PP2009

International Concerns- J. Dator-Freeman (Japan)

2010-01-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Greetings Mari,
I just wanted to say thank you for keeping the Blog updated and going and
share a few thoughts with you. I find it truly amazing that the Minister has
not yet reconsidered her decision after such clear evidence has been given
by such a wide assortment of specialists, researchers, consultants etc
citing the extreme importance of continuing to support a highly successful
early intervention international structure.

Something just doesn't seem right here. I wonder if it could be that the
Minister is not aware of who the experts in the Early Intervention field are
or understand the significance of what they are saying and the time they
took to acknowledge their concern to her.

The closing of the PRov Advisor's office has become an international
concern. It seems to be that further newspaper, TV news coverage is needed
especially to review the significance and content of the number of letters
from national and international leading experts in early intervention. The
letters mustn't be getting beyond the Minister's office and she obviously
does not have any idea of the structure she is demolishing so more public
awareness and pressure may be what's needed.
Do you know of any plans of the blog being shared with reporters, TV news,
etc? There is such value and conviction in the writers words that this
information should continue to be brought forward not quietly sit and wait.
I wonder if the letters could be published in the Vancouver Sun and/or other
papers.

Anyway, thanks for listening and if there is anything I can do to help
please let me know.

Jayne Dator-Freeman
Early Childhood Special Educator
CFAS, Sasebo, Japan

Thank you and Feliz Navidad!

2009-12-14T22:49:00.001-08:00

I would like to thank al of you who have sent your comments, thoughts, letters and emails and contributed to this blog. I will be happy to continue to post your thoughts - please email partnershipsprogram@yahoo.com and subject :"for the blog" and I will post it asap, even during the holidays. It has been a difficult stretch. Let's not give up and continue to advocate so that the most vulnerable children and families in BC receive the services they deserve. Feliz Navidad!
Mari

2nd Letter to Premier-S. Stewart, Vancouver

2009-12-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Premier Campbell December 3, 2009

I am writing to you to express my deep disappointment with the government in the closure of the provincial Infant Development Office and in the way it was handled. The decision itself is one thing. But even more concerning is the fact that every stakeholder involved in this issue wrote to your government: parents, children, researchers, academics, front line workers, doctors, other health care practitioners, international committees, etc. The blog http://partnerships2009.blogspot.com/ contains an extraordinarily impressive collection of letters from every stakeholder imaginable as well as from the international early intervention community. So many people involved with our most vulnerable children in their early intervention years on a day to day basis took the time to write and advocate in a reasoned and measured way and yet none of these voices have been listened to. I wrote to yourself and the Minister for Children and Family Development a few weeks ago and have not received a response from either office.

I completely understand fiscal restraint and the need to make changes in how we do things. I am also sure that you understand that people adapt to change much better when they have been consulted with, heard and if possible are involved with the changes. In this particular case the coordinator of the provincial Infant Development Office was essentially let go in a letter, after thirty four years in the job, on her first day back to work from treatments for cancer. All of the work of this office is to be taken on by the Ministry of Children and Family Development without any prior consultation or cost benefit analysis. It is absolutely amazing that the Minster’s office believes it can do this job that is internationally renowned and is so cost effective, better.

In my opinion if you wanted an example of how to implement the Children and Youth with Special Needs – A Frame work for Action strategy that it would be beneficial to examine how the provincial Infant Development Office was developed and functioned over the past thirty four years. This office has developed functional and accessible services to all parts of the province that puts children’s and family’s needs first. . It has won awards for the way it has supported the infant development consultants through training. The model they have used has ensured that quality is measured and accountable. This office has created and nurtured partnerships in the international research community to not only use evidence but to develop it. We should be so proud of our British Columbia based infant development program which was developed here and has such a respected reputation internationally!! The nature of how the provincial Infant Development Office functions enables parents to access services more simply. Finally, and most ironically, this office was one of the best models of true collaboration provincially that I have worked with in my 26 year career. The irony is that the decision of your government was unilateral and not collaborative with any of the stakeholders.

In my opinion we should appreciate the success that we have developed in the Infant Development Program in British Columbia and develop ways to work with the stakeholders towards the changes the government wants to make. It is extremely disappointing that our youngest and most vulnerable children will most definitely be negatively affected while the Ministry figures out what to do once the office officially closes at the end of December.

Respectfully

Susan Stewart
MRSc, BScPT
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC

Cc Minister Polak, Lesley Du Toit

Letter from Haida Gwaii IDP - K. Larocque

2009-12-02T17:55:00.001-08:00

Haida Gwaii Infant Development Program Northern Health Box 619, Masset, BC, V0T 1M0 Tel: 250-626-4716 Honorable 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 Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca November 23, 2009 Dear Ministers,
Re: Form Letter Response from Minister Polak regarding termination of contract to the Office of the Provincial Advisor for Infant Development Programs.
I am deeply concerned over what I feel is a lack of respect and consideration towards the issues I raised in my letter dated October 6, 2009 around the impact that the termination of the contract to the Provincial Office will have at an individual program level and ultimately a family and child level. Your letter did not address any of the concerns I raised. Therefore I will ask you specific questions that I hope you can provide answers to. You assured me in your letter to me dated November 5, 2009 “that direct services to children will not be reduced as a result of the decision to discontinue the advisor positions.” Direct services to children may not be reduced but I worry that the quality and integrity of these services will be at risk as a result of the loss of the services provided by the Provincial Office to IDP.
In your letter to the Editor in the Monday, November 16th, 2009 Vancouver Sun you state, “While the advisor position may be ending, the work of the office will continue with no loss or interruption in either infant development or child development services”. How will there be no loss or interruption in direct services to families and children who access IDP when the below mentioned services that the Provincial Office to the IDP carries out will be cut away? a) Answer parent questions around any number of issues and topics relating to special health care and developmental needs of infants and children. b) Train new IDP consultants on assessing infants’ development as well as keep up to date on new research based best practices on issues such as Cortical Visual Impairment or supporting the development of Infant s who have Down’s Syndrome or Turners Syndrome. c) Maintain the up to date IDP Library. Send updated and research-based, information on a wide variety of medical and developmental issues and conditions to IDP Consultants, parents, and community service providers who are caring for a child who has a specific diagnosis or condition. d) Maintain critical links and relationships around the province, country and world with researchers, teachers, and developers of the most up to date, evidence based programs for families and children who have special needs. e) Research, coordinate and implement ongoing In-service training and Summer Institute at UBC for IDP Consultants across the Province. f) Be the advisor to both IDP Consultants and Parents who are working together to make every day experiences for a child who has special needs and or special health care challenges more meaningful, more integrated, more comfortable, and more supportive. g) Link IDP consultants who are working with families and children who face rare and complex issues to specialists in the field as well as link parents with similar issues. The Provincial Office to IDP provides the above mentioned services that are vital to direct services to children. This system has been terminated by your Ministry and you state that “While the advisor position may be ending, the work of the office will continue”. I can only conclude from this statement that the Ministry has a plan to give this very important work to another body, office, or person within the Ministry of Children and Family Development. If the Minister does intend to replicate some or all of the above mentioned services then how will that happen? Who will do the work? Will the replication of services mentioned above cost more or less than the $300,000 budget that funded the Provincial Office? If there is a budget set aside to replace the services then why was there no consultation with those affected around possible reduction of the Provincial Office budget instead of an abrupt termination of contract?
Given the negative impact this decision will have on IDP program functioning and therefore direct services to families and children I trust you will be able to respond with thoughtful and informative answers to these 5 questions I have asked. Sincerely,
Kimberley Larocque, BA, HSD, CYC
Haida Gwaii Infant Development Program Coordinator

First Call-Petition to Restore Provincial Cuts for Special Needs Children

2009-12-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

First Call’s Weekly Announcements – November 25, 2009
Next Coalition Meeting: December 9

Next ECD Roundtable: January 20

BC Child Poverty Report Card Now Available

Visit our web site for more information.

Petition to Restore Provincial Cuts for Special Needs Children

The MOMs provincial family support network marked Children’s Day with the launch of a petition asking the premier to honour his promises to kids. From their press release:

The UN Convention, a legally binding instrument, states that “in all actions concerning children …the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.” Article 23 notes the obligation of signatory states to provide special supports for children with mental and physical disabilities “in a manner conducive to the child's achieving the fullest possible social integration and individual development.” Article 29, which deals with the right to a free public education, re-emphasizes the right to “development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential.” Elsewhere, the Convention addresses the obligation of signatory states to support parents in meeting the needs of their children where families are unable to do so themselves.

While the Convention acknowledges that state support will be shaped by available resources, nowhere does it suggest these supports should be way down on the list of national priorities, after political leaders and senior bureaucrats have enjoyed exorbitant pay and benefit increases and spent billions on hosting lavish events and costly physical infrastructure projects.

Under Great Goal #3 of his Strategic Plan for BC, Premier Campbell implicitly acknowledged these commitments when he promised to “build the best system of support in Canada ” for children with special needs and those at risk. It was a truly laudable goal – but one that was never honoured and that has now been forgotten.

While BC enjoyed record budget surpluses, waitlists for crucial supports grew longer, both in and out of school. Now Children’s Minister Mary Polak has cut millions, eliminating key programs for autism, FASD, infant and child development and Aboriginal children at risk. Other cuts include youth programs (mental health, addiction treatment), Special Olympics and funding for community-based children’s services. Polak also cut critical monitoring and oversight roles that assure children’s welfare and safety, and cut out important delivery options like direct funding. There was no risk assessment of impacts and these cuts accompany yet another major ministry re-structuring that will further strain capacity to support children at risk.

The petition is available online here.

…/top

From Dana Brynelsen - to IDP PSC

2009-12-02T17:49:00.001-08:00

Dear Steering Committee,

Carolyn Graves, Mike Whitfield, Pat Hanbury, Mari Pighini, Mary Stewart, Bonnie Barnes and Dana Brynelsen met with the Minister on Friday November 20, 2009. We were not successful in convincing her to reconsider her decision to close the office.

Therefore, we have drafted three letters announcing the closure of the office, one to Minister Polak, one to Infant Development Consultants and one to Executive Directors of Sponsoring Societies. People are anxious to know the outcome of the meeting. I would like these letters to go out tomorrow. I know this is a quick turnabout but could you quickly look at these and let Amelia know if you approve and we will send them out tomorrow.

Unfortunately as you know I am on medical leave, I have some more complications and need to deal with these and I have another chemotherapy treatment on Thursday so may not be able to get back into this office until next week. And then I am to restrict my work to a bare minimum.

Carolyn and I would like to have a Provincial Steering Committee meeting on December 3, 2009 from 11:30 to 1:30 at Berwick. This means we can park in front!!! And we will have a nice lunch. Please let Amelia know of your availability. If a number of you are not able to attend we will try to find another date.

This will be the final meeting of the committee. But we must remember that we have had a very long and uninterrupted run from December 10, 1975 to December 3, 2009. You have been able to influence good practice in an emerging field and 80,000 families have directly benefited from your work. So my congratulations to you all and my heartfelt thanks for your wonderful volunteer advocacy. What a difference you have made. We will celebrate this on the 3rd.

Kind regards,

Dana

Dana Brynelsen

Provincial Advisor

Infant Development Program of BC

Letter to Government, Dr. M Guralnick, International Society for Early Intervention (ISEI)

2009-11-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

The Infant Development Program of British Columbia has become a model and standard of care for vulnerable children and their families in the international community. It is well recognized that the key to this success has been the leadership provided by the Provincial Office. In fact, the administrative procedures developed and implemented by the Infant Development Program Provincial Advisor, Dana Brynelson, and her staff, have been utilized worldwide by early intervention professionals and administrators. This resource was selected to be made available to professionals in nearly 100 countries through the Professional Training Resource Library established by the International Society on Early Intervention.
As Chair of the International Society on Early Intervention, I was shocked to learn that the Ministry for Children and Family Development is eliminating this critical resource. The field of early intervention has learned all too well that implementation and coordination of the most effective care can only occur through expert leadership, through the design and implementation of continuing education programs for practitioners, and through collaborations with researchers to develop innovative strategies.
All of these and so many other vital resources will clearly be lost in the absence of the staff in the Provincial Office. Although some cost savings may be initially achieved, reduction in the quality of services which is sure to follow will clearly result in the need for far more extensive services for children in the years ahead. As the major representative of the international community of early intervention, and as your neighbor to the south who has both appreciated and utilized the sophisticated resources provided by the Provincial Office, I would strongly encourage you to consider reversing this decision.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Guralnick, Ph.D.
Chair, International Society on Early Intervention

Letter to Government - T. Corston - Shuswap

2009-11-22T23:28:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2009

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

Dear Minister Polak,

I would like to express to you my concerns regarding your decision to terminate the contract of the Provincial Office for the Infant Development Program of British Columbia.

I have now been an Infant Development Consultant for one year. I love my job and feel more confident with each new experience that comes my way. This feeling of confidence as well as competence would not be as strong without the great support and many years of experience and knowledge of the Provincial and Regional Advisors. To begin my new career, I was able to attend training at the Student Union Building at UBC. With strong leadership from both Provincial and Regional Advisors, I felt a strong connection and admiration to all involved in making the Infant Development Program all that it has become today. A connection was formed, thus a feeling of wanting to give the families of BC a positive start to whatever difficulties they have been faced with regarding their infants/children.

As a new employee, I am concerned that without the strong, knowledgeable foundation of our current Provincial Office staff Infant Development Consultants will be missing a piece of what truly makes this service unique, successful and so well respected across the province, if not world wide!

Please consider the impact your decision will make on the Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program as well as the Supported Child Development Programs; consider the support, knowledge and role modeling they have provided to hundreds of staff for many years. Please maintain these positions and the leaders who hold these positions.

Sincerely,

Tammy Corston
Infant Development Consultant, BA

cc: Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development
Premier Gordon Campbell
Shuswap MLA George Abbott
Office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of British Columbia

Letter to Government: M. McIlwaine, Physiotherapy, BC Children's Hospital

2009-11-22T23:27:00.001-08:00

October 30th 2009

Premier Gordon Campbell,
Honorable Mary Polak, Minister of Children and Family Development,
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister of Children and Family Development,

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister

It is with regret that I learned of the proposed closure of the office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of BC. I am presently the Professional Practice Leader of Physiotherapy at BC Children’s Hospital working with acutely ill children and infants, In this role, I liaise with our community partners to provide on-going quality care in the community following discharge. The Infant development Program is one of our community partners, their provincial wide Program ensures timely and quality interventions to the very youngest of our population. Approximately 80 % of infants assessed by Physiotherapists at BC Children’s Hospital are referred to IDP for continuation of care. These patients are usually the high risk infant who may have been born prematurely, or required cardiac surgery, or those with have developmental problems.

The Office of the IDP Provincial Advisor provides leadership to the IDP consultants throughout the province, ensuring they have the educational training needed to perform developmental standardized tests and effective interventions. Since the IDP consultants are not affiliated with a Health College, the Provincial Office has established Standards of Practice and provides quality assurance activities on a regular basis to ensure consistency and quality of care for infants under their care. At BC Children’s Hospital, we have worked closely with the Provincial Office of IDP collaborating on educational and research activities. Without the Provincial Office, I fear the quality of care for infants receiving infant development will decline, since there is no leadership to support the IDP training needs. I thus urge you to reconsider the decision to close the office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program.

Sincerely yours

Maggie McIlwaine
Professional Practice Leader, Physiotherapy
Children and Women's Hospital

Letter to Government: B. Jagdis

2009-11-22T23:24:00.000-08:00

Honourable Mary Polak, Minister
Ministry of Children and Family Development
P.O. Box 9057 Stn Prov. Government
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E2
November 17, 2009

(From Brenda Jagdis, Victoria, BC)
Dear Minister Polak,
I am writing to express my deepest concern and dismay at the announcement that the Provincial Advisors Office of the British Columbia Infant Development Program (IDP) is being closed.
In Victoria, I worked as an Infant Development Consultant and the key to this program is and has always been Dana Brynelson and the Provincial Office (PO). I cannot state emphatically enough how crucial the Advisors are to the high level service delivery of the IDP. Dana Brynelson and the Regional Advisors in no way function solely as bureaucratic entities. They are indeed “front line workers” through giving direct advice to parents for resources, sharing expertise in infant development and linking families together with similar situations. The PO Advisors keep up to date on advances in research and practices while offering their vast worldwide respected knowledge to others including physicians, psychologists, therapists, community agencies and more beyond our borders. The PO regularly provides training to the IDP Consultants from others such as OT’s, speech pathologists, child protection SW, etc., all with expertise in this specialized field. Dana is THE resource and her honourary doctorate from UBC is absolute recognition of her continual outstanding contributions to the field. The Provincial Office has developed a manual and comprehensive standard of practice that is the model for other early intervention programs. Best practice is found throughout the standards/manual and meets current requirements as noted in my ethics paper written for SCYC MA program at UVic in 2008.
Cutting out the Advisors of this vital program will weaken the program, the effectiveness of service delivery and consequently lead to its downfall. Many Infant Consultants work in isolation and the common link through Dana is a lifeline for the Consultants as well as the families they serve. We are often faced with unusual diagnoses and the opportunity to receive information and guidance from the PO is essential to the quality of care and service given to the child and family. The success of our intervention can rely on this resource. A letter included from Erin exemplifies how the support I received from training and research through the Provincial Advisor was implemented in a time when the local “expert” suggested Erin should be placed in an institutional setting for the blind.
The degree of expertise from my IDP position became clearly evident when my youngest daughter had an encephalopathy from her 2nd pertussis (whooping cough) immunization. Dr. Dunn her pediatric neurologist, told me he had never had a parent give such detailed and thorough developmental and behavioural descriptions before, and I left him with no questions to ask about the delay she exhibited. She would have been referred to IDP had I not been her mother. BC IDP Consultants are considered outstanding in their field. The depth and breadth of knowledge obtained through IDP is unique. Many times expert speakers that taught us in-service were so impressed at our knowledge base that they put away their planned lecture and asked “what do you want to know?” I am certain that without the Provincial Advisors this level of education will be lost especially as the Consultants have different background educations eg. Child & Youth Care, teaching, Occupational Therapy, nursing, Physiotherapy, etc. I have not had any university coursework offer this type of knowledge, especially when it can be directly applied to the children and families we serve.
The kind of parents that come out of IDP are informed, empowered and committed to accessing or creating the services required for their child. They understand that the only lifetime constant in their child’s life is themselves. These parents are initiators of forward thinking, acceptance and tolerance of differences. Over twenty years ago, COCF Community Options for Children and Families, a home based respite care service in Victoria was created by four IDP parents and one IDP Consultant (me). COCF is an unquestionable success thanks to these parents. Their attitude was formed through the IDP experience where they were supported to trust their decisions for their family as a result of the exposure to information important to their circumstances.
The IDP is one of the best and most successful programs developed in BC. It has a reputation for being ahead of it’s time and removing the Advisors will take the whole Province backward in it’s care of vulnerable children and their families. Please don’t. I know you are aware of Dana’s qualifications but I think you are mistaken about her purpose and how essential the PO is to the quality and maintenance of the British Columbia IDP. I ardently appeal to you to please reconsider your decision. You cannot possibly remove the leadership from this cost effective exceptional program and keep it functioning at the present standard.
Most sincerely,
Brenda Jagdis B.A. (with distinction)
School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria, BC
cc. Premier Gordon Campbell
Lesley du Toit, Deputy Minister of Children and Family Development
Ida Chong, MLA Oak Bay Gordon Head

Letter to Government - E. Lacharity (Victoria, BC)

2009-11-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

Honourable Mary Polak,
Ministry of Children and Family Development
PO Box 90957 Stn Provincial Government
Victoria BC V8W 9E2

( From: Erin Lacharity – Victoria, BC)

