Correspodence Dr E. Ames_Hon. Minister M. Polak

On 4-Nov-09, at 2:41 PM, MCF Correspondence Management MCF:EX wrote:

VIA E-MAIL

Ref: 188758

Elinor W. Ames, PhD

Professor Emerita

Simon Fraser University

E-mail: ames@sfu.ca



Dear Dr. Ames:

Thank you for your e-mails regarding recent decisions about services provided by the Office of the Provincial Advisor for Infant Development Program (IDP). I understand you also wrote to the Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier and Lesley du Toit, Deputy Minister. As the Minister of Children and Family Development and Minister Responsible for Child Care, I am pleased to respond on their behalf as well.

I would like to make very clear that direct services to children will not be reduced as a result of the decision to discontinue the advisor positions.

In the last week of September 2009, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) met with the Development Disabilities Association to advise them of the ministry’s decision to discontinue the IDP Provincial Advisor role. Also, an agreement was reached with the British Columbia Aboriginal Friendship Centre to extend the Aboriginal Infant Development Advisor for a six month period, during which an analysis of this position and the budget will determine its future role within ministry transformation of services and supports to Aboriginal families. As part of this analysis, options to support the ongoing development of the Aboriginal Supported Child Development Program will also be considered.



Diana Elliott will continue as the Provincial Aboriginal Infant Development Program (AIDP) Advisor while the analysis is completed. Diana has held this position for the past seven years and has been instrumental in supporting nineteen additional programs in this province.

As part of this change, it must be noted that since the inception of the IDP Advisor in 1975, Dana Brynelson has made extraordinary contributions and been an outstanding leader in establishing and supporting Infant Development Programs throughout the province.

Historically, the Provincial Advisor for IDP and AIDP included funds to support professional development and training for community agency staff; transition planning is taking place until the end of the calendar year to determine options on how these opportunities will be managed in the future. The roles of the regional IDP advisors will also be planned for in the transition.



These have been particularly difficult decisions based on our need to protect direct services to children, youth and their families. Budgets for the direct service programs in the regions are being maintained this fiscal year, nearly $18 million for the Infant Development Program; more than $57 million for Supported Child Development; and $4 million for Children First.



With continued economic uncertainty, budget pressures and the need to preserve the direct service levels in our agencies, difficult decisions must be made in the best interest of our families. The impacted professionals are held in our highest regard and we acknowledge and value their contributions.



Should you have any questions regarding the information in this letter please call Jackie Behrens, Project Manager, Regional Council Support Team, MCFD. Jackie can be reached by telephone at 250 356-2896 or via e-mail at Jackqueline.Behrens@gov.bc.ca.

Sincerely,

ORIGINAL SIGNED BY

Mary Polak

Minister

pc: Honourable Gordon Campbell

Dr Ames to Hon. Min. Polak:
Dear Minister Polak:


Thank you for responding promply to my e-mail. I am glad to hear that support for the Aboriginal IDP Advisor and the ongoing development of the Aboriginal Supported Child Development Program will at least be "considered", and that they have not been abolished, at least not yet.

Your response, however, did not answer any of the 7 specific questions I had asked, nor did it assure me that direct services to children and their parents will not be cut. In my November 2 e-mail to you I asked the following questions:


"If the IDP Office is closed down, who will
1) answer parent queries?
2) train new IDP Consultants on infant assessment techniques? (This is a very specialized area of expertise, one that I, e.g., do not have, even though I taught a course on Infancy at SFU for 20 years.)
3) maintain the IDP library and send out relevant material to Consultants, parents, and community workers who need help in interacting with a child with a specific problem?
4) correspond with other such service providers and supervisors around the world?
5) arrange for in-service training for Consultants?
6) arrange Summer Institutes for Consultants?
7) advise on difficult individual cases?"
Regarding questions #5 and #6, answering that options on how professional development and training for staff, and the roles of the regional IDP advisors "will be planned for in the transition" is simply saying "We don't know how this will be done, but we'll be thinking about it". I do not know of anyone in or outside government who has the necessary expertise to train IDP Consultants as the Provincial Office has done, so this worries me greatly.

I received no answer at all to the other 5 questions. Please advise: Who will now carry out all of the services noted, and how will this be done without paying for these services? Or is it your Ministry's contention that these back-up services are "non-essential" and can simply be dropped? If that is the case, I reply once again that it is my professional opinion that without any support, quality of service will inevitably decline and that at great cost there WILL be children who end up in life-long specialized foster care instead of living with their families.

I would greatly appreciate hearing your specific answers to my specific questions. Thank you.



Elinor W. Ames, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita

Simon Fraser University



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