site. A formal submission has been made to the WRHA to request funding for riverbank stabilization due to increasing safety and security concerns.

Next Steps

  • The team continues to dialogue with government officials with the objective of arriving at a capital solution for SSCY.
  • Families will continue to be engaged in this process.
  • The Leadership and Partnership task team will undertake continued Capital Planning work.

8. Capital Campaign

The team’s mandate is to oversee a feasibility study to determine the scope of a major fund raising campaign, identify community leaders and prime donors and provide direction for a fund raising strategy.

Accomplishments to date include:

  • $25,000 has been raised from private sources to fund the feasibility study.

Next Steps

The study will be launched following government approval of operating cost estimates and confirmation of a capital commitment. (This is on hold pending a capital decision)

SSCY Programs and Services

WRHA Direct Operation Services

  • Child Development Clinic
  • Clinic for Alcohol & Drug Exposed Children (CADEC)
  • New Born Follow-up Clinic
  • Scoliosis Clinic
  • PT/OT/Speech Therapy, Audiology,

Psychology Services

  • Pediatric Homecare Services/ICS
  • Central Intake – Speech/Audiology

Department of Family Services and Housing

  • Children’s’ Special Services (Integrated Children’s Services & Child Development Councillors)
  • FAS/E Outreach Team

Community Respite Services

Rehabilitation Centre for Children/RCC Foundation

  • All programs and services

Society for Manitobans with Disabilities Services

  • POTC
  • Case Coordination (Children’s programs) 

Manitoba Adolescent Treatment Centre (MATC)
CNIB
Central Speech and Hearing Clinic
Mount Carmel Clinic
Child Guidance Clinic
Open Access Resource Centre
The Movement Centre of Manitoba
Manitoba Health
Department of Education, Citizenship & Youth
St. Amant Centre

  • POTC
  • ABA program
  • Family Care

For further information about SSCY please contact Jeanette Edwards, at (204) 926-8021 or email jedwards@wrha.mb.ca or Carolyn Loeppky at 945-8073 or email cloeppky@gov.mb.ca

For further information about the SSCY Family Resource Centre, please contact Collette Wilson at (204) 452-4311 or email collettew@rccinc.ca

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