November 17, 2009
Dear Minister Polak:
re :closing the Provincial Office of Infant Development Program
My name is Erin Lacharity. I was born in 1979 in Victoria at 24 weeks gestation. I weighed 585 grams. I am totally blind. When I was born my mother asked the doctor to save me and incredibly, he did. Even with today’s technology the medical Residents respond in disbelief when my pediatrician proudly tells them about me. I beat the medical odds for such a birth and was known as the “Miracle Baby”. I was very small and weighed 12 pounds at one year of age. The Infant Development Program Consultant helped my parents with all aspects of my development and to understand my special needs. My mom was afraid I would not be able to walk, play with toys, feed myself, etc. if I could not see. She helped my parents see me as their daughter with blindness, rather than “Blind”. This gave them hope and reassurance for my future as they encountered regular discouragement over the years. Professionals’ said such things as “she will never survive” “Erin will never do that” “she may be good enough to weave baskets”. Teaching me to do things I could not see was a challenge. They taught me to “put in” by putting me “in” containers and mom knew I got it when she found me standing in the dog’s dish, an ashtray and a bucket. Walking alone into a dark void took months of practice but I did it to grasp a bell just out of reach when I was two. Each part of every stage of development was carefully adapted to my way of learning without sight. My early years were an emotional and stressful time for my parents and IDP helped them cope.
The IDP Consultant helped my mother handle discriminatory stereotypes and helped her to reflect upon my accomplishments and capabilities in a positive manner. Sometimes these accomplishments were very small but they made a huge difference to my mom. This program has been a true role model in guidance and support for my self and my family. I am comfortable with my blindness and who I am. My mother and IDP Consultant tell me they beamed and then cried when I told them that a few years ago.
For instance, I was immersed into the public school system. I attended the neighbourhood pre-school, community elementary school and played with the next door children. I attended regular high school in Esquimalt where there was a program for me. I went to Brownies, took tap dance and piano lessons. At the same time, throughout my childhood, I experienced numerous instances where I interacted with other blind people to help further my social development and to experience being with people who had the same disability as my self. After high school, I attended the W. Ross McDonald School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario and learned skills that were influential in my later years. I recently graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor’s Degree in Women’s Studies. I am the first one in my family to have achieved a University education. The IDP consultant believed in me, so my mom believed in me and so I believed in me. If it had not been for the unfailing support and involvement of the Infant Development Program in those early years, I may not have achieved what I have today!
I urge you to re think this decision so that other children can have the same chance the Infant Development Program gave me. I thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Erin Lacharity B.A.
Women’s Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria BC
cc Premier Gordon Campbell
Lesley du Toit, Deputy Minister MCF
Maurine Karagianis, Esquimalt MLA
Dana Brynelsen, Provincial Advisor, Infant Development Program

Letter to Government: K. Brenton-Fort Nelson Family Development Society

2009-11-22T23:19:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2009
Honourable Mary Polak, Minister ,Ministry of Children & Family Development PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2 Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Dear Minister Polak,

We are writing to you in response to the planned closures of the Provincial Offices of the Infant Development and Supported Child Development Programs. We have waited to contact you feeling that the efforts of larger communities who represent larger population bases would perhaps have the needed impact to change your view towards the loss of these services. It’s clear to us now that you need to hear from every community, particularly ones that have so few resources to replace the lost support and services that the removal of the Provincial Offices will create.
As the Fort Nelson Family Development Society we serve the community of Fort Nelson and the very large surrounding area stretching as far north as Fort Liard in the Northwest Territories, northwest to Toad River and beyond if needed and south to Prophet River. Our region, the Peace Liard, lies in the most northeastern part of BC. As a remote northern community, the provincial office and regional advisors have played an instrumental role for us providing support, updated information, training, mentoring for new consultants, and has acted as a vital link to other agencies and communities.
We do not view the Provincial Offices of IDP and SCD as administrative bodies. They provide tangible services to our community programs, to the consultants and to parents. The staff at the provincial level acts as a clearinghouse for infant/child development information and services. They provide us with timely access to the experience and knowledge of every consultant and program in the province by networking us together. These services have a direct, positive effect on the quality of the programs that we are able to offer. The IDP Regional Advisor for the North, Mary Stewart, was able and willing to travel up to Fort Nelson to provide direct training and mentorship to the new IDP consultant last January. As well, she provides leadership and guidance by answering clinical questions, question on best practice and sharing resource information. This information, guidance and support will be much more difficult to access with no provincial or regional experts in place to assist remote communities like ours.
We are strongly urging you to reconsider the decision to close the IDP and SCD Provincial Offices. Who will be responsible for maintaining the integrity and quality of these programs so that even very remote communities benefit fully from them? Who will be responsible for providing the leadership in best practice, training, current information and resource sharing? Who will act to provincially and regionally coordinate the efforts of the IDP and SCD programs so that all families and children have access to the same quality of service and expertise? We need the services and support of the Provincial Offices in order to offer the best services to our families. It’s clear that only by maintaining and supporting the current Provincial Office structure can we best meet the needs of the children in our care.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Respectfully yours,

Kym Brenton Executive Director

CC: Pat Pimm, MLA Peace River North
Premier Gordon Campbell
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister
Maurine Karagianis, Opposition MCFD critic
Carole James, Leader of Official Opposition
Dana Brynelsen, Provincial Advisor Infant Development Program of BC

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

2009-11-22T23:16:00.000-08:00

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

Letter Prov.Government, MLA from V. Dobbyn - Sunshine Cast Community Services Society

2009-11-22T23:14:00.000-08:00

Premier Gordon Campbell
Honorable Mary Polak, Minister Children and Family Development
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister:

For the past 18 years the Infant Development Program (IDP) of the Sunshine Coast, part of Sunshine Coast Community Services Society, has been serving families with children from birth to age three with disabilities or developmental concerns. We have been able to provide an effective and efficient program with the invaluable support of the Provincial IDP Office so we are therefore deeply concerned about the announcement there are plans to close this office.

Minister Polak has explained the decision to close the Provincial Office as removing an administrative layer in order to direct more money to families needing help. The role of the Provincial IDP Office is not administrative, but rather that of a resource to families and IDP consultants and a source of training programs in a field with continual new medical knowledge and intervention strategies that help children reach their potential. The support of the Provincial Office relates to work with families including: grief and loss issues specific to the families we serve, information on difficult and rare conditions, on intervention techniques and best practices, and latest evidence based research. The Provincial IDP Office also provides guidance on professional development for IDP consultants, to assure the highest quality service to families.

Another aspect of the provincial office is the creation and regular updating of the policies and procedures manual, including in-depth evaluation tools. This important document is based on research, best practices and years of experience from Provincial IDP Office staff, and input from families on what works best. It provides standardization for all IDP programs in the province and assures consistent family-centered service to families when they move between communities.

Closing the Provincial IDP office would be especially detrimental to IDP programs in isolated rural communities, which have relied on this resource, as do many families, for timely and accurate answers to critical and highly specialized questions. The Provincial IDP Office is responsible for hiring one provincial advisor, one administrative assistant and one regional advisor, a specialist in the field, for each of the five regions in the province. This has represented an efficient use of resources, rather than the 53 individual programs trying to obtain current training, research complex medical and developmental issues, and establish program standards. Without the Provincial IDP Office, resources in these programs will have to be diverted for these purposes and the result will be a loss to direct service delivery and longer waiting lists.

The Infant Development Program of BC has been recognized internationally due to the consistent work of the Provincial IDP Office, and it would be very regrettable if the government of British Columbia decides to withdraw from this leadership role. We therefore strongly recommend that the Provincial IDP Office be maintained and supported, to the benefit of children experiencing developmental delay and disability and their families.

Yours sincerely,
Vicki Dobbyn
Executive Director
Sunshine Coast Community Services Society

CC: Nicholas Simons MLA
IDP Provincial Office

Letter to Premier: L. Bjarnason, Comox Valley IDP

2009-11-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2009

Premier Gordon Campbell
P.O. Box 9041 Stn. Prov Govt
Victoria B.C.
V8W 9E1

Dear Honorable Gordan Campbell,

Recently the Provincial Liberal government announced the ending of funding for the Provincial Advisory Offices of the Infant Development Program, Supported Child Development Program, and the Aboriginal Infant Development Program. I was not only shocked but also utterly dismayed that this decision was made with so little time and opportunity to evaluate the immediate and, most critically, the long-term outcome of this decision. I understand the economic crisis we are facing in British Columbia and the fact that government needs to find ways to best evaluate how to serve the people but I believe that the savings in this instance will not benefit children with special needs and their families in the long term not to mention the long term costs if early intervention services do not maintain the integrity and quality we currently experience in the province of BC. I also believe that this cut is not well understood by the general public and misinformation is being reported or interpreted by the general public but I also believe that government may not truly understand the impacts this decision will have on early interventions services for children. I also believe that families who are currently using these services may also not understand the long-term impacts of losing the provincial offices and I believe that families with children who require these services have enough to focus on without having to challenge this decision or worry about misinformation that their local service will be cut.

I work in the Infant Development Program as a consultant and I feel compelled to share some of my concerns, and understanding about the considerable impacts that will occur if we lose these valuable provincial advisors.

The reasons for this are:

British Columbia is a large diverse province and while most of its citizens live in the Lower Mainland, not all families with children who require extra supports do. They do not have the option to pick up and leave their communities when they need extra services for their children. Even if they could do so, the supports from community, family, extended family as well as employment may not be there. In many outlying areas there are not many specialized services, but having a provincial office connects the early intervention service providers in small communities to a large network of information and colleagues to support and confer with. There may not be many specialists in these communities but the generalists who are working with the families have opportunities to increase their knowledge and expertise through in-services, work-shops and courses that can be brought back to the community.

Service providers do not have the connections and time to research what is current and leading edge in the field. By having experienced and connected provincial personnel we all benefit, and this knowledge and information is disseminated to the practitioners. This is one reason why people in this field are up to date with best practices in early intervention.

I was involved in Supported Child Development before there was a provincial office for Supported Child Development. Programs and services for SCD throughout the province were delivered at the interpretation of those in charge of the contracts. Therefore it looked different, did not often provide the intended service and was frustrating for both families and service providers. Although SCD was administered locally, it was the communities that had connection to members of the Provincial Steering committee that delivered the service as it was envisioned. Under provincial leadership Supported Child Development has come forward as a cohesive and solid service and continues to grow and experience the benefits of what the Infant Development of BC has had the opportunity to develop over the past 30 years. The Provincial offices are the foundation of high quality early intervention services and programs. It is likely because of the high caliber of professionalism, education and leadership we currently experience that the impacts of losing these offices won’t immediately be felt in the short term but I believe that in the long term families and programs will be negatively impacted.

The Provincial offices are recognized and respected nationally and internationally as a high quality leadership of excellence of early intervention services for children with extra needs. Please don’t cut the funding of the Provincial Offices.

Yours truly,

Lee Bjarnason
Comox Valley Infant Development Program

Letter C. Duncan, Revelstoke Child Care Society

2009-11-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

October 23, 2009
Honorable Mary Polak
PO Box 9057 Stn. Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2
Dear Minister Polak;
On behalf of the Revelstoke Child Care Society, I am writing to request that the government of British Columbia reconsider the decision made to eliminate the Provincial Offices of the Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program and Supported Child Development Program.
The Provincial Offices of IDP, SCDP and ASCDP provides leadership, training, advocacy, a common vision, consistency of the local programs and equal access for families regardless of where they live within our province.
As a small rural community, we acknowledge that our local Infant Development Program and Supported Child Development program have maintained their core funding. Regardless, our local ICP and SCDP rely on the expertise of the Provincial Office for mentoring, training, family connections and research.
Community Connections (Revelstoke) Society, the host agency for the Supported Child
Development and the Infant Development Program, have stated “Our Consultants regularly upgrade their skills through Provincial and Regional In-service opportunities, Summer Institute programs, the Early Years Conference, Provincial Partnership Projects and the UBC Certificate and Diploma program in Infant Development. All of these training events are sponsored and/or
co-coordinated through the Provincial Advisor’s Office with the Regional Advisors providing ongoing training and support”.
The Child Care Society is non profit and operates 4 inclusive child care facilities with a total of 97 Licensed spaces, including Infant and Toddler, Group 30 months to 5 years, School Aged care and Preschool. Our concern is that with the elimination of the Provincial and Regional supports to SCDP and IDP, the consultants will not receive the training, education and in service required to offer quality support to the children in our child care centers.
Thank you, in advance, for your attention to this important provincial service.
Respectfully yours,
Carolyn Duncan
Chairperson
Revelstoke Child Care Society

S. Stewart- Letter to Government

2009-11-17T12:54:00.000-08:00

Honourable Mary Polak, Minister
Ministry of Children and Family Development
P.O. Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2

Dear Minister Polak

I am a physiotherapist who has worked with Infant Development Consultants in the lower mainland as well as in northern British Columbia, in homes and in a tertiary diagnostic clinic for the past 22 years. I am extremely concerned about the recent closure of the Provincial Infant Development Office. As a physiotherapist who works with Infant Development Consultants from across the province, I feel this decision will have dramatic detrimental effects on direct early intervention services.

The Provincial Infant Development Office
- Develops and maintains standards of practice for infant development workers. See 288 page policy and procedure manual. This manual is a fluid document requiring coordinated revision by multiple stakeholders.. http://www.idpofbc.ca/IDPManual_rev0305.pdf
- Organises continuing education by providing twice yearly in servicing and summer institutes. These programs are essential for the ensuring best practise for IDP consultants.
- Collaborates with numerous provincial and regional agencies in education, health and social service areas,
- Collaborates with experts in early intervention nationally and internationally. Utilises these relationships to bring innovation and best practise in the field of early intervention to British Columbia.
- Provides support directly to families and assists in finding appropriate supports in their community. This is extremely important as often a diagnosis may be very rare in some of our communities. The provincial office can link these families with resources and consultants who do have experience with these more unusual conditions.

The Provincial IDP office has developed an excellent infrastructure for early intervention services for children with special needs and children at risk for developmental delays over the past 34 years. The office has excellent regional teams to work with but the overall standards and continuing education for the infant development programs must be led provincially. We work with the most vulnerable of our children in British Columbia in the most impressionable age of life and this decision will affect the direct service to these children.

It is unclear as to why the Ministry would want to change a direct service that is working so well for such little annual expenditure. Could the Ministry share their plan as to how these many responisibilties will be carried out, along with a cost benefit analysis comparing the new plan with the old, with all stake holders before proceeding any further?

Respectfully

Susan Stewart
MRSc, BScPT
Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC

Cc Premier Campbell, Lesley Du Toit, Maurine Karagianis

MCFD Website on Early Intervention Programs - Call tool free number for information regarding cuts!

2009-11-16T18:36:00.000-08:00

This link provides MCFD information on early intervention programs in BC. The Ministry announces the cuts as not impacting direct services and provides a toll-free phone number for the public with queries about the services provided: URL http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/spec_needs/idp.htm
Early Childhood Intervention

Early childhood intervention services are provided to infants and young children who show signs of, or are at risk of having, a developmental delay or disability. These services are often tailored to the specific needs of each child with the goal of furthering development and enhancing the child’s potential for growth and development. Early and prompt intervention programs can prevent or reduce the consequences of disabling conditions, particularly in young children. Services are also provided to assist families of children with extra support needs to access inclusive child care. "For further information about this change, please call toll free 1 877 387-7027."

Infant Development Program

Provides home-based services for parents of infants up to age three who have, or are at risk for, developmental delay.

Aboriginal Infant Development Program

Provides culturally relevant supports and services to families of children up to school entry who have or are at risk of developmental delays.

Supported Child Development

Provides a range of consulting and support services to children, families and child care centres so that children with extra support needs can participate in fully inclusive child care settings.
SEE OPEN LINK BELOW WITH REFERENCE TO CUTS - SIMILAR TO IDP OF BC.

Aboriginal Supported Child Development

Provides culturally relevant support to assist families of children with extra support needs to access inclusive child care.
NO MENTION OF CUTS IN MARCH IN THIS LINK.

Early Intervention Therapy Program

Provides community-based physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and family support worker services to preschool children who are at risk of developmental delay or who have a disability and/or developmental delay.
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OPEN LINK to IDP of BC:
B.C. Home » MCFD » Special Needs » Early Childhood Intervention » Infant Development Program
Infant Development Program

The Infant Development Program (IDP) serves children from birth to three years old who are at risk for, or who already have, a delay in development. There are 52 IDPs throughout the province and more than 65,000 infants and their families have participated in the program.

IDP Consultants work with parents to provide a range of services to help children overcome developmental challenges. Participation in the program is voluntary and family centered. Infant Development Programs are available throughout British Columbia. To find a program in your area, click here.

As part of a range of services for children with special needs, IDP Consultants will also help link families with Supported Child Development, Early Intervention Therapy Program and/or Aboriginal Infant Development Programs, depending of the needs of each child.

While the Infant Development Program continues to be offered to all families in BC who need it, MCFD recently made the difficult decision to discontinue the role of the Provincial Advisor for Infant Development Programs. This decision was based on the principle of protecting direct front line Infant Development services to children and families. This will not result in any interruption in services to clients. Families receiving services should continue to work with their usual program contacts in their communities.

For further information about this change, please call toll free 1 877 387-7027.

OPEN LINK TO SUPPORTED CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Supported Child Development

Supported Child Development (SCD) agencies provide a range of consulting and support services to children, families and child care centres so that children with extra support needs can participate in fully inclusive child care settings. This program reaches approximately 9,000 children annually. The program is intended to serve children from birth to age 12, with services for youth 13 - 19 years available in some communities.

Supported Child Development Consultants help determine the family and child's needs and match these with the resources available in their community. Parents are involved at every step as the key partners in their child's success. In addition, SCD Local Advisory Committees (LACs) involve parents and other key government and community partners in many aspects of program planning and service delivery.

Participation in SCD is voluntary and the program is available to all families, including families on or off reserve. While the program is free, parents are responsible for child care fees. Low and middle income families may apply for child care subsidies to assist with child care fees. For more information on child care subsidy click here.

While the Supported Child Development Program continues to be delivered to children with extra support needs throughout BC, MCFD recently made the difficult decision to discontinue the role of the SCD Provincial Advisor. This decision was based on the principle of protecting direct front line Supported Child Development services to children and families. This will not result in any service disruptions for clients. Families receiving services should continue to work with their usual program contacts in their communities.

For further information about this change, please call toll free 1 877 387-7027.

Parents may contact their local SCD agency directly or contact their local MCFD office for information about the program. For a list of SCD agencies click here.

Letter J. Grant to M. McDiarmid, MLA, Vancouver

2009-11-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hon. Dr. Margaret McDiarmid, MLA
#104-1245 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6H 1G7

Dear Dr. Margaret MacDiarmid,

You will probably not remember me but you came to my condo and later spoke to me by phone before the last election. I was impressed by your consideration of issues even when you knew that you would have to spend time studying further. I was very sorry to hear about your illness and hope that you are recovering well.

I am writing today to let you know how I feel about the closure of the Infant Development Program Provincial Office. I am enclosing an editorial, which I think says much of what I believe. Having worked professionally in health care for over 30 years with children, adolescents and families, I know that there needs to be a balance between front line work and good planning, innovation and support for staff. Staff cannot give families the knowledge and support they need if the staff themselves have not been adequately prepared and monitored.

I have known Dana Brynelsen, the provincial advisor for this program and the quality of her work, for 36 years. I suspect that the cost of running the Provincial Office is very small in comparison with the preventative gains made to 8000 families a year in this province. Having been a consumer of the Community Living BC program on behalf of my daughter, I know what it is like when poorly thought out programs are foisted on the public and parents are left to make the best of it under the assumption that more ‘direct service’ is championed. Both poor quality of service and lack of professionalism by the staff undermine any hope of a positive contribution by either the child or the parents to society.

The letter to the editor of the Vancouver Sun this week by Mary Polak, the Minister for Families and Children puts an offensive government spin on the decision to cut the IDP Provincial Office by encouraging the public to think that only direct service work is valuable. If that were the case, universities would get out of research and only teach to the students, an unlikely scenario.

The families who use this program have neither the time nor the energy to advocate strongly on their own behalf. I hope that you, as a considerate member of the government, will help your colleagues to see the fallacy of their decision. If the BC government can afford to put a $485 million new roof on BC Place, I think they can first of all invest in the development of children and families under their jurisdiction.

Sincerely,

Joyce Grant
Vancouver, BC

Correspodence Dr E. Ames_Hon. Minister M. Polak

2009-11-16T18:25:00.000-08:00

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

214-288 East 6th Street

North Vancouver , B.C. V7L 1P5

604-983-9317

Correspondence E.Ames_MLA Yamamoto

2009-11-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

Dear Elinor,
Thank you for this clarification. I appreciate hearing your views, and your concerns for the IDP program with the changes being made.
I will review this, to Minister of Children and Family Development Mary Polak.
Regards,
Naomi

(North Vancouver-Lonsdale)
#303 -126 East 15th Street
I believe, however that I must not have stated clearly my concerns about the IDP closure. I was completely aware that there would be no cuts to direct services in the field. Rather, my concern was that IDP Consultants in the field will now have absolutely no back-up.

