Letter to Government: S. Banks/R. Tunnacliffe/K. Davidson - Physiotherapy Association of BC

Honourable Minister Mary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development
and Minister Responsible for Child Care
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2

Dear Honourable Minister Polak,

Re: Funding cuts to Provincial IDP, SCDP, AIDP and ASCDP Offices and Advisors

The Provincial Paediatric Physiotherapy Council (PPPTC) together with the Physiotherapy Association of British Columbia (PABC) represents paediatric physiotherapists across the province in expressing concern about recently announced funding cuts to provincial IDP, SCDP, AIDP and ASCDP offices and Advisors.

One of PPPTC’s mandates is to act as an advisory body to the MCFD, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Education on issues, which affect the delivery of physiotherapy services to children. PABC’s mandate is to represent the concerns of and take action on physiotherapy practice issues; ten percent of our members are in paediatric practice. Together, our organizations speak for each paediatric physiotherapist in BC.

Paediatric physiotherapists provide therapy services to children both at risk of developmental delays and those with identified delays and motor impairments, and work closely with other paediatric service providers in the agencies experiencing funding cuts. Effective collaboration with agencies overseeing paediatric services, such as the agencies experiencing funding cuts, is essential in providing quality, coordinated services to vulnerable children and their families.

We recognize that funding cuts are required in times of financial restraint. We understand and respect that MCFD is seeking to economize without affecting direct service to families. We do, however, have concerns about the announced closure of paediatric development program offices, and we ask for some clarification and communication regarding these plans.

The role of the Provincial Offices for each of these programs was, in part, to provide training to front line child development consultants to ensure consistency in the service that each program provided across the province. The Offices, especially the IDP Provincial Office, ensured standards of practice through education, and development of policies and practice guidelines as part of orientation and ongoing training for these consultants. Physiotherapists value and need strong, skilled A/IDP and A/SCDP consultants who can help us provide service to these vulnerable children, especially as the families wait lengthy periods for specialized services such as physiotherapy and other therapies. We are concerned that the funding cuts will have the following adverse effects:

• A/IDP and A/SCDP consultants’ level of training will deteriorate if it is left to local agencies to provide and fund training locally
• Inconsistencies in training will develop throughout the province.
• Some training may fall to physiotherapists, by default, thus detracting from their treatment caseloads.
• Should training fall to physiotherapists, their already unmanageable caseloads and waitlists will further be deleteriously affected.

We understand that MCFD is aware of these concerns and is developing a plan that will address them. We ask that MCFD clarify for PPPTC and PABC how standards of practice and ongoing collaboration with paediatric physiotherapists will be maintained in the absence of the Provincial Offices and Regional Advisors. We look forward to engaging in a dialogue with your Ministry staff so that we can relay your information to the concerned paediatric physiotherapists throughout the province. We would be pleased to meet with you to discuss this matter.

Sincerely yours,




Sylvia Banks, Rebecca B Tunnacliffe Kathy Davidson
Co-Chair, PPPTC CEO, PABC Co-Chair, PPPTC



cc:
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister
Ministry of Children and Family Development