2006-2007 PLANNING UPDATE

1. 2006-2007 PLANNING UPDATE

2. Vision of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services: • Vision:An Ontario where all children and youth have the best opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential

3. Ministry of Children and Youth Services: • Focused on achieving the following out-comes for children and youth in general: • Ontario’s Children and Youth are: • Safe from harm • Valued, involved & responsible • Healthy & active • Economically secure. • Ready to learn at all ages

4. Differential Response Permanency Strategy Court Processes Accountability Research/Outcomes Single Information System Multi-year Funding Approach Child Welfare Secretariat Transformation Agenda:

5. What’s New?

6. Implementing TransformationProvincial Activities: • Bill 210 at Committee: Royal Assent by the end of March, Proclamation: October 2006 • Regulations to support the legislation now under development • Field Implementation of new legislation scheduled for the Fall 2006

7. Bill 210 – What is different? • Overall purpose is to make the legislative changes necessary to enable transformation • Measures enabling Kinship Care • ‘place of safety’ definition • Supervisory terms can apply to a family or community member • Custody Orders • Measures relating to Adoption • Openness orders • Complaints Procedure

8. Provincial Activities:Differential Response • “Test Drive” of new Safety Assessment, Risk Assessment, Family Reunification Assessment completed in December 2005 • New “Family Strength and Needs Assessment” being developed • Changes to Eligibility Spectrum: Family Violence • Implementation with new legislation and regulations

9. Provincial Activities:Pillars of Permanence SAFE • Structured Analysis Family Evaluation • January 2006 for Adoption home studies • Standardizes assessment for private/public • Use for Adoption/Foster Care Resources • Full implementation by April 2007

10. Provincial Activities:Pillars of Permanence PRIDE: Implement by April 07 • Parent Resources for Information Development Education • Competency based model for the development/support of foster and adoptive families • Structured Framework for recruitment, selection, training of resource families

11. Provincial Activities:Pillars of Permanence OnLAC: Looking After Children • Assessment for all children in care >1yr. • Assesses child’s progress across 7 dimensions. Annual AAR. • Digital Pen Pilot.

12. Pillars of Permanence SAFE A common approach to Assessment and training of caregivers and a model for case planning for children and youth OnLAC PRIDE

13. Pillars of Permanence Kinship and Customary Care • Kinship Care Regulations underway • ANCFSAO Customary Care Project with chiefs of Ontario and MCYS • PRIDE pre-service and SAFE home study tools to be adapted for Kin families • Kinship Care Symposium will be held April 06.

14. Provincial Initiatives: Alternative Dispute Resolution • Bill 210 provides for use of ADR before and during court proceedings • Legal representation for the child would be provided as soon as ADR is proposed • Mediation Reference Group now working on policy for all aspects of mediation

15. Provincial Initiatives: Alternative Dispute Resolution – Cont’d… • Agencies encouraged to develop other forms of ADR locally: Family Centred Conferencing, Talking Circles etc. • F&CS developing comprehensive conferencing model supported by Block 2 Funding

16. Provincial Activities: Single Information System • SIS Contract with IBM signed • 10 Working Groups established for Business Process Review • Working Groups meet January - May 2006 • Design phase of new SIS June - December 2006 • Timiskaming, Simcoe and Renfrew agencies will pilot SIS from January-June 2007

17. Provincial Activities: Accountability/Research • Accountability Framework by Spring 2006. • Linking Child Welfare and the Children’s Service System in Ontario • Increasing access to services for child welfare clients in the community • Community capacity building: Consultation in February • Development of Research and Outcomes Measurement Branch • Provincial Grant-In Aid Funding • Agency funded to develop 3 proposals

18. Provincial Activities:Multi Year Funding Approach • 2005/06 Year-end Forecasts–Child Welfare

19. 2005/06 Year End Forecasts–Child Welfare • Service Volumes - % Change from 2003/04 Baseline Year

20. Looking Ahead to 2006/07 • Ministry has approved multi-year financial & service planning for Child Welfare. • Child Welfare transformation policies, Bill 210 and related regulations will be rolled out by Ministry during 2006/07. • Funding Model and Multi year Results Based Planning process will evolve as transformation unfolds.

21. Looking Ahead to 2006/07 cont’d… • Senior Management now developing service volume and financial forecasts for 2006/07, and planning amounts for 2 years thereafter. • Service Volume declines since 2003/04 could reduce Waterloo FCS funding in 06/07 by $3.7 Million. • Savings actioned already would reduce this impact to $2.2 Million.

22. Looking Ahead to 2006/07 cont’d… • Ministry will be providing $32.8 Million for implementation of Transformation province wide in 2006/07 targeted to specific policy areas. • Transformation allocations to agencies likely to happen in two phases – during April and October

23. How Provincial Transformationfits with Agency Directions

24. FCS Guiding Principles under-lying Model of Service Directions: • To increase availability and accessibility of programs which strengthen the capacity of parents to care well for their children and which enhance the development of children, • To increase service to families by agreement and reduce court ordered intervention, • To enable children in the care of the agency to reach their full potential.