I believe that the IDP Provincial Office is an ESSENTIAL part of the IDP program, not just an intermediary between the ministry and service providers, or another "level of bureaucracy". This is not some fly-by-night trendy program. It has a worldwide reputation, and a Provincial Advisor whose 34 years of work in establishing and building the program has earned her an honourary doctorate from UBC. It has always been designed to work over a large area, but with central and regional support.

Among other things, the Office maintains a unique specialized library of material on various disabilities and diseases of children and assessment/ intervention/treatment programs for young disabled children and their parents. This provides direct services to families who call for information and to professionals who need the latest evidence on childhood intervention techniques.

In my opinion, the Provincial Advisor also has more valuable worldwide contacts with people in early childhood intervention than does a y. The Office hires new IDP Consultants, and trains them in techniques of infant assessment and parent counseling. All Consultants are kept up to date on best practices by means of inservice workshops and summer institutes arranged by the Provincial Advisor. She also advises on difficult individual cases, like the example I presented in my original e-mail to you (below), one in which a child has an extremely rare genetic disorder about which little is known in Canada, much less in any small town in B.C.. Who will perform these services now?

The more than 190 IDP Consultants in the field (if they are not newl re are some current job listings on the IDP website) may be able to get along all right for several months without support. But after that, the lack of support will greatly erode the service that they can give. I understand the government's need to save money in hard times, but surely the Provincial Office's budget might be downsized rather than abolished. It is my complete and honest belief that without any support quality of service will inevitably decline and there WILL be children who end up in life-long specialized foster care instead of living with their families.

I strongly urge you to loo ;www.idpofbc.ca to decide for yourself whether this is a program that can be maintained without a central office.

Thank you again for your willingness to consider this issue.

Dr E. Ames to Prov. Government re Concerns re Cuts (link: MLA Yamamoto' response)

2009-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Minister Polak:

After having received assurances from my MLA Naomi Yamamoto on October 20 that she would bring my specific concerns (below) to your attention, and from Premier Campbell's office on October 22 that "Minister Polak will ensure that you are sent a reply specific to your comments", I have been waiting eagerly for your response to my questions, but so far, it has not come.

Specifically, I would like to know:

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 yea

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?

I was interested to read your Letter to the Editor in this morning's Vancouver Sun, in which you stated that "While the adviser position may be ending, the work of the office will continue with no loss or interruption in either infant development or child development services." While I was heartened to read this positive sentiment, it is difficult for me to imagine how this will be done. WHO WILL NOW CARRY OUT THE SERVICES NOTED ABOVE?

< magic way that these essential back-up services can be provided without any replacement of the $300,000 cut, I must conclude that indeed there will be a great loss in IDP services, and that your statement in this morning's paper is highly misleading. It is my professional opinion that, as I said in my message to MLA Yamamoto, "...without any support quality of service will inevitably decline and 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 answers to the 7 questions above. Thank you.

Elinor W. Ames, Ph.D.

Professor Emerita

Simon Fraser University

R.Smith - Golden, BC- Letter to Prov. Government

2009-11-16T14:32:00.001-08:00

Golden Infant Development Program
A Program of the Golden Family Center
P.O. Box 415, Golden, B.C., VOA lHO
Phone 250 344 2000
Email goldidp@uniserve.com

Honourable Mary Polak, Minister
Ministry of Children and Family Development
P.O. Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2

Dear Minister Polak

I am writing on behalf of members of the Golden Birth to Six Team (early intervention services) regarding the decision to close the Provincial Office of the Infant Development Program of B.C. and the offices of some of our “sister” programs: including the Provincial Advisors of the Supported Child Development Program, the Aboriginal Infant Development Program, and the Aboriginal Supported Child Development Program.
Some of the members of the Golden Birth to Six Team have provided the following comments:

Brenda Managh, Speech and Language Pathologist:
“How unfortunate that these cuts are occurring! Stripping away provincial positions lends itself to lack of dissemination of pertinent early years’ research, best-practice and infant development educational professional development, and provincial dialogue via connections to the greater whole of the province. Like the provincial advisor for Children First, Chris Gay, we are denied rural-to-provincial connections that strengthen our community efforts to support our children and families. Quite frequently, these provincial advisors carry the rural message forward, so that we can actually have a voice!
The lack of federal and provincial policy around early childhood education and care allows governments to announce such shocking cuts. How short sighted of our provincial government to undertake such cutbacks – given that leading economists all stress that investments in the early years fuel economic and social development! Many individuals may ask “Can we afford this investment during an economic recession?” The better question, according to Canadian economists Gordon Cleveland and Michael Krashinsky, is, “Can we afford not to?”.
A leading expert on the early years and a national children’s advocate, Dr. Fraser Mustard, tells us, “If you want an idea of what your economy will look like in say 15 or 20 years…if you want an economy that’s vibrant, citizens who are productive, and a workplace that’s innovative – think about the investment you’re making in very young people today”.
Cuts do not support children and families.
We support the future because children are our future.
Brenda Managh”

Tom Coe, Speech and Language Pathologist:
“These cuts seem to be short term gain for long term pain. It’s much more difficult (and expensive in the long run) not to prevent or remediate development difficulties/maladaptive behaviours before the mistakes/behaviours become ingrained. Direct services and support (in terms of training and other tangible resources) for those services should not be cut.”

Vivian Sime, Executive Director, Golden Family Center:
“I would certainly like to add my name to the letter because I understand how strongly the Provincial Office and the Regional Advisors support the rural communities and your program.”

Rhonda Smith, Golden Infant Development Program Consultant:
I have had the part-time Infant Development Consultant position for 21 years in Golden. I have also been a School Trustee in the area for 19 years (to present - Rocky Mountain School District #6).
I can not say enough about how the Provincial IDP Office and in particular - our Provincial Advisor, Dana Brynelsen - have shaped the Infant Development Program of B.C. into a first class, internationally recognized program of excellence! Please refer to our provincial website: www.idpofbc.ca For example, on the website you will see the Policy and Procedure Manual – which has been a model for numbers of other early years programs that followed the lead of the Infant Development Program of B.C.
I feel very privileged to have been able to take the trainings at UBC and regionally – organized by our Provincial Office and our very part-time Regional Advisors. I feel indebted to the Provincial Office for enabling me to work with knowledge and understanding with the many families I have served in Golden. I could not have done (and continue to do) the job without having had the Provincial Office and Regional support.
Being the parent(s) of an infant/young child with special needs in a small, rural geographically isolated community in B.C. is very challenging. For example, many of the families with children on the Golden Infant Development Program have to travel to Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, Alberta – through the Rocky Mountains!
The families and the special needs little ones continue to need up-to-date, well- trained, professional Infant Development Consultants to serve them. The main reason that we have had such IDP consultants to date in the province - is because of the consistency and constancy provided by the Office of the Provincial Advisor and the Regional Advisors of the Infant Development Programs of British Columbia.
I respectfully request that the Minister maintain the funding to the Office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of B.C. and that of our sister programs.

Sincerely, Rhonda Smith, B.A. (with distinction),
Faculty of Human and Social Development
School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria, B.C., 2001

D. Erickson - Letter to Provincial Government

2009-11-16T14:29:00.000-08:00

October 12, 2009

Re: Infant Development Program of B.C.

Honourable Mary Polak,
Ministry for Children and Family Development
Victoria. B.C.

Dear Ms. Polak,
I am writing with great concern regarding your recent decision to withdraw the funding for the Provincial Office of the Infant Development Program.

I am sure you will have heard from many families of children with disabilities about the difference that this program has made in their lives, soon after the birth of their child, as they came to terms with their child's diagnosis and reached out for understanding and support. Families accessed current information and help with ensuring that their child receives the services to maximize their abilities and live with opportunities, dignity and respect. Parents have also been able to be connected with other families with a child with a similar diagnosis, through the Provincial Office.

Because of the Provincial nature of the Program, families are ensured quality service and the opportunity to connect with other families who are going through similar experiences, no matter where they live in this province.

My concerns regarding these proposed cuts are many but I will list the following:

1.The Provincial Advisor and the Regional Advisors who are affected by these cuts are definitely NOT bureaucrats. They provide hands on, front line support and direction to families, children, professional staff and communities throughout B.C

2. It is the Provincial Office who provide the structure and unity for the "Provincial" nature of this crucial program. Without the Provincial Advisor and Regional Advisors to assist the sponsoring societies in ensuring they understand the philosophy of family centered program provision and the collaborative nature of the services provided, local (often isolated) societies would be expected to implement the Provincial Mandate, set by your Ministry but would not have available the support, direction and long term experience provided by the Office of the Provincial Advisor.

3. Without the support of Provincial and Regional Advisors, Executive Directors may be tempted to dismiss certain critical aspects of the Policies and Procedures, set out in the Provincial Manual, in order to save money and would thereby diminish the services and take from the consistent quality of programming now in place throughout the province.

4. The Infant Development Program of B.C. has long been regarded Internationally as a world class program and the Provincial Advisor has been asked to lecture and provide information and advice to programs in other provinces and countries. This has been partly in recognition of the Provincial nature of the B.C.Infant Development Progam and its consistency throughout the urban, suburban, small community and rural settings.

5. The Office of the Provincial Advisor has always ensured that Consultants all over B.C. have access to the latest research, as well as education and training opportunities, so that even remote communities are assured of consistent services and knowledgable professional staff. Consultation between the Provincial Advisor and UBC has always ensured that Infant Development Program Consultants have had relevant post graduate courses available to them so that they can provide the excellent programs expected.

6. The Provincial Office has supported the development of services that provide continuity for families as their children move into community programs and activities. Aboriginal Infant Development Program, Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Supported Child Development Programs are all similarly crucial in coordinating consistent services towards the well being of our province's most vulnerable infants and children and the support these programs provide in the early developmental period DO save the province money at all levels as the child moves through the education system and into adulthood.

My fear is that without the Provincial Office, the Provincial Advisor and Regional Advisors, we will lose the consistent and progressive, British Columbia wide nature of this service that families deserve and have been able to depend on, until now.

Yours sincerely,

Diana Erickson
Salmon Arm B.C.

cc. Premier, Gordon Campbell
Deputy Minister MCFD, Lesley DuToit
MLA. Shuswap, George Abbott

J. Bloom - Nicola Valley Assoc. for Community Living

2009-11-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Nicola Valley Association for Community Living
P.O. Box 997
Merritt, B.C. V1K 1B8

November 16, 2009

We are writing to protest your Government's recent decision to eliminate the Provincial Advisor Offices of the Infant Development Program

The provincial office promotes and provides best practices, research, training, leadership and vision in the area of early childhood development, connecting families with each other and providing them with the best information available. The loss of the Provincial Office is a shocking blow to families, consultants and youngsters with special needs.

We find ourselves in agreement with the comments made by Melinda Heidsma, Executive Director with AiMHi - Prince George Association for Community Living which provides Infant Development Program services in the North Region. She notes, "In rural communities … we often visit with parents whose children have isolated diagnoses. No other parents around them are experiencing similar challenges. For many families - taking away the Provincial Advisor essentially means taking away that family's connection to other families who are also working hard to support all of their children to live good lives.”

In our valley we have the same issue. For the Minister to say that the Provincial Office of IDP is an unneeded bureaucracy does not make sense. The Provincial IDP Office is a lifeline not only for families, but also for IDP Consultants all over the province: to share the most up to date information, and gather new skills, while providing the best services and supports to families. With the cancellation of this office, there will be no structure to train new consultants. This is of particular concern as our IDP consultant approaches retirement…we cannot send an untrained and unsupported new consultant to work with families dealing with the birth of a baby with a disability or with the painful diagnosis of a developmental delay. This decision by government simply does not make sense.

You may recall that the NDP did much the same thing with the nurse and laboratory technologist training programs when they were in power. Rather than cut services, they cut training and that is what has left us in the terrible quandry we find ourselves in presently with the replacement of those professionals. Short-term gain at the cost of long term loss.

The provincial offices are the reason B.C. has such high standards in early childhood development. When research shows that every $1 invested today in quality early intervention saves us approximately $7 in the long-run, a $300,000 cut to early intervention is false economy.

We urge you to reconsider this ill-advised decision.

Sincerely,

Jeff Bloom, president
Nicola Valley Association for Community Living

SIGN THE PETITION: FORGOTTEN PROMISES TO BC CHILDREN

2009-11-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

Dear friends of the NoCuts 2009 campaign, if you have not had the time to write, or are unsure what to write, this may be an easier way to go...Please do sign the petition put together by MOMS http://www.petitiononline.com/qwy4pce2/petition.html
and thank you on behalf of the children and families in BC!

L. Rappard-Letter to Provincial Government

2009-11-15T12:06:00.001-08:00

Honorable Mary Polak, Minister Children and Family Development Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development MCF. DeputyMinisterOffice@gov.bc.ca
Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca
Ralph Sultan, MLA, West Vancouver-Capilano
Maurine. Karagianis, NDP Opposition Critic for Children and Families
Maurine. karagianis.mla@leg.bc.ca
Carole James, Leader of NDP
carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca

Dear Ministers,

I am extremely concerned about the recent cut of the office of the Provincial Advisor to the Infant Development Programme; I can only think that the decision has been made without a true understanding of what this cut would mean.
Those people who have a close working relationship with the IDP are fully aware of its outstanding nature and value. Why is it that “The Infant Development Programme of British Columbia” is considered by international experts in the field of child development to be one of the best programs of its kind in the World? In large part it is the level of knowledge and skill of its staff and this can be attributed directly to the Provincial Office. The superior knowledge of the Provincial Advisor in advances in early intervention and infant development has been passed down to IDP consultants since the office inception 30years ago. Tireless efforts on her part to keep current on all developments affecting infants and young children has made the programme what it is today.
I have been with the IDP for 28 of those thirty years; I came as a registered Clinical Psychologist from England and had it not been for the high standard of training and program service I would not have stayed with IDP. I was impressed by the integrity of the progamme and still am. The Programme has a clear vision, mission, and professional standards; without the Provincial Office these will be lost. In the absence of the current first class, up to date training the programme will deteriorate, will not attract good staff, and this will affect our most vulnerable children and families.
It is entirely mistaken to think that cutting the offices of the Provincial Advisors to the Infant Development Programme, Supported Child Development and Aboriginal IDP is a saving on administration and bureaucracy; it will in very short order affect the quality of services given to families.
The Infant Development Programme is respected service, which is undoubtedly a credit to BC, I urge you to reconsider cutting these offices.

Yours sincerely

Lesley Rappard
Former Assistant Director of the Vancouver Infant Development Program.

T. & V. Smith: Letter to Provincial Government

2009-11-15T12:04:00.001-08:00

November 2, 2009

Honourable Mary Polak, Minister
Ministry of Children & Family Development
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Dear Minister Polak

We are writing about the decision to close the Provincial Office of the IDP. We want you to know what a difference this office has played in our lives including with Tanya, 22 years ago and with Joshua over the past 16 months.

We were with the IDP at the beginning – 22 years ago. Tanya was born with meconium aspiration. IDP was valuable then but the added training and information over the years we consider it to be even more valuable now – with what’s been added. Joshua was born with a true knot in his umbilical cord so has been receiving IDP since he was 3 weeks old.

With Joshua, infant massage has been very effective in calming him. Responsive teaching has helped him with social play and trust – they are the solidity of the whole program being used for Joshua. Tanya attended the Pathways to Parenting: encouraging healthy social and emotional development in young children parenting course. The information is used every day.

We understand that each of these programs was brought to B.C. and IDP consultants were trained because of the Provincial Office of IDP. As ideas and values expand, people need to stay current, to be trained so they can be informed and then train the parents.

We cannot fathom that you would consider sending out untrained personnel and expect them to be helpful in the development of a child. No experience – no training – no go.

Please reconsider your decision to cut this office.

Sincerely,

Tanya Smith Vicki Smith
Box 1444, Merritt, B.C. Box 1444, Merritt, B.C.
V1K 1B8 V1K 1B8

Pc: Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister
Premier Gordon Campbell
Maurine Karagianis, Opposition MCFD critic
Carole James, Leader of Official Opposition
Harry Lali, MLA

A. Rose - Letter to Provincial Government

2009-11-15T12:03:00.001-08:00

Honourable Mary Polak, Minister November 10, 2009
Ministry of Children & Family Development
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Dear Minister Polak

I am writing about the decision to close the Provincial Office of the IDP. I want you to know what a difference this office has played in the life of my foster child.

This child was born into a disadvantaged family and was developmentally delayed in ¬¬¬ language skills and social-emotional skills so the IDP consultant began working with us.

I was able to help this child to make progress in language help and social-emotional skills. I got new ideas every visit from our IDP consultant. The ideas for how to play with and decide on types of toys for this child fit into my daily routine and so could be practices many times a day. These ideas are part of a program called AEPS that takes skills and breaks them down into tiny steps that the baby can be successful at. It was the Provincial Office of IDP that brings professors to UBC for summer institutes; one year the course was about the program I just mentioned. My foster child could not have made the progress he did without the help of those programs…without the IDP Provincial Office.

I hope that you see from what I have shared with you that the Provincial Office of IDP was directly responsible for the positive changes I have seen in my foster child. He would not have had a chance to be all that he could be without the knowledge and skills of our IDP consultant…who learned those skills because the IDP Provincial Office brought new and valuable programs and information into the province of B.C.

Please re-consider your decision to cut this office.

Sincerely,

Angela Ross

CC:
Premier Gordon Campbell
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister
Maurine Karagianis, Opposition MCFD critic
Carole James, Leader of Official Opposition
Harry Lali, MLA

CORRECTED email address for Dep Min Du Toit

2009-11-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

This is the corrected address for Dep Minister Lesley Du Toit, please re-send all emails and letters: MCF.DeputyMinistersOffice@gov.bc.ca

Letter to Premier, Minister and Dep. Minister from J. Nierbergall, Uvic

2009-11-09T23:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Premier Gordon Campbell, Honorable Mary Polack, Lesley Du Toit;

My name is Juliana Niebergall and I am a former Infant Development
Consultant with the Infant Development Program (IDP) of B.C.

Upon hearing of the closure of the Provincial Office of the IDP I was
saddened, disappointed in the actions of my Provincial Government and
frustrated. I am writing to tell you all that the Provincial Office of the
IDP was NOT simply an administrative and bureaucratic entity. The office
provided direct support and guidance to individual ID Programs throughout
B.C.
The Provincial Office facilitated/coordinated/supported ALL of the IDP's
trainings, conference calls, connecting families from various areas of the
province, and a long list of other indispensable services to B.C. families
and their IDP consultants.

The IDP of B.C. is a world renowned program and a leader in the field of
Early Intervention. What does it say to other countries with similar
programs that our government has cut the governing body, coordinators and
Provincial Advisor to the program?

Unfortunately, in an attempt to save $300,000 a year, it will in fact cost
more money in the long term to provide the same level of services to
families in B.C.

I ask that each of you thoroughly consider the recommendations of the 2006
review of the ID Program by Zena Simces and Susan Ross for the Ministry of
Child and Family Development. I have included a link to the report below.

http://www.idpofbc.ca/IDP_Review_Final_Report_November_2006.pdf

As a B.C. taxpayer and a professional in the field of Early Intervention,
I urge you to reconsider your decision to cut the funding to the
Provincial Office of the IDP.

I felt privileged to work for the IDP and have access to the Provincial
Office, and the Regional Advisor's. The loss of this Provincial Office
will directly affect the professionals associated with it, the overall
functioning and effectiveness of the program, as well as the many children
and families connected with the ID Program.

Thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
Juliana Niebergall

--
Juliana C. Niebergall
Child and Youth Care Worker, BA, Uvic

Response Letter from the Hon Minister Polak to Dr C. Dunst

2009-11-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Dr. Dunst:

Thank you for your e-mail of October 7, 2009, regarding recent decisions about services provided by the Office of the Provincial Advisor for Infant Development Program (IDP).

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.

I would like to acknowledge the work you do for children and families in your community, and your dedication to providing support to them.

Sincerely,

ORIGINAL SIGNED BY

Mary Polak

Minister

Cuts to infant development programs sure to be felt (M. Woolridge) Vancouver Sun Nov 5, 2009

2009-11-07T12:47:00.000-08:00

Cuts to infant development programs sure to be felt

As a supervisor in a large infant development program, I find Children and Family Development Minister Mary Polak's logic (Letters, Nov. 2) anything but logical. How can there not be loss of service when we no longer have access to the integral resources of the provincial office?

