Despite the best of intentions and now what has admittedly been an extended hiatus – I am back.
Back from an exceptional summer vacation and back to the realities of the fast changing face of developmental services.
Although reminded that Ontario’s current ‘transformation’ of the service sector has really been in the works for perhaps 25 or more years (Challenges and Opportunities, 1986 and Making Services Work for People, 1997), the recent pace of change of late has been nothing short of rapid. Over a twenty plus year period, successive governments have pretty consistently maintained as the key drivers of change – fairness, equity, access, portability, accountability, and always, “within available resources”.
To arrive at their position and to reinforce their change strategies government has consulted with many groups; parents, services users, those seeking service, agency representatives and provincial organizing groups such as OASIS, Community Living Ontario, family networks and others. While one could never expect the myriad groups to offer completely similar and mutually supportive views, the mastery of bureaucracy has seemingly been able to ‘thread the needle’ such to offer assurance that today’s ‘transformation’ will attend to the system’s shortcomings. Only time I suppose will tell.
During the past 2 years, change has been quickening. In 2009, the closure of the last 3 provincial institutions was surely a significant event. Community Living Wallaceburg did see the proliferation of numerous shared accommodations sites. With real hope and promise, people were welcomed back to community, closer to families and in settings that began to make up for years of separation and isolation. Curiously, in 2010 Community Living Wallaceburg saw the government force the closure of Chatham-Kent’s only residential program for children with multiple and complex needs, citing the imperative to support children in their family homes. Making it difficult for referrals to come forward from families and local child welfare agencies, and then citing a ‘lack of referrals’, government made its move. Also in 2010, the Social Inclusion Act was proclaimed, providing government with new authority to deliver on its ‘transformation agenda’. New accountability measures, application and funding entities were being readied for launch.
Early on, we are left to question, will adequate funding from ‘within available resources’ be made available to local families? Will families really be offered fair and equitable access to services they need? Only after considerable push back did the Ministry reverse its plan to offer service to new applicants for deaf/blind services ‘from within available (current) resources’. Of course the effect had they gone ahead would have meant a huge reduction in service to those currently receiving supports. We remain vigilant in our watch of this file. And – without adequate resources or local services we wonder, will children with complex needs once again be separated from their families when a crisis presents, and be placed in residential settings outside of Chatham-Kent? Only time will tell.
Effective July 1st, 2011, government operationalized Developmental Services Ontario – its single point of access for all adult services. The far reaching nature of this change is only beginning to become more evident and more time will be required to understand its full implications. Determining eligibility for service is expected to become more cumbersome. Provincial Legislation dictates that only a psychological assessment will be accepted to confirm ‘disability’. Chatham-Kent has no dedicated resources to assist with this requirement. Will government make these resources available? How long people may wait to learn of their eligibility? Only time will tell.
While we anticipated certain change as it related to applying to, receiving or waiting for adult residential services, in late June 2011 it was suddenly and unexpectedly announced that the adult stream of Special Services at Home would become part of the Passport program and all new and re-applications for Passport (and SSAH) would be processed by the new Developmental Services Ontario – Southwest Region branch. This single change calls into question what role SSAH coordinating agencies across Ontario, such as Community Living Wallaceburg’s Individual and Family Direct Support program will have going forward.
Community Living Wallaceburg anticipates that Chatham-Kent families can expect this change to have a direct effect on who they will deal with when applying to this program and perhaps over time, from whom and how they hire workers, receive services and funding for in-home and community supports. Little information is being made available at this time. Only time will tell.
Community Living Wallaceburg, as with all SSAH coordinating agencies, are currently working with MCSS to undertake an ‘environmental scan’ that is expected to provide government with sufficient information to make additional change in keeping with its ‘transformation agenda’.
Time will tell what the full impact might be and whether these changes and the others I have referenced will in fact advance government’s principles of fairness, equity, portability, etc; and as importantly, to what extent will these changes meet with individual and family approval.
Some things that are certain:
As stated earlier, various consultations have provided government with the fortitude to take action. They have regularly published updates through their newsletter entitled “Spotlight on Transformation”. However the details and extent of certain changes are only now becoming more clear. Families, in-home workers, staff at agencies and those seeking service might be well advised to read up on government’s plans and actions.
Community Living Ontario and OASIS, two provincial groups that Community Living Wallaceburg belongs to, offer some excellent information and tips on how you can learn more about issues effecting developmental services (see links below). And with an election just weeks away – people affected by these changes might consider asking local candidates what their position is on matters influencing the rapid change to the local and provincial developmental services system.
We’d love to hear your views.
Gee – it’s great to be back.
Spotlight on Transformation – www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/publications/spotlight.aspx
Community Living Ontario – www.communitylivingontario.ca
OASIS – www.oasisonline.ca or www.ontarioforoasis.ca
For those who know me, especially those who work closely with me, you have likely experienced (or suffered through) my passion for written and spoken language. You know how important I view the use of words, content, sentence structure, the medium – and the message. And yet today, with my first ‘blog’ offering I step out with some trepidation into a territory I have barely personally explored. That space, or place we have come to know as – the internet.
With encouragement from people around me – particularly staff and the Board members at Community Living Wallaceburg, I have accepted the challenge to create and encourage a dialogue where I hope to offer current, relevant and topical musings that are important to the work we do at CLW.
As an organization we have long committed ourselves to being agents of change. We fashion ourselves as leaders and we encourage each other to always do better for the people we are privileged to serve and the communities we work in. It is from this platform that I am excited to begin using social media to expand our ability to communicate with the local public, our key stakeholders, and maybe even people beyond.
With ‘Community Living Month’ upon us, we have many activities underway that bring positive attention to the goals and successes of the agency and the people who use our services. Launching our refashioned website, establishing a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, are four new activities we are excited to be involved with. I encourage you to check out and use our website, and to sign on and regularly follow us at these popular social media sites.
And, I hope too, that the future offerings from David’s Blog, will be of interest, value and enjoyment.
Until next week one, day four – David