Letter from Provincial Steering Committee

October 23, 2009

Doug Hughes
Regional Executive Director, Interior
Chair, Regional Executive Director Council

Mark Sieben
Chief Operating Officer, Integrated Policy & Legislation Team




Dear Mr. Hughes and Mr. Sieben:

Re: Your letter of October 19th, 2009, Ref #: 188506 to Community Agencies regarding the Provincial Advisors for Infant Development Program, Supported Child Development, Children First and Aboriginal Infant Development.

I am writing on behalf of the Provincial Steering Committee, Infant Development Programs of BC, in response to this letter, a copy of which was sent to us on October 19th, 2009. This letter is the first written information regarding the closure of the Provincial Offices that we have received from MCFD.

As you may know the Provincial Steering Committee has worked in partnership with MCFD, and previous related Social Service Ministries since 1975. During this time all of our work has been done in collaboration and in partnership with the Ministry and the various parents and professionals who serve on the Committee. These parents and professionals represent a variety of provincial agencies, hospitals, universities and research units connected to our work. Our work is a successful model of government, parent and professional collaboration. It is recognized internationally. Further, please note that the Provincial Steering Committee is a voluntary committee. Members receive no fees for their significant contributions to the field of early childhood intervention in BC.

The role of the Provincial Steering Committee is to support and direct the work of the Provincial Office. One of the Committee’s important responsibilities is to oversee the Policy and Procedures Manual and to ensure that this Manual reflects family-centred
evidence-based practice. Parents and professionals as well as field staff, employers and Ministry staff have input into the development and final review of the Manual as each edition is prepared.

In recent years, MCFD’s participation on the Provincial Steering Committee, both provincially and regionally, has been sporadic. We have had a series of different representatives for a number of years. For one period we had a different representative from MCFD at each meeting. We understand that this is a reflection of significant and ongoing internal government changes and restructuring within MCFD as well as staff changes. Consequently, this inconsistent representation may have resulted in an incomplete and fragmented understanding by senior MCFD staff of the nature and scope of the work done by the Provincial Steering Committee and the Provincial Office.

Because of this, we are very concerned that the recent government decision to discontinue the Provincial Offices for IDP, AIDP and SCD has been made without adequate information about the role of and work of the Provincial Offices and related Steering Committees. As we were not consulted prior to the MCFD decision of late September, we did not have the opportunity to share information that might have led to a different decision by their decision-makers.

In a teleconference with Jane Cowell, MCFD Regional Council Support Team, on October 19, 2009 we were informed that the decision to close the Provincial Offices was made because of budget limitations. She stated that the decision-making criteria used to determine whether programs would be funded, or not, was also dependent on whether they provided direct services to families. We understand that the decision-makers assumed that the Provincial Office does not provide direct support. However, the Provincial Office does provide direct support to families through the website and direct communication to parents seeking advice and information on child development.

The Office also acts as a referral vehicle for parents with infants with disabilities and professionals throughout BC. In addition, staff at BC Children’s Hospital, Sunny Hill Health Centre and other tertiary level programs for very low incidence children with disabilities (e.g. infants with vision and hearing loss) regularly use our services to link families with services. Further to this the Provincial Office works with Provincial Health Services to ensure their Health Line services accessible by toll free numbers to all families in BC are linked to our registry of programs which is updated on a weekly basis.

We were clearly informed during the teleconference, and this further confirmed by your letter of the same date, that the Ministry has no “transition plan” in place to ensure that there will be continued supports for the staff working in Infant Development Programs throughout BC or the related programs. We understand from Jane Cowell that our Provincial Advisors and Regional Advisors are expected to ‘volunteer’ to work toward developing a “transition plan,” and from your letter we note that this plan will include the roles of Infant Development Regional Advisors, a professional development strategy for community agencies, policy for MCFD, and regional support and networking for consultants.

The items in this plan could each be considered non-direct services, whether provided regionally or integrated with the Policy Division at MCFD, and each is in need of substantial funding in order to be done well. We are confused that consideration is being given to developing unproven, undeveloped strategies that will require non-direct funding in order to be realized, when for the same reasons a well researched, time tested, evidence based, cost efficient system is being dismantled without consultation.

We do not consider the move to dismantle the Provincial Offices to be in the interests of the infants and children with disabilities and their families in BC. We are unable to support the Ministry in this decision and urgently request MCFD to reconsider this decision. We have all been through tough economic times and are well aware of the need to implement cost saving initiatives in tough times. However, in tough times it does not make good business sense to eliminate leadership. It is in tough times that good leadership can motivate programs and people to contribute more, not less.

We have worked for many years in good faith and in partnership with our colleagues in government. We are hopeful that we can resolve this current issue and move forward together to continue to work on behalf of good services for young children with disabilities and their families in BC.

Yours sincerely

Carolyn Graves,
Chair,
Provincial Steering Committee, Infant Development Program of BC