Where do I send new hires to be trained to administer developmental assessments? How do we connect parents with provincial resources and one another? Who will ensure professional practice standards?

The logic Polak espouses is comparable to proposing the elimination of school boards, school superintendents and even principals, yet saying there will be no loss of service to students. Having a number of warm bodies providing a service is not the same as having properly qualified individuals with access to provincial practice standards, up-to-date education in the field, resources, inter-professional communication and, above all, leadership guidance.

Michaela Wooldridge

Delta

Community Connections-Revelstoke/Letter to Gov Officials

2009-11-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

October 29th, 2009

Dear Minister Polak:

We, the board of Community Connections (Revelstoke) Society are writing to express our concern over the recent decision to close the Provincial Advisory Office for the Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program and the Supported Child Development Program. Our agency hosts the Infant Development and Supported Child Development Programs and provides services to families with children who have special needs living in our physically isolated and rural community.

The Consultants for these programs rely upon the Provincial Advisor’s Office and Regional Advisors. The training opportunities, sharing of expertise and networking facilitated by these offices is key to our ability to continue to provide a comprehensive continuum of service for families with infants and young children who are the most vulnerable.

Our Consultants regularly upgrade their skills through Provincial and Regional In-service opportunities, Summer Institute programs, the Early Years Conference, Provincial Partnership Projects and the UBC Certificate and Diploma program in Infant Development. All of these training events are sponsored and/or co-coordinated through the Provincial Advisor’s Office with the Regional Advisors providing ongoing training and support.

It is the Provincial Advisor’s office which ensures there is uniformity of services provided to families throughout the province – regardless of where they live. Our Consultants look to this office to ensure their practice is informed by the most current evidence based intervention information.

Consultants in both programs look to their Provincial Office and Advisors when facilitating a connection between our families and others in the province who are struggling with similar concerns.

In our opinion, the loss of the Provincial Advisor’s Offices for the Infant Development and Supported Child Development Office will result in fragmented services across the province, lack of leadership to set standards for education and practice, and, most importantly, lack of support for the Consultants who provide services to the vulnerable children and families in our community. We strongly urge you to reconsider these closures.

Most Sincerely;

Norm Tennant

Chairman of the Board

Community Connections (Revelstoke) Society

T. Stanko: Letter to Premier, Minister and Gov. Officials

2009-11-07T12:44:00.000-08:00

Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca
Honorable 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

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister,
I am an infant Development Consultant in the Cowichan Valley and have worked in this field for the past 14 years. I am very distressed and concerned about the Provincial Government’s decision to cut the Provincial Offices of Infant Development, Supported Child Development and possibly Aboriginal Infant Development. It was stated that this was not a cut to direct services but a cut of administrative and bureaucratic nature. This is not at all the case.
The Provincial Office of the Infant Development Programs of BC provides direct services to families of infants with disabilities or who are at risk for developmental concerns, 194 Infant Development Consultants, other professionals, agencies and government staff. Services include linking families of children with rare conditions to other families with similar concerns and providing families with a range of other supports including referral information to speed their access to needed resources. Families call or email the office with concerns about their child’s development and are directed to resources that can make a difference for them. Services provided by the Provincial Office to Infant Consultants and other professionals include access to a web of information, support, training and evidence based research.
The Provincial Office of the Supported Child Development Office and the Aboriginal Infant Development Programs were modeled on the Provincial Office of IDP of BC and provide the valuable service to professionals in those programs and to children and families in BC.
These offices are not administrative and not only will it not save the government money, it is going to cost more money. How will the individual Infant Development, Supported Child Development, and Aboriginal Infant Development Programs be able to do what the provincial offices do for the same money.
On an individual level I have a hard time imagining working in this field without this valuable resource and support. I rely on the Provincial Office of IDP of BC for:
 Economical training opportunities that are relevant to the field, based on best practice.
 Assessment training.
 Evidence based research.
 Connecting families around the province that have rare condition.
 Connecting me to other Infant Development Consultants that may be dealing with similar situations.
 Connecting families, which move to other parts of the province or country, to early intervention program in their new area.
 A policy and procedure manual that is specific to our field and conforms to CARF and COA accreditation standards.
 An up-to-date and relevant Website.
In 2006 a review of the Infant Development Program was conducted for the Ministry of Children and Family Development by Zena Simces & Susan Ross. The review recommended:
“Retain What is Most Valued about the Program.”
 “Maintain the current provincial program structure that provides province wide expertise, regional support, networking and the necessary professional development opportunities in order to meet the demands of a small but complex and constantly changing program for infants with special needs and their families in a consistent manner province wide. “
To read the full report of the Review go to: http://www.idpofbc.ca/IDP_Review_Final_Report_November_2006.pdf
I cannot understand why the recommendations of this review are not being taken into account - a review by an external body, for the Ministry of Children and Family Development - a review that took place only three years ago!
I urge you to take another look at this decision and keep in place the structure of a internationally recognised program.
I am privileged to work for such an amazing program and with such amazing people as our Provincial Advisors. I’ve always talked about how lucky our programs are to have these provincial advisors and I know the loss of them will not only affect professionals but children and families.
Thank you for consideration of this important matter.

Terri Stanko
Duncan, BC

cc Bill Routley, MLA-Cowichan Valley: Bill.Routley.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Douglas Routley, MLA-Nanaimo-North Cowichan: Douglas.Routley.MLA@leg.bc.ca
Dana Brynelsen, IDP Provincial Advisor: infantdv@interchange.ubc.ca
Maurine Karagianis, NDP Opposition Critic for Children & Families:
Maurine.Karagianis.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Minister Polak's response to J. Cobb

2009-11-07T12:43:00.000-08:00

To Jane Cobb

Dear Ms. Cobb:

Thank you for your e-mail of October 13, 2009, regarding recent decisions about the Office of the Provincial Advisors for Infant Development Program (IDP), Aboriginal Infant Development Program (AIDP), Supported Child Development (SCD) and Children First (CF). I understand you also wrote to the Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier, and Lesley du Toit, Deputy Minister. Premier Campbell and Deputy Minister du Toit have asked that I respond on their behalf and as Minister of Children and Family Development and Minister Responsible for Child Care, I am pleased to do so.

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. Regional direct services will not be reduced for IDP and SCD, as maintaining direct services to children and families is our priority.

· We expect to invest almost $18 million in the Infant Development Program this fiscal year.

· We intend to invest more than $57 million in the Supported Child Development Program this fiscal year.

In the last week of September 2009, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) met with the Development Disabilities Association and the Comox Valley Child Development Association to advise them of the ministry’s decision to discontinue the Provincial IDP, SCD and CF Advisors roles. In addition, an agreement was reached with the British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres 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, for which there has never been a Provincial Advisor position, will also be considered.

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. Similarly, the SCD Advisors, Tanya Brown and her predecessor Lorraine Aitken, have made significant contributions through establishing, supporting and mentoring Supported Child Development programs across the province.

Diana Elliott will continue as the Provincial Aboriginal Infant Development Program 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.

Historically, the Provincial Advisor for IDP and SCD included funds to support professional development and training for community agency staff; transition planning will take place 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.

The Children First Initiative focuses on raising community awareness of the importance of supporting children in their early years through public education and co-ordination of community-based early childhood development coalitions with local representatives of government ministries, school districts, businesses and municipal governments.

With the elimination of the Children First Provincial Advisor position, the ministry will continue to support these Children First community planning tables. We are maintaining a $4 million annual budget to support the 45 such Children First initiatives across British Columbia .

These have been particularly difficult decisions based on our need to protect direct services to children, youth and their families. 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

Sent on behalf of the Minister by:

Client Relations Branch

Office of the Deputy Minister

Ministry of Children and Family Development

We are setting the standard of excellence throughout government,

in the delivery of quality customer information

D. Brynelsen: Response to V Sun Letters November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T22:42:00.000-08:00

Judy Sahadeo is right to express deep concern over the closure of the Provincial Infant Development Program (IDP) Office. The IDP was created with a vision that all families with infants and young children with developmental problems like prematurity, developmental delay, or a disability would have access to information and support no matter where they lived in BC. We know that resources are not equitably available across this province. Over many years we developed a network of information, support and training to address these inequities.

Through the IDP, a parent of a baby with a rare condition living in Kimberley can be linked to a parent of an older child living in Burnaby who has ‘been there’ who can offer that new mother or father, support and guidance. Further, the Infant Consultant in the Kootenays can get information and support from the Consultant in the Lower Mainland who many have seem many more infants with similar diagnosis.

There are five MCFD Regions in BC. Although the boundaries have recently changed, only one has a Children’s Hospital, only two with specialized services for infants with hearing and vision loss. We don’t have the population in BC to support specialized resources in each region. We need to share. There are 187,000 people living in the North region, and next year 4 babies in the north will be born with Down syndrome, another 8 with hearing loss, others with rarer conditions like Williams syndrome. Each of these babies will be born hundreds of kilometers from each other and thousands of kilometers from resources in the Lower Mainland. Can or should we expect this region to have the knowledge or resources to support these children and their families and the staff who serve them without provincial links and training?

Through the Provincial IDP Office we train Infant Consultants in the administration of assessments used to plan programs for infants to encourage their development. At our last training session 53 Consultants registered. 8 consultants completed the training which takes 3 sessions to complete and 43 need an additional one or two training sessions and ongoing clinical supervision. With the closure of the Office no more training is scheduled. It is neither efficient nor cost effective to train at the regional level. 43 Consultants will serve about 2000 families over the next year and will not be using an approved assessment in their work. This affects direct service and the outcomes for the children and families served by the IDP.

Investing dollars in front line services is admirable but only if front line staff are trained and supported. I am advising MCFD to think hard about their decision to cut training and support to front line staff. I am reminding families in BC of the vision behind the IDP, a provincial network of information and support available to you and your baby no matter where you live in this great province.

Dana Brynelsen

Provincial Advisor,

Infant Development Program of BC

Dana Brynelsen

Provincial Advisor

Infant Development Program of BC

2765 Osoyoos Crescent

Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1X7

Response from J. Sahadeo, Langley, BC to Oct. 28 V Sun Goelman/Pighini Op-Ed

2009-11-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Infant-development advisers and the way forward

Vancouver SunNovember 2, 2009

Re: Children's ministry funding cuts may prove short-sighted and harmful, by Hillel Goelman and Mari Pighini, Oct. 28

I recently retired from working with both the Infant Development Program and the Aboriginal Infant Development program. I am aware of huge distress coming from the medical community -- especially B.C.'s Children's Hospital and public health authorities -- over these ill-advised cuts to the provincial advisers' roles. I hope Children and Families Minister Mary Polak and Deputy Minister Lesley du Toit are listening.

We would all like to think that when the B.C. government funds programs, there is a dedication to excellence. The provincial advisers have provided the means by which workers in these programs are supported and informed about new resources and best practices.

If ministry staff attempt to fill their functions, we will see the costs soar and quality decline. These offices are cost-efficient as they are and absolutely necessary for families in this province. Please, please, reconsider this decision and don't let down the parents and children who need these services.

Judie Sahadeo

Langley

Response from Hon M. Polak to Oct. 28 V Sun Goelman/Pighini Op-Ed

2009-11-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Infant-development advisers and the way forward

Vancouver SunNovember 2, 2009

There is no question that the office of the provincial adviser for infant development programs has done an outstanding job of supporting these community-based services in B.C. for the last 35 years. Nevertheless, these are coordinating and administrative roles that can be fulfilled without separate offices.

While the adviser position may be ending, the work of the office will continue with no loss or interruption in either infant development or child development services. Both programs will continue to receive full funding and, in fact, have seen budget increases.

Our government has a responsibility to maintain strong and effective front-line services to families. Savings associated with not renewing the adviser positions allow us to do this.

I also want to make clear that the aboriginal infant development adviser position is not being eliminated, as this op-ed article suggests. It has been extended until March 31, 2010.

The provincial advisers have helped build the programs into what they are today. For those efforts, we are indebted.

Moving forward, the ministry must take steps that will allow us to reduce administrative costs and invest those dollars where they are needed most -- in front-line services for children and families.

Mary Polak

Minister of Children and Family Development, Victoria

Action: Letter Campaign and Rally - Parents/Family Place (Lillooet)

2009-11-02T09:20:00.000-08:00

THE FAMILY PLACE CHILD, FAMILY & COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE
155 Main Street (Old Mill Plaza Mall)
PO Box 2170 Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0
Phone: 250-256-7877 Fax: 250-256-7876
E-mail: family@lillooetfriendshipcentre.org

Sponsored by:
Lillooet Friendship Centre Society
THE LILLOOET INFANT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Dear community partners,

At the end of last month, the provincial government announced that the provincial offices for the Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program and Supported Child Development Program would be closed. These are all programs that are available in our community to support families with young children with disabilities. These closures will have a direct impact on programming province-wide and especially in small communities such as ours.

We are participating in a letter writing campaign and are calling on your support with this- individualized letters of support would be very much appreciated, and a template letter will also be available next week at our public rally that can be signed and sent. Please send hard copies as these are more effective than e-mails (see information below and attached documents for more information on this). We are also planning a public rally on Thursday, November 5th over the lunch hour in front of the post office. We will gather at the Family Place (Old Mill Plaza Mall) between 11:00 and 11:45 and will have sign-making materials available, as well as information to distribute. We will then make our way to the post office and set up there between noon and 1:00 pm to rally- this will be a quiet and non-intrusive rally aimed at raising the community's awareness on the issue, to distribute information, and to gather letters of support.

Please find attached a press release from our IDP provincial advisor, an IDP fact sheet from Moms on the Move, as well as addresses for the IDP letter-writing campaign. You can also visit the IDP blog to get more up to date information and see other letters of support at http://partnerships2009.blogspot.com/

This is a critical time to put pressure on government to reverse decisions that were made regarding the closure of provincial offices of IDP and other early intervention programs. Your help on this matter would be greatly appreciated and any letters of support for IDP and/or participation in the public rally would especially be useful. If you would like any further information or clarification on the issue of our provincial office closure and the termination of provincial and regional advisors' contracts, feel free to contact me here at the Family Place.

Warmly,
Terry Hurst
Family Development Consultant, Lillooet Infant Development Program
The Family Place

To Jane Cowell- Regional Council Support Team/from: IDP PSC (J Astren)

2009-11-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

October 22, 2009

Jane Cowell
Regional Council Support Team
PO Box 9766
STN PROV GOVT
4th Floor-765 Broughton Street
Vicotria, BC
V8W 1E2

Dear Ms. Cowell
I am writing this letter on behalf of the Provincial Supported Development Steering Committee. The Steering Committee comprises of numerous representatives from various provincial organizations with the mandate of providing support and recommendations related to the development of supported child development programs throughout British Columbia.
Government has made the decision to terminate the office of the Provincial Supported Child Development Provincial Advisor by October 31, 2009. Members of the Steering Committee believe this decision will have negative and long lasting implications for the many Supported Child Development programs throughout British Columbia.
We had previously written our concern to Mark Sieben (March 5, 2009) and had received a response (March 26, 2009). We wrote again on September 14, 2009 stating we are deeply distressed and requesting immediate attention and an opportunity to articulate our concerns.
The Supported Child Development Provincial Advisor provides provincial leadership to all of the supported child development programs throughout British Columbia and builds linkages between the front line practiconers, community and government. The role of the Provincial Advisor has proven to be a vital position as this position provides current research and best practice and is incorporated into front line work, this is in addition to sharing new approaches and researched practice with families and government.
This Provincial Advisor’s position has generated a seamless and fluid system where efficiencies in resources needed to develop and finalize new policies and put in place new initiatives have been made possible. This type of support has generated a belief in professionals in this field that government truly committed to supporting children who require extra support and within this context provide opportunities for optimum growth and development.
By terminating this position, there are three critical areas we believe will be impacted and will activate a process of fragmenting services across regions and creating an absence of opportunity for professional leadership.
The first program area which will be heavily impacted is the provincial’s advisors expertise in acquiring and sharing new research which benefits family centered practice. Lost, will be the coordinating of training which would enable consultants to attend up to date training appropriate to their needs. Moreover, Supported Child Development consultants encounter families with diverse needs and gifts. Given the unique needs of families within British Columbia, both in the urban and rural areas, consultants need to know how to work collaboratively with all families, in order to offer optimum opportunities to children for their growth and development. Many opportunities for consultants to develop these essential skills will be lost with the elimination of the Provincial Advisor. This benefits not just the children but supports parents, families and ultimately society. The dismantling of the Provincial Advisors position will impede the transmission of current and relevant best practice in supporting diverse family systems.
The second area of focus which will be lost is the development of the aboriginal guidelines of practice. This work is pivotal in building culturally competent and culturally relevant practice with aboriginal children, families and communities.
The third area which will be permanently interrupted is bringing the Supported Child Development Policy from draft form to its final stage. The policy has been in draft form for a number of years and to have an important document languish in this phase is extremely disheartening.
We understand government’s thrust towards regionalization, are efforts to improve or increase effectiveness. Yet, the creation of the Provincial Advisor’s position was forward thinking and preventative in nature, by sheer virtue of creating this position! This provincial position had been providing leadership and best practice methodology to all consultants and in turn supporting positive growth for all children requiring extra support in British Columbia.
Once again, we respectfully are requesting an opportunity to discuss this decision by government.
Sincerely
Joan Astren M. Ed (ECE)
On behalf of the Provincial Steering committee, Supported Child Development

Joan Astren
Director of Professionalism
Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia.
Phone (604) 709 -6063

cc Lesley Du Toit
cc Honourable Mary Polak
cc Mark Sieben

To Hon M. Polak /from IDP PSC (J. Astren)

2009-11-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

October 22, 2009
Honourable Mary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development
PO Box 9057
Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC
V8W 9EZ

Dear Honourable Polak
I am writing this letter on behalf of the Provincial Supported Development Steering Committee. The Steering Committee comprises of numerous representatives from various provincial organizations with the mandate of providing support and recommendations related to the development of supported child development programs throughout British Columbia.
Government has made the decision to terminate the office of the Provincial Supported Child Development Provincial Advisor by October 31, 2009. Members of the Steering Committee believe this decision will have negative and long lasting implications for the many Supported Child Development programs throughout British Columbia.
We had previously written our concern to Mark Sieben (March 5, 2009) and had received a response (March 26, 2009). We wrote again on September 14, 2009 stating we are deeply distressed and requesting immediate attention and an opportunity to articulate our concerns.
The Supported Child Development Provincial Advisor provides provincial leadership to all of the supported child development programs throughout British Columbia and builds linkages between the front line practiconers, community and government. The role of the Provincial Advisor has proven to be a vital position as this position provides current research and best practice and is incorporated into front line work, this is in addition to sharing new approaches and researched practice with families and government.
This Provincial Advisor’s position has generated a seamless and fluid system where efficiencies in resources needed to develop and finalize new policies and put in place new initiatives have been made possible. This type of support has generated a belief in professionals in this field that government truly committed to supporting children who require extra support and within this context provide opportunities for optimum growth and development.
By terminating this position, there are three critical areas we believe will be impacted and will activate a process of fragmenting services across regions and creating an absence of opportunity for professional leadership.
The first program area which will be heavily impacted is the provincial’s advisors expertise in acquiring and sharing new research which benefits family centered practice. Lost, will be the coordinating of training which would enable consultants to attend up to date training appropriate to their needs. Moreover, Supported Child Development consultants encounter families with diverse needs and gifts. Given the unique needs of families within British Columbia, both in the urban and rural areas, consultants need to know how to work collaboratively with all families, in order to offer optimum opportunities to children for their growth and development. Many opportunities for consultants to develop these essential skills will be lost with the elimination of the Provincial Advisor. This benefits not just the children but supports parents, families and ultimately society. The dismantling of the Provincial Advisors position will impede the transmission of current and relevant best practice in supporting diverse family systems.
The second area of focus which will be lost is the development of the aboriginal guidelines of practice. This work is pivotal in building culturally competent and culturally relevant practice with aboriginal children, families and communities.
The third area which will be permanently interrupted is bringing the Supported Child Development Policy from draft form to its final stage. The policy has been in draft form for a number of years and to have an important document languish in this phase is extremely disheartening.
We understand government’s thrust towards regionalization, are efforts to improve or increase effectiveness. Yet, the creation of the Provincial Advisor’s position was forward thinking and preventative in nature, by sheer virtue of creating this position! This provincial position had been providing leadership and best practice methodology to all consultants and in turn supporting positive growth for all children requiring extra support in British Columbia.
Once again, we respectfully are requesting an opportunity to discuss this decision by government.
Sincerely
Joan Astren M. Ed (ECE)
On behalf of the Provincial Steering committee, Supported Child Development

Joan Astren
Director of Professionalism
Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia.
Phone (604) 709 -6063

cc Mark Sieben
cc Lesley Du Toit
cc Jane Cowell

For Parents (to write their support letters)

2009-11-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

URGENT…TIME SENSITIVE

October 26, 2009

Dear parents,

We would like to bring an urgent matter to your attention. On September 29th without prior consultation, the Ministry for Children and Family Development informed Dana Brynelson, the Provincial Advisor for the Infant Development Programs of B.C., that the funding for the Provincial Office of Infant Development was to be cut the following day. The office has been given three months to wrap up any outstanding projects. The concern is that this decision has been made without the knowledge and understanding of what the impact would be on the future of early intervention programs in our province.