25. FCS Guiding Principles under-lying Model of Service Directions: • Balancing Child Safety with Community Based Service Provision • Range of Responses/Services for Children and Families with family, community, other service providers, in care, adoption • Focus on Permanence across the spectrum

26. Model of Service

27. Community-Based Services • Program Description • designed to increase the availability and accessibility of programs and supports to children & families • Services include a range of evidence-based parenting programs, evidence-based children’s programs, workshops and community resources • delivered in collaboration with community partners including Ontario Early Years Centres, Children’s Mental Health Services, Children’s Developmental Services and local Community Centres

28. Community-Based Services • Current Locations • Kitchener & Cambridge Early Years Centres • 3 Cambridge Community Centres • Lang’s Farm, • Christopher Champlain and • Greenway Chaplin • 3 Kitchener Community Centres • Chandler Mowat, • Centreville Chicopee and • Courtland-Shelley

29. Community-Based Services • Target Clientele • At risk community clients – reside in the catchment area of the community centre in which the program is being offered. • Referred clients – open to protection at the Intake level. • Child Welfare clients – open to protection at the Ongoing/Family Service level.

30. Core Features of Service • Offered in community ‘hubs’ such as Ontario Early Years Centres and various Community Centres across the Region. • To increase service to families by agreement and reduce court ordered intervention.

31. Core Features of Service • Rationale (Cont’d): • Support families in a non-stigmatizing, community-based setting. • Families will have increased exposure/access to a broad range of supports and services, i.e., NCB outreach workers, food security programs, clothing exchanges, counselling, public health, mental health services, addiction services, etc.

32. Core Features of Service • Rationale (Cont’d): • Engaging families with the broader community and increasing their social support network contributes to a more comprehensive and sustainable intervention • This is particularly important when working with families who present with more chronic and multi-layered problems associated with neglect, exposure to domestic violence and socio-economic disadvantage. • Children more visible in the community.

33. Core Features of Service • Delivered in collaboration with community partners including staff from Ontario Early Years Centre, Children’s Mental Health services, Children’s Developmental Services, House of Friendship and local community centres etc.

34. Core Features of Service • Rationale: • Collaborative relationships with community partners will provide a more integrated service for families, develop stronger interagency networks and foster a collective responsibility and involvement in child protection.

35. Core Features of Service • Rationale (Cont’d): • Personalized group pre-screening process by group facilitators will help to promote relationship building with participants and provide an opportunity to identify each client’s unique challenges & strengths; thereby increasing client’s ability to engage and benefit from services and programs. • Shared costs/resources/staffing contributes to sustainability of programs.

36. Core Features of Service • Evidence-based Programs • Rationale: • Offering interventions based on program models that are grounded in research and have been evaluated with proven/known outcomes with similar populations; significantly improves our ability to achieve positive outcomes with families.

37. COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS 2006 WINTER SCHEDULE

38. Adolescent Team • Chris Reitzel Supervisor • Karen Walker Intake • Sandra Ordiway Intake • Chris Hoffer Family Service • Chrissy Foley Family Service • Kelly Soto Family Service • Steve Dick Children’s Service

39. Mandate • Responding to 42A and 42B referrals • Caregiver/Child Conflict • Other related referrals

40. Adolescent Team Response • Response Time • Access to Service(s) and Supports • Common Philosophy and Response • Expertise • Communication and Co-ordination

41. Links • Outreach Workers • Going Beyond Group • Langford Treatment Home • Youth Services • QA and Information Services

42. Future Plans • Group for Parents • Group for Adolescents • Drug Information Session

43. Family Violence TeamMembers • Lisa Leiher Supervisor • Chris Leslie Intake Worker • Alice Mazere Intake Worker • Duane Boles Family Service Worker • Marilyn Curry Family Service Worker • Patti Moses Family Service Worker • Cindy King Clinical Worker • Michelle Smith Clinical Worker

44. Additional Members • Erin Schreiter Supervisor • Neta Gear Family Service Worker

45. Ongoing Specialized Refer to Specialized Supervisor Directly Ongoing Generic Screeners Screeners Family Violence Intake General Intake Kitchener/ Cambridge Clinical Programs

46. Role of Intake Worker • Investigation and assessment of family violence cases. • Focus is on two types of referrals: • Families where there have been a number of previous openings. However, the issues remain. • Referrals from community partners: shelter, counselling agencies, etc.

47. Role of Family Service Worker • Carry a caseload of primarily family violence cases. • Provide services to families working closely with VAW service providers.

48. Role of Clinical Staff • Individual, family and group counselling. • Primary focus will be on providing services to: men, children and women who have barriers to attending local agencies for service.

49. Role of Clinical Staff cont’d…. • More and more emphasis will be placed on group work facilitated jointly with community partners. • Clinical staff to actively seek out these opportunities.

50. Current Projects: Women Moving Forward • For women no longer in crisis. • Have left abusive partner. • Goals: Assist women to understand dynamics of abuse, understand the impact of domestic violence on children, recognize their own unhealthy coping strategies.