Letter from North Island Early Child Development Society and Stepping Stones Centre for Child Development

North Island Early Child Development Society and Stepping Stones Centre for Child Development

Premier Gordon Campbell
premier@gov.bc.ca

Mary Polack, Minister Children and Family Development
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development
MCF. DeputyMinisterOffice@gov.bc.ca


October 9, 2009.


Dear Honourable Members of the BC Legislature,

The MCFD’s recent announcement to close the office of the Provincial Advisor to the Infant Development Programme, which has been in place since 1975, is devastating news for our staff and families. It really makes me wonder if our new minister truly understands the dynamic role the provincial office plays in ensuring that vulnerable children are receiving the best care at the earliest age possible. While I acknowledge the need to cut back on bureaucratic spending, it is important to understand that the IDP of BC Office is not an administrative office. It is a bustling centre providing information, support and resources to families and direction, training and clinicial supervision to IDP Consultants throughout the province. As well, the provincial advisor works closely with medical professionals, researchers and ministry personnel to ensure that the program is incorporating up-to-date interventions, responding to current statistical trends, and integrating ministry initiatives. In fact, almost all of the administration that is required for the Infant Development Program is carried out by the contracted agencies - not by the Provincial IDP Office.
Cutting the IDP provincial office is not eliminating a level of administrative bureaucracy, it is more like cutting off the head of one of the most valued programs we have for children and families. This office ensures that there is a constant flow of information and support between IDP consultants and the families they serve and the MCFD, medical professionals and researchers in the fields of early brain development and infant care.
For a cost of only $300,000 a year, BC tax payers receive a provincial program that can boast:
• 194 Infant Development Consultants working with our youngest and most vulnerable citizens with the provincial office providing the clinical support, training, up-to-date information and resources needed to provide high quality early intervention to our youngest children with medical conditions, sensory impairments or developmental delays.
• Over 8000 families served annually, benefiting from the IDP provincial office which provides information on child development and available medical services, as well as referral services, needed resources, links to associations, effective early intervention strategies, and connections to professionals and other parents who are know how to best provide for infants with certain medical conditions.
• Evidence-based research and annual statistical information that is collected, shared and used to improve services for infants and children at risk in BC (e.g.; UBC, Human Early Learning Partnership, Health Authorities, Centre for Rural Health Research, etc.).
• Implementation of well-planned and coordinated provincial initiatives (e.g., BC Early Hearing Program, Infant Mental Health, Supported Child Development, Aboriginal IDP, etc).
• Well-trained and supported professional staff providing high quality services that are consistent throughout the province.

The office of the IDP of BC regularly updates the IDP Policy and Procedure Manual reflecting current research findings, best practices and new program supports to families. Our Provincial Advisor has worked diligently with MCFD, medical professionals, researchers and international experts in the field of early child development to ensure that the Infant Development Program of BC remains strong, current and effective.
The five part-time Regional Advisors make certain that each of the 194 IDP consultants in the province has the information, support and resources they need to provide effective early interventions to the children they serve. They also make sure that information flows between the front line workers through the provincial office to the ministry, researchers and medical professionals. The Provincial Office is structured to ensure that this MCFD funded program provides a consistently high quality service throughout the province.
For us at the Northern tip of Vancouver Island, we know that when a child is found to have a rare medical condition, information, expertise and resources are only an e-mail away. Without the IDP Provincial Office, we would have to spend days if not weeks researching the condition, consulting with doctors, medical professionals and therapists trying to find developmentally appropriate interventions, and then hunting down needed resources for the child and family. Currently, all we need to do is call the IDP Provincial Office and the word is out through the IDP network. Usually the same day, we are linked to current and relevant information, resources and expertise.
The people working at the Provincial Office have dedicated their lives to improving outcomes for infants at risk. They are very involved and knowledgeable about early child development, medical interventions, brain development research, early learning initiatives and family-centred practices. They are abreast of current trends, best practices and effective interventions for infants at risk. For the minister to say, "The fact remains that these are administrative positions that we can fulfill the duties of within the ministry, and that allows us to direct increased funding to front-line direct services to kids," illustrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the role of the IDP Provincial Office. These are not positions that an administrator or social worker could assume. These are highly specialized positions which come with unique skill sets and professional liaisons that would be very difficult, if not impossible, to fill.
Assigning the tasks of the IDP Advisors to regional MCFD staff would create a number of difficulties, including:
1. Loss of an internationally recognized, province-wide program providing leadership, vision, best practices, support, resources, guidance, training and collaboration in the field of Infant Development.
2. Loss of highly trained and knowledgeable professionals in the field of Infant Development.
3. Loss of this expertise will detrimentally impact the development of any new provincial programs or initiatives intended to improve serves to young children at risk and their families.
4. Loss of consistency and fragmentation of IDP’s across the province will lead to greater regional differences and could possibly deteriorate the quality of services provided to clients in certain regions over time. It may also be more difficult for a child to continue recieving IDP services if the family moves to a region that has developed different practices.
5. No effective way to maintain current professional standards, best practices or impliment the high quality program that currently exists. It would also be difficult to address new program needs including incorporating new research or medical findings, implementing new intervention practices/programs, providing specialized resources to IDP Consultants and families throughout the province, etc.
6. Loss of a strong provincial advocate who understands the needs for our youngest developmentally at-risk children and their families and the family centred approach proven so successful in providing effective services to a wide variety of families.
7. Loss of provincial IDP training and conferences (e.g. Early Years Conference, In-service training, UBC Summer institues, BC Early Hearing training, assessment training, etc.) to ensure that all IDP consultants have the skills and support needed to assess and monitor each infant’s progress according to their specific developmental and medical needs and to develop and impliment a wide variety of effective early intervention strategies that can be delivered by the parents in the child’s home.
8. Small regional programs would be vulnerable to the “revolving door” of frequently changing MCFD staff who may have little or no training in the field of Infant Development, may not understand the unique and immediate needs of this fragile population or may not value a family-centred approach to service provision.
9. Loss of up-to-date information to IDP consultants regarding current trends, new assessment tools, new resources, innovative early intervention strategies, up-to-date medical information and research information, etc
10. Loss of a supportive professional network , including the IDP website, IDP contact list, annual In-services, monthly conference calls, the provincial IDP Manual, etc.
11. Loss of the primary source for the development and review of IDP policy and procedures, program guidance, professional support and mentoring for new consultants.