Many of you have asked how this closure will impact the service you are receiving. Some of you have also asked how you can help. This letter is an effort to address those questions.

For 34 years, the Provincial Office has served a crucial function for IDP programs and families across the province; to ensure that children with special needs have access to high quality early intervention services, to establish and maintain consistent standards of service from program to program, and to provide ongoing training to the staff to ensure their specialized knowledge remains current. Local IDP programs will continue to operate, but without the Provincial Office in place, the continued excellence, quality, and consistency of service can no longer be guaranteed. The impact of the cuts may not be felt immediately; however, they will result in an erosion of services, which will negatively affect the quality and standards of service. Families and programs will feel that erosion alike, province-wide. This is indeed a step back for the Infant Development Program which has been recognized internationally as a model of early intervention services.

Dana Brynelson has been with the IDP program since its inception. As Provincial Advisor, she has been instrumental in leading the way for early intervention services in B.C. The Provincial Office, which consists of the Provincial Advisor, an assistant, and four part- time regional advisors, operates on a budget that is a mere 1.6 % of the IDP provincial budget. The Provincial Office is NOT an administrative office for our program as these cuts would imply. Rather, the Provincial Office:
• Provides direct service by connecting families e.g. who have a child with a rare syndrome or disorder
• Connects families to up to date information and community resources via the website www.idpofbc.ca which it created and maintains
• Monitors trends in areas of disabilities via annual statistics
• Ensures standardization for Infant Development Programs throughout B.C. through the IDP Policy and Procedures Manual, which it created.
• Establishes a baseline of required knowledge for IDP consultants through the Infant Development Certificate and Diploma Programs out of UBC, which it created.
• Maintains excellence in training for IDP consultants throughout B.C. by offering bi-annual inservices as well as a summer institute at UBC, on various topics in early intervention and developmental assessments.
• Organized a partnership with York University to offer coursework in the certificate of Infant Mental Health
• At the request of MCFD developed a data base program which is being piloted in several communities.

Please help by voicing your concerns about this closure, as politicians listen to parents. Feedback from families could have considerable impact for a change of opinion to rethink this closure. Letters (hard copy) are more effective than e-mailing, as politicians have an obligation to respond to letters. Letters could be e-mailed, printed off, and a hard copy sent. We greatly appreciate any support you are able to offer in this matter.

Enclosed are a press release, letters of support, and the link to the IDP of B.C. blog space ( http://partnerships2009.blogspot.com/) where you can send or read letters that have been posted. Letters could be sent to your local MLA’s, editors of local and city newspapers, as well as to the politicians listed below. It would be helpful if you could also send copies of your letters to Maurine Karagianis (address below). She is the NDP Opposition Critic for Children and Families and would like to take the issue of the closure of the Provincial Office into the House.

Sincerely,
Donna Colodey, Gaye Jackson, Colleen Bonus and Cydney Walker
North Shore Infant Development Program.

Parent Advisory Committee for the North Shore Infant Development Program

Honorable Mary Polak, Minister, Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Carole James,
Ministry for Children and Family Ministry for Children and Family Official Leader of the
Development, Development, Opposition,
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt, PO Box 9721 Stn Prov Govt, Provincial Office BCNDP,
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E2 Victoria, B.C. V8W 9S2 5367 Kingsway,
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca MCF.DeputyMinistersOffice@gov.bc.ca Burnaby, B.C. V5H 2G1
Carole.James.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Maurine Karagianis, Honorable Gordon Campbell,
Room 201, PO Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt.,
Parliament Buildings, Victoria, B.C. V8W 9E1
Victoria, B.C. V8V 1X4 premier@gov.bc.ca
Maurine.Karagianis.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Letter from J. Dator-Freeman-EI Services/US Navy, Japan

2009-11-02T09:07:00.000-08:00

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

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

Premier Gordon Campbell
premier@gov.bc.ca

Maurine. Karagianis, NDP Opposition Critic for Children and Families
Maurine. karagianis.mla@leg.bc.ca

Carole James, Leader of NDP
carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca

I am writing to voice my concerns and objection to the proposed closing of the Provincial Office of the IDP. I worked for over 15 years as an Infant Development Consultant in the Provincial IDP program in the isolated areas of Alert Bay, Port McNeill and Port Hardy and during this time the Provincial IDP office was a life line to me and the families that I worked with.
Direct services that the Provincial Advisor’s office provided to families that I worked with included:
• 1st telephone contact for many parents searching at a desperate time for information, help, support , and understanding of their baby’s/young child’s condition.
• Referral and contact information to IDP program in the family’s area
• Recommendations for books and other resources on specific disabilities and/or conditions
• Referrals to family support groups for specific disability or conditions
• Referrals and recommendations to other Provincial resources and programs
• Sharing of new research in the field for specific conditions
• Linking families with child having rare conditions to other like families
• Family friendly website with resources and information
• Open family friendly office to discuss any concerns, requests for further information/resources, or needs for support
• Early intervention conferences with presentations from internationally recognized specialists
Education and guidance provided from the Provincial Office to IDP Consultants included
• Quick, easily accessible telephone call or email to recommended resources
• Regular in-service trainings regarding latest research and best practices in the, provision of family-centered early intervention services by world acclaimed early intervention researchers in the field of providing family-centered practices.
• Regular trainings for furthering skill development in assessing the development of young children
• Opportunity to discuss specific cases with knowledgeable, up to date on the latest research, Provincial Advisor
• Provincial Advisor’s access to and relationships with a world-wide consortium of early intervention leading experts in the field allows for her phenomenal insight, support, and link to latest research and resources that she brings to her support and guidance of Infant Development Consultants and the families that they work with.
• Development of Summer Institutes at UBC leading to a Diploma in Early Intervention for furthering the professionalism and standardization of services provided by Infant Development Consultants
• Early intervention conferences addressing “best practices” in the early intervention field with internationally recognized presenters sharing latest research
• IDP Website containing resource information, linkages to other Provincial programs, newsletter, training announcements etcetera.
• Open and encouraged communication and support between Provincial Advisor, Regional Advisors and IDP consultants.
I remember when I first started working in the Provincial IDP program how very impressed I was with the organization of the program with the support, guidance, training and resources that were available directly to families and to the non-profit organizations that administered the Infant Development Program locally and the IDP consultants. I had never worked in such a well organized supportive organization where I had access through regular communication with the Regional Advisors and Provincial Advisor by way of in-services, newsletters, website and conferences to the latest researchers in the field and their “best practices” research.
It was when I went to work as the Early Childhood Coordinator for the new Government of Nunavut, (1999) and brought with me what I had learned about developing quality early intervention programs from BC that I truly started recognizing the overall quality of the BC Infant Development Program and attribute my success in that position due to my prior training and experience in the BC program.

Later, in my work with Hawaii’s Healthy Start Program, I realized immediately how advanced BC’s IDP program was in providing “best practices” family centered early intervention services then the State of Hawaii. As well, it would frequently come to my attention on how behind many of the State’s early intervention programs were in comparison to B.C.’s IDP. B.C.’s Infant Development Program became my measuring stick from which I informally evaluated all early intervention programs that I read about, discussed with others or had contact with by either working in the program, reading about other US programs or in discussions with other early intervention staff at conferences and/or meetings.
Currently I am living in Japan and working as an Early Childhood Special Educator in a U.S. Navy Base’s early intervention program. When I applied for this position I was personally called by the company’s director who oversaw the hiring of all early intervention staff for every US Force Base in the world. She told me that the reason she had called me directly was that she was most impressed with both my educational background and knowledge in provision of family-centered “best practices” early intervention services and they had not had applicants very often with such a strong background. On the spot she offered me a job in a number of different locations around the world.
I attribute all the success I have had working in the early intervention field to the preparation, training, support and guidance that I received while working in the BC IDP. I can not say enough how integral this program is to providing early intervention services to BC families and supporting the work of infant development consultants in the field. The BC Infant Development program is truly a World Class Program and as such needs to be recognized as probably one of BC’s most ongoing successful programs.
Having a “World Class” program does not happen easily. It took the efforts of many people over thirty years to develop this highly successful program model involving thousands of hours. The development, ongoing monitoring and program improvements included the active and past efforts of the Provincial Office, Provincial Advisor, Provincial Steering Committee, Regional Advisors, Ministry Officials , Provincial agencies, hospitals, universities, educators, research units, specialists, parents, infant development consultants, non-profit agencies, researchers and others.
In summary, I think the best I can say is that instead of removing the foundation of a fabulous, and highly successful IDP program which will surely weaken and erode the program’s overall services to young children and their families instead refer to the recommendations from BC’s Infant Development Program Review Final Report, November 2006 : 5.0 Recommendations: 5.1, 5.1.1 & 5.1.2
5.1 Retain What is Most Valued about the Program.
5.1.1 Maintain the core principles and features of IDP, i.e., a flexible, voluntary, home-based, family-centred, community-based early intervention visiting program that promotes the child’s best interest and development within the family context.
This is a joint responsibility of IDP, MCFD and sponsoring agencies and should be reflected in the IPD Policy and Procedures Manual and service contracts.

5.1.2 Maintain the current provincial program structure that provides province wide expertise, regional support, networking and the necessary professional development opportunities in order to meet the demands of a small but complex and constantly changing program for infants with special needs and their families in a consistent manner province wide. This is a responsibility of the MCFD Provincial Office in collaboration with the IDP Provincial Office to facilitate alignment between the Provincial IDP structure and a decentralized regional system of service delivery.

Final Report - November 2006 Consultant Team: Zena Simces and Sue Ross 23

Sincerely yours,
Jayne Dator-Freeman
Early Childhood Special Educator
Education Developmental Intervention Services
Command Fleet Activities Sasebo, Japan

Cody - In Memoriam

2009-11-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

Cody

Cody was just over 4 months old when we met. I had no idea at the time of the journey that we would take, I only know that I am honored and privileged that I had the opportunity to be in his life.

From early on in Cody’s life he faced many challenges, challenges that most of us could never conceive. He was not alone on this journey, Cody was fortunate to have been born into the most dedicated, loving and supportive family who took every step of this journey with him. It could have been easy for Dorothy and John to place a protective bubble around Cody shielding him from life. Instead they faced the challenges together and provided a loving, nurturing and stimulating environment in which Cody experienced all. When Cody’s health was stable and he was feeling well, John and Dorothy participated in a number of activities with Cody and his brothers Jeremy and Brady in the community. They took part in infant massage of which I know that Cody thoroughly loved. John would tell me about the different strokes and parts of his body he loved having massaged and how it helped them all relax. Cody, Dorothy and Brady were regulars at The Parent Child Mother Goose Program a program which included music rhymes and stories. Members of my team would tell me that you could see in the reaction of Cody’s body and facial expressions when he recognized or liked a particular song.

On one occasion John was telling me about a time that he taken Cody swimming and how much they had both enjoyed it and how good it was for Cody to be able to float around in the warm water relaxing his muscles. It was from this conversation that we were inspired to start the Baby Belugas Swimming program at the IDP in partnership with the Pearson Pool. The program has been so successful and created another opportunity for parents to meet and in particular for Dads and have some fun with their kids. I don’t think that John and Dorothy know how much they have inspired other families to come out and participate in the community.

What I most like to remember are my visits at home. Big brother Jeremy was always on hand to give us an update on Cody’s health and what the latest likes and dislikes were. He was always a willing participant when it came time to teaching new activities for Cody. Personally I think Cody loved just being around his big brother and hearing him laugh and speak to him. Then Cody became a big brother to Brady and it is clear that they also loved to be with one another. If it was a day that Cody wasn’t feeling that well we would just sit beside him and talk quietly. I really believe that Cody just liked being where all the action was.

Some days Dorothy would tell me of upcoming plans for a family trip. I was always in awe when I would leave and think to myself how much work it was to pack everyone up and all the equipment needed to take the kids to the Seattle zoo, or Whistler or Kelowna. Now I think about the awesome family memories they have created and the stories to be told in the future. No matter the challenges or barriers they faced they overcame them so that Cody could always be included.

Cody touched the lives of many. He lived life bravely and he truly loved just as he is truly loved by all those who knew him. On behalf of all the staff of the IDP thank you to John, Dorothy, Jeremy and Brady for sharing Cody with us and letting us know him and love him.

Letter to Provincial Government from R. Faucher, Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion

2009-11-02T09:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Honorable Mary Polack, Minister Children and Family Development, Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development, and Premier Gordon Campbell,

The Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion has operated an Infant Development Program for the past twenty years. We still know some of the families we met back then and have been honoured to watch the babies grow into young adults who sometimes remain close to our organization, and who sometimes grow up and away from us. Either way we're proud of them, and proud of the ways in which the Infant Development Program helped them on their way. We believe that the IDP Provincial Office is central to the success of our program, and the others around the province. The Office created a community out of what could have been a disconnected service delivery system. The office ensures that providing great quality service is always foremost in the consultants' minds . Throughout the Province, while regional difference is respected a common drive for excellence is ever present. The Office not only demands excellence it supports the provincial consultants to achieve excellence through education, resource sharing and professional supervision.

I know that times are tough, economically. I know that efficiencies have to be found, and we at BACI are doing our part. We don't protest every cut - but we do stand up against this one. We know you never get a second chance at a first chance and the Infant Development Program is what has given many children and their families the opportunity to make the most of that 'first chance'. The Provincial office has been central to the effort.

Yours truly,

Richard Faucher
Executive Director
Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion
2702 Norland Avenue
Burnaby, BC V5B 3A6

Letter to Provincial Government from M. Steward & M. McKay BC Children's NICU Follow-Up Program Occupational Therapy

2009-11-02T08:57:00.001-08:00

October 29, 2009

Premier Gordon Campbell < Premier@gov.bc.ca >
Honorable Mary Polack, Minister of Children and Family Development Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca , Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development MCF.DeputyMinisterOffice@gov.bc.ca

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister,

We are writing to express our concern with the recent decision to close the office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of B.C. We are Pediatric Occupational Therapists with over 30 years of experience between us, working to support the developmental needs of extremely high risk infants who are discharged from the provincial Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at B.C.’s Children and Women’s (C&W) Hospital. The majority of the infants discharged from this acute care centre are referred to Infant Development Programs throughout B.C upon discharge home.

The NICU at C&W primarily cares for extremely medically fragile infants who are at high risk for neurodevelopmental delay. The Neonatal Follow-up Program continues to assess and monitor these infants at regular intervals from 4 months until 4.5 years. Both programs rely heavily on the expertise, knowledge and skills of the IDP programs throughout the province. It is imperative that these IDP consultants have the most up-to-date information and the best training available to be able to support the development of B.C.’s most vulnerable infants. Without their knowledge, experience and trained “eyes”, many infants may fall through the cracks, will not receive the appropriate care and support and may eventually require considerably more intensive treatment. The Office of the IDP Provincial Advisor has provided excellent leadership to ensure the ongoing education needs of the IDP consultants are met. This includes training in the use of standardized tests, resources for developmental intervention and sharing of research related to developmental neurosciences and the implications for effective interventions.

The Neonatal Follow-up clinic relies on well-informed IDP consultants throughout the province to monitor infants and educate families in between clinic visits. An essential component of the success of the Infant Development Program is the direction provided by the provincial office through establishing standards of practice and quality assurance activities such as regular provincial education opportunities, thus ensuring consistency and continuity of care for children throughout the province.

We strongly urge you to reconsider the decision to close the office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program. Without the leadership of this office we are very concerned that it will be very difficult to maintain the current high standards of service delivery for meeting the developmental needs of extremely fragile and complex infants and children throughout the province.

Sincerely,

Meghan Steward, BSc OT
Occupational Therapist NICU,
BC Women’s Hospital
4480 Oak Street
Vancouver, B.C., V6H 3V4
Tel: 604.875.2123 x 7172 Fax: 604.875.3220
Email: msteward@cw.bc.ca

Margot MacKay, BScOT
Occupational Therapist
Neonatal Follow-Up Program
BC Women’s Hospital
4480 Oak Street
Vancouver, BC, V6H3V4
Tel:604.875-2345, ext 7506 Fax:604.875-2483
Email: mmackay@cw.bc.ca

To: Premier Gordon Campbell/Letter from C. Graves, RN

2009-11-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

October 27, 2009

3514 West 14th Ave.
Vancouver, B.C.
V6R 2W4

Premier Gordon Campbell
gordon.campbell.mla@leg.bc.ca

Dear Premier Campbell:

I am writing to you, as a constituent in the riding of Point Grey, to express my opposition to the proposed closure of the Office of the Provincial Advisor, Infant Development Program of B.C. (ID). I am also writing to you as a recently retired Clinical Nurse Specialist who has worked in the field of early identification and intervention for children with hearing loss (Sunny Hill Health Centre and BC Children’s Hospital) for a number of years. Further, I am currently a part-time instructor at UBC in the field of early identification and intervention, and am the Chair of the ID Steering Committee.

The Office of the Provincial Advisor has been an exemplary model of direct service provision to children with disabilities, and their families, for approximately 35 years. It has been fiscally responsible and cost effective in providing these services, and supportive to the regional advisors and consultants by setting “best practice” standards through training and professional opportunities. This work has all been accomplished
collaboratively, and under the direction of the ID Steering Committee. Over the years, members of this Committee have included parents, professionals (Neonatal Follow-up Program, BC Children’s Hospital; UBC Department of Pediatrics; UBC Human Early Learning Partnerships) and government (Public Health; Ministry of Children and Family Development). In short, the activities of the Provincial Office and Steering Committee have been involved with leadership, training, education, guidance, and advocacy, with the intention of ensuring that children with significant developmental issues and their families are well served by the ID Provincial Office, the ID Regional Advisors, approximately 194 ID consultants, and the Aboriginal ID consultants, as our ID partners.

From the little information that I have been able to glean to date, I believe that those responsible for the decision to close the Office of the Provincial Advisor do not understand its structure and functioning, nor have they instituted an “impact analysis” before making this major decision. While our ID Steering Committee is looking forward to having more dialogue with Minister Mary Polak (meeting has yet to be set), I feel compelled to briefly outline my greatest concern to you, as my MLA.

As you know, all professionals on health care teams across B.C. and Canada have regulatory professional bodies that stand behind them to ensure that standardization of best practice and accountability are protected through policies, procedures and guidelines, written and maintained by these professional bodies with input from those in the profession and other related professionals. For example, registered nurses have the College of Registered Nurses of B.C., and speech and language pathologists & audiologists have the Canadian Association of Speech & Language Pathologists and Audiologists and so on.

In this situation, the ID Consultants and Regional Advisors are not yet large enough in numbers to warrant having a college or association. For their training and professional development, they rely heavily on the ID Office of the Provincial Advisor, ID Steering Committee, the Professional Development Advisory Committee (a sub committee including representation from the ID, AIDP and Supported Child Development), Manual for Policies and Procedures (regularly revised), and Professional Development Guidelines. The ID Office of the Provincial Advisor and Steering Committee have been involved in all of these professional development endeavours, with the goal of ensuring standardization of best practice across the province. Therefore, if a family moves from one region to another, they and their child with special needs will seamlessly receive the same quality of service. I have been part of this process of supporting the ID consultants and Regional Advisors to achieve these high standards of practice, and have watched them regularly collaborate as a unified body in order to optimally meet the needs of their families across the province. It works!

With respect, please hear me say that this professional development mandate cannot be undertaken by a trio of individuals in MCFD, who may not have strong backgrounds in typical/atypical development in infants and children nor early identification/intervention practices. The collaborative model as described in the previous paragraph, has been developed over many years with excellent outcomes, and should not be dismantled. Actually, it is the glue that binds the ID program together in order to maintain high standards of service. If you dismantle the Office of the Provincial Advisor, you run the risk of collapsing the core components of a service that families have come to respect and expect.

In the interests of children with developmental concerns, and their families across B.C., will you, Minister Polak, and Deputy Minister Du-Toit re-consider your decision to close the ID Office of the Provincial Advisor?

Yours sincerely,

Carolyn Graves RN, MSN

Cc: Minister Mary Polack, MCFD (Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca)
Deputy Minister Lesley Du Toit, MCFD (MCF.DeputyMinisterOffice@gov.bc.ca)
Dana Brynelsen, Office of the ID Provincial Advisor (infantdv@interchange.ubc.ca)

To: Hon. Mary Polak/Letter fromNuxalk Nation Healthy Beginnings- G. Moody

2009-11-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Honourable Mary Polak,
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov. Govt,
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 9E2

Healthy Beginnings has concerns that if the Provincial Advisors office goes, we will be without the technical supports necessary to do our job. Many parents in the Bella Coola Valley seek advice and direction from IDP and SCD in their search for answers for their child's development. We get referrals from IDP in Vancouver for our clients who live here and visit specialists in Vancouver.
We were disappointed to learn that our Provincial and Regional Advisors were abruptly dismissed by MCFD, with no acknowledgment of their work of many years. We learned that the decision to close the Provincial Offices was made over a year ago. It is worrisome that MCFD worked with the Advisory staff for over a year without this information being shared. Apparently, there was no consultation with the Advisory workers and no analysis of impact on client services. If the MCFD goal is to decentralize services, it might have been wise to find out what the small rural communities will do for support for their programs. Without a “HQ” office, the remote areas might have higher work-loads and standards of delivery could slip. Our clients need our best work, so that their families get all the support they need to have a child develop successfully. We want our children to be successful by age six, when they enter the main stream of school and have to meet many new challenges. Many Aboriginal families in the IDP and SCD programs struggle with many issues in addition to having a special needs child. We need to have continuing education on all facets of child development. “H.Q.” helps workers in small communities keep up with their education; therefore, improving their standards of practice. Our five MCFD programs at Healthy Beginnings are based on a family centred practice. In our valley, we serve a relatively low incidence population and in some cases children with very rare conditions. Even conditions as common as Down syndrome are not common at all, here. How do we keep up to date with low incidence conditions, if not through continuing education?
We were informed that when the Provincial Advisory office closes in the near future, in-service training and Summer Institute will be organized under the direction of a committee of three social workers with child protection backgrounds. Apparently, the social workers have not worked in Infant Development and Supported Child Development, they have not attended training or taken the certificate or diploma; however, they are now called Children and Youth with Special Needs Specialists. So our program workers will be without skilled leaders. This will not benefit our client children.
Would MCFD please reconsider this drastic change?
We feel that this important change in management should have been handled by the Provincial Steering Committee. Further, we believe that decisions of this magnitude should be made in collaboration and in partnership. This committee of parents and professionals represent a variety of provincial agencies, hospitals, universities and research units connected to our work in child development and might have a broader understanding of what is to be achieved by our programs. We understand that the committee has been a successful model of government, parent and professional collaboration and that it is recognized internationally.
We are hopeful that all the parties will 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.

Respectfully, Gail Moody
Gail Moody
Healthy Beginnings
Nuxalk Nation
Bella Coola, B.C.

To:Hon.Dep. Min, L.DuToit/ Letter fromNuxalk Nation Healthy Beginnings-G Moody

2009-11-02T08:50:00.000-08:00

Lesley Du Toit,
Deputy Minister,
PO BOX 9721 STN Prov. Govt,
Victoria, B.C.
V8W 9S2

Healthy Beginnings has concerns that if the Provincial Advisors office goes, we will be without the technical supports necessary to do our job. Many parents in the Bella Coola Valley seek advice and direction from IDP and SCD in their search for answers for their child's development. We get referrals from IDP in Vancouver for our clients who live here and visit specialists in Vancouver.
We were disappointed to learn that our Provincial and Regional Advisors were abruptly dismissed by MCFD, with no acknowledgment of their work of many years. We learned that the decision to close the Provincial Offices was made over a year ago. It is worrisome that MCFD worked with the Advisory staff for over a year without this information being shared. Apparently, there was no consultation with the Advisory workers and no analysis of impact on client services. If the MCFD goal is to decentralize services, it might have been wise to find out what the small rural communities will do for support for their programs. Without a “HQ” office, the remote areas might have higher work-loads and standards of delivery could slip. Our clients need our best work, so that their families get all the support they need to have a child develop successfully. We want our children to be successful by age six, when they enter the main stream of school and have to meet many new challenges. Many Aboriginal families in the IDP and SCD programs struggle with many issues in addition to having a special needs child. We need to have continuing education on all facets of child development. “H.Q.” helps workers in small communities keep up with their education; therefore, improving their standards of practice. Our five MCFD programs at Healthy Beginnings are based on a family centred practice. In our valley, we serve a relatively low incidence population and in some cases children with very rare conditions. Even conditions as common as Down syndrome are not common at all, here. How do we keep up to date with low incidence conditions, if not through continuing education?
We were informed that when the Provincial Advisory office closes in the near future, in-service training and Summer Institute will be organized under the direction of a committee of three social workers with child protection backgrounds. Apparently, the social workers have not worked in Infant Development and Supported Child Development, they have not attended training or taken the certificate or diploma; however, they are now called Children and Youth with Special Needs Specialists. So our program workers will be without skilled leaders. This will not benefit our client children.
Would MCFD please reconsider this drastic change?
We feel that this important change in management should have been handled by the Provincial Steering Committee. Further, we believe that decisions of this magnitude should be made in collaboration and in partnership. This committee of parents and professionals represent a variety of provincial agencies, hospitals, universities and research units connected to our work in child development and might have a broader understanding of what is to be achieved by our programs. We understand that the committee has been a successful model of government, parent and professional collaboration and that it is recognized internationally.
We are hopeful that all the parties will 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.

Respectfully, Gail Moody
Gail Moody
Healthy Beginnings
Nuxalk Nation
Bella Coola, B.C.

Letter from T. Hurst/Lilloet, BC

2009-11-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

To: Honorable Mary Polak, Minister
Ministry of Children and Family Development
PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2

From: Teresa Hurst, IDP Consultant
Lillooet Infant Development Program
PO Box 2170 Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0

October 18, 2009

Dear Minister Polak,

I am greatly troubled by the recent announcement of the upcoming closure of the provincial office of the Infant Development Program of BC (IDP) and the elimination of provincial and regional advisors. I am an IDP consultant in Lillooet, BC and have been in this position for just over a year. It is my opinion that more, not less, supportive infrastructure is needed within the IDP of BC.

Although recent accounts have labeled these cutbacks as administrative and not impacting the direct care of families, this is clearly not the case. Our provincial IDP office serves as the foundation for the operation of all Infant Development Programs in BC. Through our provincial office, provincial advisor, and regional advisors, many essential services are provided, both directly to families and to IDP consultants, province-wide. I would like to focus on the supportive function of our provincial IDP infrastructure to IDP consultants.

Lillooet is a small and remote community and our local IDP, in its twelve years of operation, has been subject to many systemic barriers to acquiring and keeping qualified staff. In rural communities, a common challenge is fulfilling the professional staffing requirements of the IDP. It is often out of necessity that staff is hired with less that ideal academic training and professional experience. In these cases, professional support must be available to new consultants. Mentorship, ongoing training and evaluation need to be built into all programs, at local, regional and provincial levels.

I have Bachelor degrees in the Arts and in Social Work, and have worked for roughly thirteen years with preschool aged children and families, in the areas of ESL instruction, play school instruction, and child development. I am currently enrolled in the Infant Development Diploma program. Regardless of my relevant education and professional experience, I myself have experienced great challenges to obtaining the training, mentorship and support that is necessary for a new IDP consultant. Due to changing staff within our local program and the loss of our most experienced Infant Development Consultant/Supervisor, there has been no system in place for providing orientation and ongoing evaluation to new consultants at a local level. The specialized training and professional support I have obtained since I was hired has been entirely through accessing provincial and regional in-service trainings (I attended two sessions last year and am attending one this week) as well as phone consultation and on-site orientation and training by our regional IDP advisor. The support of our regional advisor, who is extremely experienced, knowledgeable, and passionate about her work, has been an enormous and valuable source of guidance in my own work.

I have thought of various ideas of how this gap in provision of staff mentorship and support at a local level to new consultants in rural communities may be narrowed and all solutions require increased intervention and support from our regional and provincial advisors and provincial office. Although I will not go into a detailed description of these ideas, it is suffice to say that decreasing, rather than increasing provincial and regional support to IDP consultants in BC will be detrimental to Infant Development Programs and ultimately impact the quality of support offered to families and children. This impact will be felt most noticeably in rural communities.

I strongly feel that the decision to terminate the contracts of the IDP provincial office and provincial advisor, as well as all regional advisors is a decision that will do harm to those served by IDP of BC- infants and young children with disabilities, developmental delays and risks of delay, and their families, caregivers, and communities. It is the right of these children, families, caregivers, and communities to access quality early intervention and I believe it is the responsibility of the provincial government of British Columbia to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to support IDP consultants and the families they serve. It is not too late for this matter to be reevaluated, and it is essential that all parties that are invested in the wellbeing of children, families and communities served by Infant Development Programs in BC work collaboratively to come up with alternative actions.

Sincerely,

Teresa Hurst, BA, BSW
Infant Development Consultant
Lillooet, BC

Response letter: from IDP PSC to Mr Hughes & Mr Sieben

2009-11-02T08:41:00.000-08:00

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

cc. Provincial Steering Committee, Infant Development Program of BC
Provincial Steering Committee, Aboriginal Development Program of BC
Provincial Steering Committee, Supported Child Development
Infant and Child Development Association of BC
Developmental Disabilities Association
Comox Valley Child Development Centre
The Federation of Community Social Services of BC
Family Support Institute of BC
BC Association for Community Living
Honorable Mary Polack, Ministry for Children and Family Development

Images: BellaCoola Supports No_Cuts

2009-11-02T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hello to IDP and SCD workers,

Bella Coola's Healthy Beginnings centre is a family centered service, which welcomes clients from all over our little valley.

Because we have only 1800 people here, we have to be able to help wherever and whatever the need .

This news of decentralization leaves us feeling as though we will be cast adrift on our own. It does not give us more power.

It weakens us, because we have no main office to give advice and guidance, when a rare

situation requires knowledge we might not have. We can't possibly know everything so we need a central brain trust.

I have attached several letters addressed to yourselves and the minister and deputy. Could you please send them on?

We plan to send hard copies tomorrow; but, snail mail is slow from here.

The photos were taken of the available staff and the children we serve.

Thank you for the good work you do to support our programs.

Sincerely, Gail Moody

Healthy Beginnings

Program Manager

Nuxalk Nation

Bella Coola, B.C.

H.Goelman & M Pighini-Vancouver Sun Oct 28,09

2009-10-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

Children's ministry funding cuts may prove short-sighted and harmful

By Hillel Goelman and Mari Pighini, Vancouver SunOctober 28, 2009

The Ministry for Children and Family Development has decided to change the way that early intervention programs for vulnerable children will be delivered in the province and families, children and the staff in these programs will be worse off.

The province is eliminating the positions of provincial adviser in the Infant Development Program of B.C., the Aboriginal Infant Development Program of B.C., and the Supported Child Development Program of B.C. The ministry claims that by doing so they will eliminate "administrative costs" and dedicate more resources to "front line workers." This narrow view demonstrates that these provincial officials do not really understand the essential role that the provincial advisers play in ensuring the quality of early intervention services.

The provincial advisers are not administrators. The advisers rely, instead, on the administrative support of their local umbrella organizations. The provincial advisers are educators, experts, resource people and, to put it simply, leaders. They provide the direction for their programs and then organize the resources to move in that direction. Here are some examples of what these advisers do, and that will cease to exist after the cuts:

- They created the Infant Development/Supported Child Care Certificate and Diploma Program based at the University of British Columbia.

- They are full partners in the Annual Assessment Workshop held in conjunction with other community, educational and academic groups. This workshop brings together early intervention professionals from different fields, parents, government officials, physicians and researchers to discuss new and emerging ways of evaluating children's developmental progress.

- This work also strengthens and supports the parents and families of young vulnerable children by increasing their access to information, knowledge and resources.

- They are community-based collaborators in action-based research projects conducted in partnership with academics from universities, hospitals, schools, preschools and clinics. They contribute their knowledge and expertise which in turn strengthens the work of the academic researchers.

- They develop and locate and bring into B.C. new and innovative approaches to early intervention.

- They are involved in a vast network of early child development and early intervention tables in B.C. and they are responsible for the website and communications with all local programs across the province. These initiatives ensure that updated and consistent information, knowledge, research and resources are accessible to staff, agencies, parents and students.

- The provincial adviser Dana Brynelsen has received international recognition for her over 30 years of work in the field of early intervention. Perhaps her most distinctive honour was being given an honorary doctorate from the University of B.C. for accomplishments and contributions. In granting this unique honour, UBC clearly recognized the vital role played by provincial advisors in early intervention in B.C.

These cuts demonstrate a lack of knowledge of these programs and a lack of respect for the professional staff of the office of the provincial adviser, to the regional advisers, the IDP consultants across the province and, most tragically, to the parents and children served by these three programs in B.C.

We applaud the government's plan to implement full-day kindergarten to support early child development. At the same time, we urge the provincial government to keep in line with its main goal to reduce children's vulnerability levels. The cuts should be reversed and the offices of the provincial advisers should be restored.

Hillel Goelman and Mari Pighiniare in the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program at the University of British Columbia.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/life/Children+ministry+funding+cuts+prove+short+sighted+harmful/2153757/story.html
NOTE from Authors: Advisors (not 'er') - printing typo!

October 28, Day of Action - MOMS

2009-10-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

MOMS needs you!
Support our provincial day of protest: Oct. 28
In 2005, BC Premier Gordon Campbell promised to build the best system of supports for children with special
needs in Canada. Despite huge provincial surpluses, he failed to fix major gaps and waitlists. Now he’s cutting
services.
So we’re asking moms and dads to stand up and remind the Premier of his promises to BC’s children.
Join our provincial day of action on Wednesday October 28.
WHY:
 Eliminating early intensive intervention programs.
 Denying therapy to children who can’t pay thousands of dollars each year out of pocket.
 Eliminating staff who deliver Infant Development, Aboriginal IDP and Supported Child Care services.
 $32 million cuts to provincial staff who manage & deliver kids’ programs; $3.6 million cuts to front-line
services; cuts to children in care, childcare, FASD prevention, even Special Olympics.
 No assessment of risks and impacts of these cuts and no consultation with families.
 Denial of special education in public schools - forcing families to pay privately.
 Despite promised changes, youths with special needs still denied vital supports on the basis of IQ.
We CAN afford better: The Premier’s 2009 budget includes $14 billion for new capital projects. Millions are
still being wasted on endless restructuring. Alberta still funds up to $60,000 in therapy for all children under
18 despite a larger deficit than BC’s. British Columbians don’t want the budget balanced on the backs of
vulnerable children. These foolish cuts will destroy lives and cost far more in the long run.
THE ACTION:
What: Small groups gather at high-traffic locations throughout the province with signs and banners & later
deliver hundreds of balloons to MLA offices representing the fragile young lives hurt by broken promises.
When: 7:30 – 8:30 am (morning rush hour) on Wednesday Oct. 28 (or as specified by local groups)
Where: Vancouver, North Van, Victoria, Kamloops, Kelowna and other communities – anywhere that a local
group of families wants to join us & do their own thing).
Who: This is a family-led initiative, but anyone is welcome to join in support
No-Nos: (No traffic disruption, no kids near traffic, no disorderly conduct, keep it non-partisan, law abiding,
respectful & focussed on children’s issues vs. things like Olympics or HST. Safety first, please!)
HOW YOU CAN PARTICIPATE:
 Join the groups already planned for North Van, Vancouver, Richmond, Victoria, Kelowna & Kamloops
 Organise or participate in a simultaneous action in another community
If you can participate, please e-mail Cyndi Gerlach ASAP at momsonthemove@telus.net. Please invite other
families, friends, neighbours, concerned citizens, professionals and service providers to join in!
Thank you!
Militant Moms on the Move
momsonthemove@telus.net
http://momsnetwork.ca/

Everything you need to participate or check out MOMs actions around the province on October 28. The more groups and people who join us, the stronger message we send to Victoria, so please contact us at MomsOnTheMove@telus.net if you wish to add another location or join one listed below!

If you can't make it in person, you can still participate by emailing a letter to Premier Campbell urging him to honour his promises to BC's children. Or call your MLA on Wednesday to express your support
http://momsnetwork.ca/

TheTyee:In BC, Suffer the Children-Militant MOMS

2009-10-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

In BC, Suffer the Children

Premier Campbell's forgotten promise to BC's youngsters with special needs.

By Militant Moms on the Move, 16 Oct 2009, TheTyee.ca
In his government's 2006-2009 Strategic Plan, Premier Gordon Campbell outlined five great goals for his Golden Decade. Goal #3 was to "Build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, children at risk, and seniors."
Three years later, Campbell and his children's minister, Mary Polak, seem to have entirely forgotten that promise. They've failed to improve supports for children with special needs. Existing systems are being cut, with no effort to resolve chronic service gaps.
Chopping away
Intensive intervention programs for autism have been axed, despite overwhelming need and hard evidence that these programs work well. The ministry's own experts advise that the alternative system of uniform subsidies is not an effective model for many children. It also creates two-tiered access, since only very wealthy families can afford to top up subsidies to get required therapies.
Provincial staff who provide direct services, including oversight, coordination, training and standards for community Infant Development Programs and Aboriginal IDPs are being axed. So is the provincial Supported Child Care office, which was recently created to resolve problems due to a lack of oversight, coordination and consistency in local programs. Staff were given a month's notice, which won't permit the transfer of roles, protocols and resources.
Polak has also cut budgets for child protection and childcare. Even the Special Olympics and a program that sought to reduce the number of children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder were cut.
There's more. Polak has ordered $32 million in cuts to ministry staff who manage and deliver critical child and family programs, with no risk assessment or public discussion about expected impacts. Front-line agencies that deliver children's programs were ordered to cut a further $3.6 million.
Savings from these cuts are not going to expand services to children currently waitlisted or denied urgently-needed therapies (e.g. children with Down Syndrome). Young adults are still denied supports on the basis of IQ, contrary to policy changes promised a year ago. Thousands of children will continue to be denied urgently needed services or waitlisted. The ministry has failed to document the extent of child and youth waitlists and service gaps or to demonstrate any progress in resolving these.
Polak's ministry has now spent over a year restructuring services for children with special needs -- again! -- with no effort to consult families, who are the primary partners in delivering most children's supports.
We can afford to do better
Premier Campbell has committed $14 billion to new capital spending in his 2010 budget at the same time that Minister Polak is claiming there is no choice but to cut vital children's programs.
And Premier Campbell failed to strengthen supports for children with special needs as promised, despite record budget surpluses in recent years. The children's ministry continues to waste millions in scarce tax dollars on endless restructuring. And Campbell still plans to spend $20 million on bricks and mortar to help construct a new autism building in Vancouver, after B.C. families overwhelmingly stressed in a survey last year that maintaining and enhancing services was by far the top priority.
As parents, we think most British Columbians would agree that British Columbia -- the best place on earth -- does not need to balance its budget on the backs of vulnerable children. These foolish cuts will destroy lives and cost us far more than they save in the long run.
Signed:
Dawn Steele, Vancouver
Cyndi Gerlach, North Vancouver
Catherine Clark-Turnquist, Victoria
Chris McIntosh, Victoria
Samantha Warden, Kamloops
Betty-Ann Garreck, Kamloops
Lisa Watson, Kelowna
Karen Davis, Fraser Valley Autism Society
Gerald Dewan, Burnaby
Carol Stinson, Burnaby
Pam Collins, Richmond
Si Stainton, Delta
Michelle O'Neill, Victoria
Cher Sherwood, Victoria
Militant Moms on the Move

Peac Arch - D. Young- Article: Turn to Community...(Oct 22 09)

2009-10-28T07:09:00.000-07:00

Published: October 22, 2009 4:00 PM
Updated: October 22, 2009 4:08 PM

Earlier this month, the provincial government gave notice it will no longer fund a number of provincial early-childhood-development offices.
This includes the Vancouver-based Provincial Infant Development Office, which has a remarkable 35-year history of achievement in early childhood development.
I understand the plan is to consolidate these province-wide activities within the Ministry of Children and Families, and to redirect any savings to direct service. It is clear the province is facing critical economic challenges and government has a responsibility to ensure it spends its finite resources in ways that best meets the needs of the community.
However, before it makes a shift as monumental as this, it needs to ask the following questions:
- What are the outcomes we are trying to achieve for children and families?
- What evidence do we have the planned change will improve these outcomes?
- What are the potential, unintended consequences of this change?
Until government is both comfortable and confident it has adequately answered these questions, I strongly caution against moving forward with this change.
The Infant Development Program has a proven track record of service in the province. It is an excellent example of a successful partnership between government and the not-for-profit sector in the delivery of community-based services.
Government continues to rely on the “public sector” to develop and deliver a range of programs and services in the community.
The reasons for this are numerous. First and foremost is that the non-government sector is able to develop and deliver services in a fashion that is more nimble, agile, responsive, flexible and focused.
This is not a criticism of government but rather an observation that has been researched and reported over the years.
The provincial IDP office has been able to develop a focus unlikely to have been sustained within a bureaucracy that has undergone one reorganization after another. It has been able to recruit and retain qualified staff able who work effectively with non-governmental personnel employed by agencies across this province.
Together, they deliver services that are models for Canada. This includes the infant development program delivered locally by Peace Arch Community Services, and programs of other community agencies throughout the province.
We have successfully achieved government-wide goals regarding the support and inclusion of all children in the community.
Will this direction improve the remarkable progress of this provincial office?
I have no evidence to suggest it will. Rather, this shift poses significant risk.
It is extremely difficult for any bureaucracy to sustain the focus of smaller programs within the challenges, conflicts and competing priorities that exist within any large organization.
An internal office will have to withstand overwhelming forces that will seek to change the scope of the program, the standards by which it is delivered, and its very mandate.
The nature of bureaucracy presents significant challenges to initiating and sustaining programs such as these. This is why government often reaches outside of itself to accomplish this type of public good.
This government has repeatedly emphasized its commitment to early childhood development.
Rather than closing this office, it would be prudent to retain the funding until a thorough analysis of the current structure – as well as alternatives – is completed.
This analysis should include participation from the community and focus on how best to provide provincial leadership required to deliver community-based supports to children and their families.
Perhaps there is a way to provide this program in a more effective and less costly manner. Let’s find it together.
A thoughtful, frank and transparent analysis of how best to move forward takes time, energy and commitment. Our children deserve nothing less.
David Young is executive director at Peace Arch Community Services.