While I understand the MCFD’s reason for this decision, “The decision to eliminate the advisor positions is part of our effort to reduce administrative costs.” I can’t help but worry that there is more to this sudden action than just financial concerns. It makes no sense that the Minister gave only two days notice that the contract for the Provincial Office for the Infant Development Program would end when, at the September 10th Provincial Steering Committee meeting, MCFD announced that a communication plan would be presented outlining any proposed changes to the IDP Provincial office. But there was no discussion regarding a plan nor was there any communication regarding the closure of the IDP of BC. No one from the Provincial Steering Committee or the IDP Provincial Office was every contacted by the ministry prior to this decision.
If this was just about saving money, why was there no discussion about where the Infant Development Program may be able to cut back on spending? Why was this decision implemented so abruptly and inconsiderately? Why would the MCFD break its commitment to provide a communication plan to discuss proposed changes to the members of the Provincial Steering Committee? And why would the ministry, only two weeks later, act counter to that announcement? What prevented the Ministry from meeting with the Provincial Steering Committee as planned to engage informed committee members in productive discussion and collaborative decision making?
Having worked for the government, I know that nothing happens that quickly. This had to be a decision made months ago, perhaps even before the minister took office.
I remember former judge, Ted Hughes, urging an end to the constant turnover of MCFD Ministers in his 2006 review of the child welfare system. The upheaval, he believed, had taken a toll on the ministry's ability to set direction, frame goals and make progress. I also remember Carol James’ comment when the third minister in three years was appointed last June; “But I'm concerned,” she said, “I'm concerned that it sends a message ... that [the new minister will] be there to manage the cuts instead of improve services." I believe that this is what is now happening. The minister is simply cutting programs without an opportunity to set goals or engage in meaningful consultation that is necessary to ensure service standards.
According to the MCFD’s Final Report of the Transition Steering Committee on the Implementation of the Recommendation from the BC Children and Youth Review , it clearly states, “MCFD is committed to designing and implementing an integrated service delivery system in which decision making, resources and services are decentralized to regions and communities.” This decision is not about maintaining high quality services within budget cuts. It is about transferring control of MCFD funded programs to regional MCFD staff. I worry that the decision to close the IDP Provincial Office is simply a result of MCFD’s new direction for providing services to children and youth and was not based on understanding how the IDP functions or considering the very real consequences of shutting down the heart of this program. Make no mistake; this decision will essentially kill this well-respected, internationally recognized, quality program that has been serving BC families for 35 years.
I am also concerned that this move to have MCFD staff oversee this very specialized program could shift the program’s focus away from family-centered early intervention to providing services that support the child protection mandate of the MCFD. This could profoundly alter the nature and practice of IDP services currently guided by the Provincial Office.
I strongly urge the Minister for Children and Family Development, the Deputy Minister and our Premier to carefully consider the consequences of this sudden action, discuss other possibilities with the Provincial Steering Committee as planned, and familiarize yourselves with the many important functions of the IDP Provincial Office. If the goal is to strengthen regional services, the IDP is currently structured to provide this with Regional Advisors already in place. If the goal is to reduce the budget by $300,000, then please consult with the Provincial Steering Committee and the Provincial IDP of BC as planned to see where budget cuts can be made with the least amount of impact to the program and the services our families depend on.
I thank you for your consideration. I look forward to your response to the issues and concerns raised in this letter. In trust that you will take appropriate measures to rectify this situation, I am,

Sincerely yours,



Kate Pinsonneault
Program Coordinator



CC:
Claire Trevena, MLA

IDP of BC