E. Cox- Letter to MLA

2009-10-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Honorable Murray Coell
MLA Saanich – Gulf Islands October 22, 2009
2412F Beacon Ave.
Sidney, B.C.

Elizabeth Cox
10946 Madrona Drive,
Sidney, B.C. V8L 5P2

Dear Honorable Minister Coell,

I am writing regarding the cuts made to the Provincial Offices of Infant Development and Supported Child Development and possibly Aboriginal Infant Development. I am a community member, who has worked for over 30 years in this field as a past IDP consultant, as Chair of the Infant Development/Supported Child Development Consortium and as a Project Manager for many provincial projects undertaken with the three programs of Infant Development, Supported Child Development and Aboriginal Infant Development.

I am deeply disturbed and concerned with the Ministry of Children and Family’s decision. It seems to be a short sighted, short- term solution resulting in long term losses and effects on children with special needs and their families. Unfortunately, this decision appears to lack information regarding the role and duties of the Provincial Advisors, whose positions are viewed as being primarily administrative. Naturally, any provincial position has some administrative work, however, an adequate review of their roles would demonstrate they have minimal administrative duties and serve an essential function of directly linking with families by phone and through the provincial websites, providing advice, information and support to families, and linking them to services and resources that will support them across the province. In addition, they offer direct support to staff and agencies including community visits, phone support, and mentorship. They also support agencies, communities and provincial and regional MCFD staff in the initiation and delivery of services. This central coordination and lens is critical to a cohesive and integrated approach and service.

The Infant Development Program (IDP) has been working in collaboration with the Ministry since 1975. Particularly Dana Brynelsen, who for 34 years formed and developed the high standards and program of excellence that the Infant Development Program has become; it is internationally known and respected. It uses a successful and effective model of collaboration with parents, professionals and government that has developed a solid program that efficiently serves the families and the children with disabilities. Due to the highly effective model and excellence of the infant programs, the sister programs of Aboriginal Infant Development and Supported Child Development have been founded on a similar model. They too developed provincial manuals with guidelines and policy for staff, which reflect the unique aspects of their fields. Sustainability and the implementation of provincially standardized policy and care provide families and the staff with provincial consistency and local flexibility based on the individual needs of communities. I believe such consistency and professional guidance will be an unlikely outcome for families with a regional model.

The Provincial Advisors have a wealth of expertise in the field, and in the needs of the families and the staff who serve them. I am struggling to understand why this provincial model that is well researched, evidence -based, extremely effective, collaborative and operates on small budgets is being cut for a system that is not yet proven, nor has the developed strategies required to continue operation. The consultants, who provide service to families, look to Provincial Advisors for guidance and direction on how to support the complicated and sensitive needs of the families and children they serve. This model that shares their expertise and experience will now be lost, directly impacting the families and the staff who serve them.

The following points are my understanding to date of the facts around this decision. I emphasize “understanding” as no clear statement or plan has been put forward other than the intention for potential future planning:

 The Provincial Offices have received limited written information nearly one month from the end of September 2009 when they were informed their contracts expired September 30th. They have been given small extensions to complete the work of their offices.
 No impact analysis has been done by the Ministry regarding their decision
 No transition plan is in place for program staff or families prior to the decision being made
 Three social workers, currently employed by the Ministry, have “volunteered” to take on the role of setting up a new model for the transition.
 The ministry will work in consultation with the outgoing Provincial Advisors, and Provincial Steering Committees of each program, to develop transition plans that ensure continued coordination of these services.
 With the help of Provincial Steering Committees and existing regional planning tables the ministry will be doing an analysis over the next few months to determine options around professional development and training for community agency staff who work directly with children and families.

Unfortunately, all of these plans are occurring after the fact, and potentially after the contracts have expired. Of further concern is the limited timeframe of a few weeks and months to determine a transition plan. This does not allow enough time to develop effective and thoughtful plans in my estimation. In addition, the staff are expected to volunteer their time to assist in developing a transition plan. I am surprised that the Ministry chose a non- inclusive approach to their decision versus one of collaboration. It is disturbing to observe the lack of consideration for the expert knowledge that exists in the Provincial Advisors and the lack of respect demonstrated by limited or no consultation, coordination or collaboration prior to the completion of the contracts, to develop a solid plan for regionalizing services.

It is shocking that there is no specific plan in place or specific people identified to carry on the vast number of duties within these offices. Having three ministry staff take on duties that are added to their current positions creates a lack of stability and longevity for any comprehensive follow through of the process. The three ministry workers could shift positions within the ministry or not be able to manage the amount of work, thus creating a lack of integrated communication and linkage. With no thoughtful or comprehensive transition plan, families and consultants are now experiencing stress, confusion and fear. How can this be supportive or helpful to those who require stability and cohesive services?

From my experience at many tables with ministry representatives and the three provincial programs, I can not fathom how currently employed ministry staff will be able to understand and know how to best support the field given they have no or limited experience in child development, the field of disability or the training needs of our staff. Even with my wealth of knowledge and experience in the field, I cannot adequately support the staff and families without the guidance and direction of the Provincial Advisors. They connect with the families in their programs, their regional advisors, the staff and the agencies that employ them and build relationships with them. They understand the in-depth needs of the various communities and families to best support the families and staff in those areas. Connecting families, staff and community with the provincial picture, services and resources is a vital role of the Provincial Advisors. All past reviews of the IDP program have indicated the need for further strengthening not dissolution.

The provincial offices provide an incredibly strong link to all of the regions that without this coordination would act independently of each other and lose the strong linkages and connections that have been formed over the last 20 years. In addition, the Provincial Advisors of the three programs have worked very hard over the last several years to work collaboratively on many joint projects that benefit all the mutual families the programs serve, and the staff who support them. The collaborative model is proven and chosen by the group because the families and staff gain more together than separately. Everyone benefits from working together and having a centrally coordinated, unified purpose that represents the connection between families, services and staff.

Overall, a decentralized approach makes no more sense than the government removing the provincial decisions and direction and giving the regions and municipalities more control in operations and decisions. We already are aware of the current discrepancies our different regions and municipalities experience. Why make a decision that will increase these issues and subject the families, who are dealing with vulnerable children with complex needs, with further stress and complications?

I hope that this Ministry will take the time to review the information and the impact of the work being done so effectively by the Provincial offices. It is not a broken system that needs to be fixed. It is thriving and supporting children with disabilities and their families and this needs to be considered. For the sake of these families around the province, I hope this decision can be reviewed and evaluated more fully to reconsider the decision to cut the Provincial offices of Infant Development and Supported Child Development.

Thank you for your consideration of this important matter.

Regards,

Elizabeth Cox, Consultant and Project Manager

Dr Susan Harris_Letter to Premier Campbell

2009-10-28T07:05:00.002-07:00

H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Department of Physical Therapy
Faculty of Medicine
212-2177 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Phone: 604.822.7392
Fax: 604.822.1870

October 25, 2009

The Honourable Mary Polak
Minister, Children & Family Development
Box 9041
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9E1

Dear Premier Campbell:

I am writing to you as one of many concerned advocates for the needs of infants and young children in the province of BC. The proposed closure of the Provincial Advisor’s Office of the Infant Development Program (IDP) of BC is a serious mistake that will have far-reaching and dire consequences for the families and infants being served by this highly lauded early intervention program that has served as a model throughout North America for more than 30 years.

I speak both from my long experience as a pediatric physiotherapist as well as from my perspective as a researcher who has studied and written extensively about the positive benefits of early intervention for infants at risk and their families.

In May 2004, Dana Brynelsen, Provincial Advisor of the IDP, received an honorary doctorate from the University of British Columbia for her many and sustained contributions to enhancing the lives of infants with special needs and their families during her long tenure in that office. In her acceptance speech for that prestigious honour, Dr. Brynelsen remarked: “The Infant Development Program of BC grew out of the birth of a baby with Down syndrome. When Pamela Vickers was born in l969 there were no early intervention services for her or her family. Conventional professional advice at that time was to institutionalize infants with intellectual disability. Her mother started the first Infant Development Program in Canada and to date these programs in BC have served nearly 50,000 families. Every life has the potential to create great things. Anything is possible.”

During her 35 years as the IDP Provincial Advisor, Dr. Brynelsen has worked tirelessly to enhance the potential of lives of thousands of BC infants and their families. Having worked directly with a number of these families and seen their children flourish as a result of this family-centered early intervention approach, I believe that the proposed closure of the provincial IDP office will have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of future infants at risk and that this decision must be reversed as soon as possible.

As Dana Brynelsen eloquently stated in her UBC acceptance speech: “Every life has the potential to create great things. Anything is possible.” It is because of Dr. Brynelsen’s leadership at the helm of the provincial office that IDP has become an exemplary model of early intervention that is highly regarded and recognized in both Canada and the US.

Please remember that “anything is possible” – and that includes reinstating the Provincial Advisor’s Office of the Infant Development Program. I implore you to reconsider this decision for the continued and future benefit of the thousands of British Columbian children and families who will then be able to continue to flourish and reach their full potentials.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Harris, PhD, PT, FCAHS
Professor Emerita, Department of Physical Therapy &
Associate Member, Department of Pediatrics

Dr Susan Harris_Letter to Hon,Minister Polak

2009-10-28T07:05:00.001-07:00

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Department of Physical Therapy
Faculty of Medicine
212-2177 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Phone: 604.822.7392
Fax: 604.822.1870

October 25, 2009

The Honourable Mary Polak
Minister, Children & Family Development
Box 9057
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9E2

Dear Minister Polak:

I am writing to you as one of many concerned advocates for the needs of infants and young children in the province of BC. The proposed closure of the Provincial Advisor’s Office of the Infant Development Program (IDP) of BC is a serious mistake that will have far-reaching and dire consequences for the families and infants being served by this highly lauded early intervention program that has served as a model throughout North America for more than 30 years.

I speak both from my long experience as a pediatric physiotherapist as well as from my perspective as a researcher who has studied and written extensively about the positive benefits of early intervention for infants at risk and their families.

In May 2004, Dana Brynelsen, Provincial Advisor of the IDP, received an honorary doctorate from the University of British Columbia for her many and sustained contributions to enhancing the lives of infants with special needs and their families during her long tenure in that office. In her acceptance speech for that prestigious honour, Dr. Brynelsen remarked: “The Infant Development Program of BC grew out of the birth of a baby with Down syndrome. When Pamela Vickers was born in l969 there were no early intervention services for her or her family. Conventional professional advice at that time was to institutionalize infants with intellectual disability. Her mother started the first Infant Development Program in Canada and to date these programs in BC have served nearly 50,000 families. Every life has the potential to create great things. Anything is possible.”

During her 35 years as the IDP Provincial Advisor, Dr. Brynelsen has worked tirelessly to enhance the potential of lives of thousands of BC infants and their families. Having worked directly with a number of these families and seen their children flourish as a result of this family-centered early intervention approach, I believe that the proposed closure of the provincial IDP office will have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of future infants at risk and that this decision must be reversed as soon as possible.

As Dana Brynelsen eloquently stated in her UBC acceptance speech: “Every life has the potential to create great things. Anything is possible.” It is because of Dr. Brynelsen’s leadership at the helm of the provincial office that IDP has become an exemplary model of early intervention that is highly regarded and recognized in both Canada and the US.

Please remember that “anything is possible” – and that includes reinstating the Provincial Advisor’s Office of the Infant Development Program. I implore you to reconsider this decision for the continued and future benefit of the thousands of British Columbian children and families who will then be able to continue to flourish and reach their full potentials.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Harris, PhD, PT, FCAHS
Professor Emerita, Department of Physical Therapy &
Associate Member, Department of Pediatrics

Dr S Harris-Letter to Deputy Minister

2009-10-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

Department of Physical Therapy
Faculty of Medicine
212-2177 Wesbrook Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Phone: 604.822.7392
Fax: 604.822.1870

October 25, 2009

Lesley Du Toit
Deputy Minister, Children & Family Development
P.O. Box 9721
Station PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W 9S2

Dear Deputy Minister Du Toit:

I am writing to you as one of many concerned advocates for the needs of infants and young children in the province of BC. The proposed closure of the Provincial Advisor’s Office of the Infant Development Program (IDP) of BC is a serious mistake that will have far-reaching and dire consequences for the families and infants being served by this highly lauded early intervention program that has served as a model throughout North America for more than 30 years.

I speak both from my long experience as a pediatric physiotherapist as well as from my perspective as a researcher who has studied and written extensively about the positive benefits of early intervention for infants at risk and their families.

In May 2004, Dana Brynelsen, Provincial Advisor of the IDP, received an honorary doctorate from the University of British Columbia for her many and sustained contributions to enhancing the lives of infants with special needs and their families during her long tenure in that office. In her acceptance speech for that prestigious honour, Dr. Brynelsen remarked: “The Infant Development Program of BC grew out of the birth of a baby with Down syndrome. When Pamela Vickers was born in l969 there were no early intervention services for her or her family. Conventional professional advice at that time was to institutionalize infants with intellectual disability. Her mother started the first Infant Development Program in Canada and to date these programs in BC have served nearly 50,000 families. Every life has the potential to create great things. Anything is possible.”

During her 35 years as the IDP Provincial Advisor, Dr. Brynelsen has worked tirelessly to enhance the potential of lives of thousands of BC infants and their families. Having worked directly with a number of these families and seen their children flourish as a result of this family-centered early intervention approach, I believe that the proposed closure of the provincial IDP office will have a profoundly negative impact on the lives of future infants at risk and that this decision must be reversed as soon as possible.

As Dana Brynelsen eloquently stated in her UBC acceptance speech: “Every life has the potential to create great things. Anything is possible.” It is because of Dr. Brynelsen’s leadership at the helm of the provincial office that IDP has become an exemplary model of early intervention that is highly regarded and recognized in both Canada and the US.

Please remember that “anything is possible” – and that includes reinstating the Provincial Advisor’s Office of the Infant Development Program. I implore you to reconsider this decision for the continued and future benefit of the thousands of British Columbian children and families who will then be able to continue to flourish and reach their full potentials.

Sincerely,

Susan R. Harris, PhD, PT, FCAHS
Professor Emerita, Department of Physical Therapy &
Associate Member, Department of Pediatrics

Letter from Local Advisory Committee-Richmond IDP

2009-10-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

Premier Gordon Campbell,
Honorable Mary Polak, Minister of Children and Family Development,
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister of Children and Family Development,

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister Polak, and Deputy Minister Du Toit;
As members of the Local Advisory Committee to the Richmond Infant Development Program, we are writing to express our objection to proposed closing of the Provincial Office of the IDP. We are parents and professionals residing in Richmond who share a strong interest in the wellbeing of children in our community, and as such we support the Richmond program in reaching the goals of the Infant Development Program of BC.
In this context, we are extremely aware of the remarkable work of the Provincial Office in setting standards for early intervention in this province, developing training programs, providing professional development, and offering guidance and advice to individual programs and Infant Development Consultants.
Early intervention spans the disciplines of health care, social work and education. Since there is not yet a degree in Early Intervention available in BC, consultants come from a variety of backgrounds. Training in developmental assessment and in established methods of working with families in a home-based program is essential for high quality services to continue, as they have for the last thirty-five years. Ongoing professional development in the form of in-services and conferences have assisted programs to stay current with “best practice” in early intervention, and it must be stressed that both training and professional development can only be adequately planned and carried out under the leadership of a Provincial Advisor with training and experience in the field.
In the years since the establishment of Infant Development Programs in this province, knowledge regarding early development and methods of supporting this development has grown by leaps and bounds. The maintenance of a library of appropriate and up to date books and journals, and relationships with research bodies who share new knowledge as soon as it is available, are two of the ways that the Provincial Office keeps current, to the benefit of all programs. If an individual consultant anywhere in the province has a question or a problem related to her work, advice is only a phone call or an e-mail away.
A Policy and Procedure Manual was written early in the history of the IDP of BC, and has been revised on a regular basis. With this guidance, the programs are able to meet the standards set by the Provincial Steering Committee and the Ministry of Children and Families. It is remarkable that over the years services have been provided to 800,00 families, without serious complaints, scandals, investigations or lawsuits. Strong guidance from the Provincial Office can be given credit for this accomplishment. Certainly, there are differences between regions, and the work of the different programs would reflect this. But there is a pressing need for consistency between programs as far as the quality of the service is concerned, so that families in one region can expect as high a standard as that enjoyed by any other region.
Minister Polak has explained her decision to close the Provincial Office as removing an administrative layer in order to direct more money to families needing help. But the role of the Provincial Office was never administrative, but rather that of leadership, training, education and guidance. The amount of money to be saved, $300,000 per year, does not balance the harm that will come to IDP Programs in BC if they lose the “anchor” that they have in the Provincial Office.
The Infant Development Program of BC has been admired and imitated by early intervention programs all over the world, and we do not want to see this high quality of service disappear. This committee therefore recommends to the Ministry of Children and Family Development that the Office of the Provincial Advisor be maintained, and supported, to the benefit of children experiencing developmental delay and disability and their families.

cc Rob Howard, MLA, Richmond Centre
cc Maurina Karagianis, MCFD Critic, NDP

Letter from A. Reiner-Personal

2009-10-23T16:37:00.001-07:00

#2-6360 Lynas Lane,
Richmond, BC
October 13/09
Premier Gordon Campbell,
Honorable Mary Polack, Minister of Children and Family Development,
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister of Children and Family Development,

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister Polack, and Deputy Minister Du Toit;
Let me introduce myself – my name is Ann Reiner and I am a pediatric physiotherapist who has been consistently involved with providing services to children with developmental disorders in British Columbia for forty-eight years. I have held senior positions at Sunny Hill Health Centre and BC Children`s Hospital and additionally have worked in a variety of community therapy programs. I have also been involved in teaching courses and workshops in Canada and abroad, and currently teach courses at UBC, all focused on various aspects of early intervention.
Like many others, I am writing to communicate my opposition to the proposed closure of the Offices of the Provincial Advisor and Regional Advisors of the Infant Development Program of BC. I feel that I have a unique perspective in this regard, because I have had the good fortune to be involved with the Vancouver Infant Development Program from its very inception. For many years I provided physiotherapy services to the Vancouver Program, and watched in amazement as the idea spread throughout the province, so that there are now 53 IDP programs, and virtually every family in BC has access to timely, professional, and efficient service. When I retired from my position as Clinical Coordinator of Physiotherapy at BC Children`s Hospital, I was happy to return to working as a Physiotherapy Consultant to Vancouver IDP, where I am to this day.
Early in the history of the Infant Development Program of BC, the government of the day wisely seconded Dana Brynelsen to be an advisor to the programs then existing, and all the new programs that subsequently were developed. It was understood that a high level of guidance, advice and training was necessary to make these programs a success. A Manual of policies and procedures was developed, and has been revised at regular intervals ever since. Professional development organized and offered by people with knowledge and experience in the field has been an integral part of the service. The BC Programs have been admired, studied and imitated by professionals in jurisdictions all over the world.
Early intervention practice spans the disciplines of health care, education and social work, and the body of knowledge needed is growing rapidly. Infant Development Consultants work in diverse parts of the province, and often in isolation. When confronted with an unusual diagnosis or situation, they can quickly obtain up to date information and advice from the Provincial Advisor or their Regional Advisor, and thus offer the highest quality of services to families. With this level of professional guidance in best practice, it is no accident that the Infant Development Programs of BC have not been involved in scandals, lawsuits, investigations and Royal Commissions experienced by some programs within MCFD and other ministries. All this for only $300,000.00 a year!!
Minister of Children and Family Development Mary Polack has explained this decision as removing a level of administrative bureaucracy from the system, but I am sure that she has been misinformed. The Provincial Office is involved in education and guidance of Infant Development Consultants, not in administration, which is carried out appropriately at the regional level. If the Minister wishes to cut back on levels of administration, I am sure that she can find a more appropriate target elsewhere in the system.
As a lifelong Liberal supporter, I am upset that the Minister is planning to carry out measures which will further erode the confidence of the citizens of BC in this government`s ability to govern. What is worse, the ability of the Infant Development Programs to provide a high level of service to families with infants and young children is now in jeopardy. This is inexcusable.

Ann Reiner, BSR, MA,
Physiotherapist

cc Rob Howard, MLA, Richmond Centre
cc Maurina Karagianis, MCFD Critic, NDP

Letter from Provincial Steering Committee

2009-10-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

On-Line Survey - Minister of Finance ('til tomorrow only!)

2009-10-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

Please use this link for an On-line Survey from the "Budget 2010 Consultation;" This closes on October 23. It takses 10 minutes. You will received an email confirming your submission.
Carolyn Graves suggests to complete (as members of our agencies or as citizens) as it gives us another chance to get through to the Minister of Finance and his group.
Here is the link:

https://www.leg.bc.ca/budgetconsultations/survey.asp

UPDATED:MAILING ADDRESSES & EMAILS FOR SUPPORT LETTERS

2009-10-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Your MLA’s address can be found at this website http://dir.gov.bc.ca/

The Premier’s address is:

Honourable Gordon Campbell

Po Box 9041 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E1

EMAIL: Premier Gordon Campbell < premier@gov.bc.ca>

Carole James, Leader of the Opposition

Room 110B, Parliament Buildings
Victoria-Beacon Hill Constituency Office
1084 Fort Street,
Victoria, BC, V8V1X4

Email: carole.james.mla@leg.bc.ca

Here are the addresses for the Minister and Deputy Minster:

Honourable Mary Polak

PO Box 9057 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9E2

EMAIL: Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister

PO BOX 9721 STN Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9S2
EMAIL: MCF.DeputyMinisterOffice@gov.bc.ca

Please also write to Maurine Karagianis who is the NDP Opposition Critic for Children & Families. Here address is:

Maurine Karagianis

Room 201

Parliament Buildings

Victoria BC V8V 1X4

EMAIL: Maurine.Karagianis.MLA@leg.bc.ca

Letter to J Kwan-A Kennedy (Sheway)

2009-10-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

Oct. 15th, 2009 Oct. 15th, 2009
Dear MLA Jenny Kwan,

I am writing about the need to keep our Provincial and Regional Advisors in the Infant Development Program and Aboriginal Infant Development Program of BC.

I am a front line Infant Development Consultant at Sheway – a not for profit organization that offers health and social service supports to pregnant women – following mother and baby until baby is 18 months old – who have substance use issues. I do developmental screenings, assessments and offer Parenting Groups amongst other things. We are located in the Downtown East Side of Vancouver. Approximately 70% of our clientele identify as Aboriginal.

Without Advisor support, I fear that the future of Infant Development in areas of BC that suffer poverty and trauma will be in crisis. Advisors provide training; inform me of current relevant trends and changes in Early Child Development – things that I don’t have time to research while working in this environment. Consultants need this information, and must be up to date in order to provide quality services for our high-risk caseloads.

The networking support that the Advisors provide prevents burn out.

As it stands now, my co-worker and I have a caseload between us of eighty infants under the age of 18 months. We have our hands full and heavily rely on the information our Advisors pass on to us.

I am requesting that you please ask Honorable Mary Polak to reconsider the funding cut to the Infant Development and Aboriginal Infant Development Programs of BC. The Advisors are essential to providing quality services to at risk infants in the Downtown East Side of Vancouver, to the Sheway program and to the future of BC.

All My Relations,

April Kennedy
Sheway IDP
604-216-1699
#101-533 East Hastings St
Vancouver, BC V6A 1P9
akennedy@ywcavan.org

Letter Dr Anne Synnes, NFUP Program (BC Children's Hospital)

2009-10-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

October 9. 2009
Premier Gordon Campbell < premier@gov.bc.ca>
Honorable 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

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister,

Your decision to close the office of the provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of BC is short sited and ill advised. The decision reveals a lack of understanding of both the role of the lDP and the provincial advisor of the lDP and the anticipated consequences of the closure of this office.
The office of the lDP Provincial Advisor provides the infrastructure to ensure that the lDP provides the best, most efficient and well organized developmental care for our most vulnerable children. The provincial advisor ensures appropriate training for lDP consultants, ongoing education, and the development of standards of practice and quality assurance.
I am writing from the perspective of a neonatologist, a physician who is involved in providing life saving treatments to both very sick and very premature babies and as the medical director of the Neonatal Follow-Up Program where we see the survivors of new invasive technologies for newborns and children.
These new technologies result in many "miracles" and we all celebrate these successes. However, many premature babies survive with some disabilities. The same can be said for children born with heart disease and those needing transplants or other invasive expensive therapies. In Canada, these children still rate the quality of their life as very high.
My clinical experience meeting with these children and their families is they cope very well when community services are available. Without support, a progression from fatigue to marital breakdown, despair and de-compensation start to occur. It is increasingly recognized that these parents often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The lDP is the cornerstone of support for the families of these infants up to the age of 3 years.

As physicians we counsel families about the outcomes, both good and bad, of the life saving treatment options we can offer. Our goal is to provide treatments which result in happy healthy children with a good quality of life. Survival is not enough. The closure of the office of the provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of BC will change the outcome for these children and their families. There are unlikely to be any cost savings in closing the provincial advisor's office.

The premier and his government have an obligation to either reinstate the office of the provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program or to tell the physicians and families of British Columbia that he will take responsibility for eroding the foundation of the BC Infant Development Program. The result will affect life and death decisions.

Sincerely,

Anne Synnes MDCM, MHSC, FRCPC
Neonatologist & Director, Neonatal Follow-Up Program
Children's & Women's Health centre of BC
Clinical Associate Professor,
University of British Columbia
4480 Oak St, Room 1R13
Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604-875-2135
Fax: 604-875-3106

Letter J Fisher-Kootenay Family Place

2009-10-19T16:46:00.000-07:00

The Honourable Mary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development
Minister Responsible for Child Care
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Dear Minister Polak;

I am writing to you today to raise concerns about the recent notice of closure given to the Provincial Offices of Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program and the Supported Child Development Programs.

Kootenay Family Place has programs that utilize both Infant Development and Supported Child Development Consultants who provide services in the Boundary and West Kootenay covering an area from Beaverdale to Nakusp. This is a massive area geographically and encompasses an enormous range of socio economic, culturally unique, economically challenged and physically isolated communities. The range of issues presented to our staff challenge their training, experience and skills on a regular basis. It is at these times that our staff have come to rely upon the Provincial Offices for their support, information on new practices and the highly skilled expertise of the various advisors in supporting solutions for families of children with special needs. That support and expertise cannot be replicated at the local level for any amount of money and its loss will be keenly felt and will ultimately impact our service effectiveness.

The loss of these Advisors will have the net result of cutting off a precious, cost effective and valuable “supply line” of information and support to those in the field. The lack of valuable inputs from the Advisors will have a detrimental impact on program outcomes and, in particular, for those delivering these services far away from urban centers of information, where there exists more easily obtained alternative supports. Currently, information can be accessed easily and in a timely way. In the future it will require a great deal of staff time and effort to ferret out that same information at a cost to direct service.

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In addition, the loss of the Aboriginal Advisors will be felt at a time when the transfer of support services to the Aboriginal community is still in its infancy. Complex issues can and will arise in the delivery of services between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities. The guidance of the Provincial Advisors, in sharing practice information and innovation from around the province, has been most helpful and is vital to future success.

Minister, I want to underscore the tremendous value that these Advisors add to our services to vulnerable children and families. I strongly urge you to reconsider the impacts that these closures will have on our attempts to support some of the most challenged children and families in our Province.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Fisher
Executive Director
Kootenay Family Place

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

Letter from ML Best-Alan Cashmore Centre

2009-10-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

I am utterly dismayed and distressed to learn that the Office of Provincial Advisor of the IDP BC will be eliminated. For the past 35 years Dana Brynelsen, in her role as Provincial Advisor, has provided a learned passion and leadership to all of us in the field of early childhood intervention. She has worked tirelessly to build an outstanding, provincial wide foundation of support services to families with special needs children. Infant Development Consultants across the province, regardless of whether they are in urban, rural or remote communities, know they and the families they serve, will get the support, resources, information, and ongoing education needed from the Provincial Office. They know that this Office will be a voice of advocacy for vulnerable families and young children. To pull the leadership role out of this organization is an insult to it's vital function over time. To describe this position as having been an "intermediary between the ministry and service providers" (Oct. 7 - MCFD response) diminishes the role and misses the essential heart of it - to provide inspiration, leadership, advocacy, vision, a standardized level of practice, a commitment to excellence in both service and professional development and, above all else, equal access to service regardless of where families live. This is what this Office has meant to line staff, to families across BC and to professionals in the field of early childhood in general. It has been the backbone of IDP programs and it's elimination will assuredly risk a gradual fragmentation of programs, diminished access to system wide education, training and support, increased isolation from colleagues and potentially a reduction in the quality and standardization of practice. Of course there is the issue of low morale.

I have worked in early childhood mental health services for over 20 years as both an infant mental health clinician and now as Coordinator of early childhood mental health services, Dana was engaged in early intervention services long before the rest of us knew such a thing was possible. She has been a pioneer and champion in the the field of early childhood intervention. Her commitment to services for vulnerable families is reflected in the values and practices she has brought to her position as Provincial Advisor. She has worked endlessly in collaboration across professions, programs, services and ministries to enhance professional awareness, knowledge and skill in identifying, assessing and providing intervention and support for children with special needs and their families. The breadth of experience, knowledge and relationship Dana has accumulated over time cannot be replaced. Gutting leadership will most certainly result in the weakening of programs across the province and it is families with special needs children that will feel the impact.

On behalf of children who have no power and no voice and caregiving families who are often too burdened to speak out, I urge you to reconsider your decision to eliminate the Provincial Advisor position.

Respectfully,

Mary Lee Best, MSW,RSW

Coordinator

Alan Cashmore Centre

Vancouver Child and Youth Mental Health

Letter from Sunshine Coast IDP- M. Corder

2009-10-17T10:52:00.002-07:00

October 9, 2009

Premier Gordon Campbell
Honorable Mary Polack, Minister Children and Family Development
Lesley Du Toit, Deputy Minister, Children and Family Development

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister:

For the past 18 years, I have been the “sole charge” Infant Development Consultant on the Sunshine Coast serving children birth to age three with disabilities or developmental concerns and their families. Today I am feeling the impact of news from MCFD to cut the position of the Provincial IDP Advisor by the end of December 2009.

This is a harsh blow to isolated programs in rural communities, where we depend strongly on the provincial advisor and staff, as do many families, for support, guidance and counsel. The Provincial Office is responsible for hiring one provincial advisor, one administrative assistant and one regional advisor for each of the five regions in the province. This is not a bureaucracy. This is a skeleton staff providing an enormous amount of extremely important work with, and on behalf of vulnerable families and IDP consultants throughout the province for over thirty years.

As the only IDP staff working on the Sunshine Coast, I contact the Provincial Office staff frequently. I know they have the level of expertise not available to me in my local community. Their support relates to my work with families including: grief and loss issues specific to the population I work with, difficult medical conditions, the latest evidenced based research, intervention techniques, best practices, or training opportunities. The service provided from the Provincial Office is specific to concerns in the field of infant development and has been created over 30 years. For instance, the family centered philosophy is the underlying approach of the IDP, and the Provincial Office models this approach to families and consultants. It provides a personal direct link to a vast array of other “family-centered” networks and supports provincially and nationally. The provincial advisor and assistant have always been available for empathic direct telephone discussion and support, so important and helpful in an era of automation and technology. The BC Provincial IDP Office has become known internationally as a leader in the field of infant development and without this valued and reliable service, I know the quality of my work with families in my rural community will be diminished.

The Provincial Office also provides strong advocacy to local agencies for high quality professional development for IDP consultants, to assure the highest quality service to families. In this regard, the Provincial Office has been responsible for organizing state-of- the-art summer institutes and inservice training specific to the philosophy of the program. Over my 20-year career in IDP I have attended 6 summer institutes at UBC, leading to a post-degree diploma in infant development and have attended spring and fall in-services annually as well as many conferences and workshops. The Provincial Office organizes leading edge professors and researchers in the field of early child development to teach summer institutes and bi-annual inservice training sessions. These “experts” are known to the provincial or regional advisors who make it their job to carefully research “the best” in the field. Without the work of the Provincial Office in providing the best training available for IDP consultants, we would be at a great loss in developing the skills most suited to doing our jobs.

Another aspect of the provincial office is the creation and regular updating of the policies and procedures manual, including in-depth evaluation tools. This important document is based on research, best practices and years of experience from Provincial Office staff and input from families on what works best. It provides standardization for all IDP programs in the province and assures consistent family-centered service to families when they move between communities. This 265 page document provides the structure we all use and value because it is created from “real” input from users of the program and from the staff at the Provincial Office who “care”.

I have always felt honored and proud to be part of this wonderful caring community of infant development consultants of BC, and it’s provincial advisor who has role-modeled all that the program aspires to be. Her empathy, compassion, humour, overall generosity and caring for families and consultants have given us the strength to carry on in times of challenge, grief and overwhelming family trauma. As the only consultant doing the IDP work on the Sunshine Coast, I cannot imagine how it would be without the support, expertise, caring and direct service the Provincial Office provides. The quality of service to families would definitely be impacted. I strongly urge you to reinstate the funding for this much needed and valued Provincial Office of Infant Development.

Sincerely

Merrily Corder
Infant Development Consultant
Sunshine Coast Infant Development Program

Cc Dana Brynelsen, IDP Provincial Advisor
Carole James, leader of the opposition
Nicholas Simons, MLA
Vicki Dobbyn, Executive Director Sunshine Coast Infant Development Program

Letter to Tri-Cities MLA

2009-10-17T10:52:00.001-07:00

October 5, 2009

Mike Farnworth
107A – 2748 Lougheed Highway
Port Coquitlam, BC
V3B 6P2

Dear Mike Farnworth,

We are writing you as a group of concerned consultants from the Simon Fraser Society Infant Development Program about the government’s recent decision to eliminate the Provincial Advisors Office. Our program has been in existence for 34 years and for all of this time we have relied on the office of the provincial advisor for support, training and guidance in best practice in the field of early intervention.

It is through the office of the provincial advisor that consultants are able to link families throughout the province with others whose children have a similar diagnosis. Without this central location it would be difficult for families to find these connections leaving them isolated without the support of others in similar situations. Program to program support and interaction is initiated and maintained by both the provincial office and regional advisors. The provincial office also maintains an official website that is an excellent resource for families and consultants.

Over the 35 years that the provincial office has been operating, its advisor, Dana Brynelsen, has made numerous connections with the leading practitioners in the field of early intervention throughout Canada, the USA and around the world. These connections have led to state of the art early intervention practices. Without a provincial office it will be difficult for individual programs to keep abreast of updated research and best practice procedures. Having one office to disseminate this information saves time and money for each individual program.

As the field of early intervention continues to evolve it is important to have a central office that provides on-going training to all programs. This has been one of the most important projects that the office of the provincial advisor has undertaken. As well as the development of the IDP certificate and diploma program offered through UBC the provincial office has provided on going training and in service for many years. This training is invaluable to new and seasoned consultants. The training ensures that consultants are up to date in best practice and new research. It is difficult to find other sources of training that are as cost efficient and relevant for the birth to three populations that we serve.

Another area of focus of the provincial office has been the development and on-going review of the IDP Policy and Procedure manual which guides the practice of all 53 programs in the province. This manual is a living document and it is important that it is regularly revised to ensure that it meets the latest advances in best practice in early intervention. Also, in an effort to ensure efficiency, effectiveness and consistent standards of practice of the infant development programs, in the 1980’s the provincial advisor, with the guidance of the provincial steering committee introduced the Mitchell evaluation. This evaluation, administered through outside evaluators, ensured that programs were meeting standards set for best practice as well as ensured that families received a high quality service.

As a program that relies heavily on the invaluable expertise provided by Dana Brynelsen and the office of the provincial advisor we ask that the decision to eliminate this contract be reconsidered.

Sincerely,

Maryanne Robinson, Mihaela Oala, Jill Crichton, Karen Bollman, Kim Wartak
Simon Fraser Society Infant Development Program Consultants

In BC Healthy Families Newsletter

2009-10-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Infant Development Program Offices Lose Funding (October 12, 2009)

Recent news that the provincial offices of BC's Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program, and Supported Child Development program are to be closed due to funding cuts is causing consternation throughout the province. These programs provide a continuum of care for infants and young children, many representing the most vulnerable children in BC.

While Minister of Children and Family Development, Mary Polak, is confident that front-line services to families and children will not be affected by the elimination of the provincial offices and the regional advisors in these programs, many professionals and parents remain concerned. Dana Brynleson, Provincial Advisor for the Infant Development Program, asserts that " if the Provincial Office is closed, even temporarily, families and staff will lose access to the rich network of support offered through the office. The IDP has served over 80,000 families since its inception and is considered by international experts in the field of child development to be one of the best programs of its kind in the world."

To voice your support for these programs, please check out the Infant Development Program's press release (PDF), which includes suggestions on elected officials to email with your concerns.

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Letter from Dr Lois Yelland, MD - Public Health

2009-10-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Premier Campbell,

I am writing to request that your government reconsider the decision made by the Minister Polak to eliminate the provincial offices of the IDP, Aboriginal IDP and Supported Child Care Program.

This decision was made without the Minister or her Deputy Minister taking the time and effort to visit the provincial offices and acquaint themselves with the operation of these programs. It was also made without consulting or examining the impact it will have on stake-holders. This includes not only the affected children and their families, but the professionals in the field who rely on these services to assist them in caring for their clients or patients. Ultimately, this decision will impact on society as a whole, with failure to identify and treat developmental disabilities in a timely manner, resulting in increased costs from delayed medical treatment and lost productivity, not to mention the costs in human terms.

As one of these professional stake-holders, working as a physician in general practice and later, in public health, I found the infant development programs, like the prenatal nutritional outreach programs, to be among the most effective and best-run programs funded by government.

These programs didn't just happen. Like Roots of Empathy Program, they were created by individuals with a vision and dedication to meet a need and make a significant difference in developmental outcomes. These programs require ongoing leadership and expertise to ensure that field staff competencies are maintained and up-dated as new information becomes available in this rapidly changing field. These programs also require an ongoing system of data collection to keep government accurately informed of any changes in demand for these services.

Minister Polak has stated that no impact will be felt by the public because there have been no field positions cut, but I strongly disagree with her opinion. Without the support and guidance of a team of experts, these services will be seriously eroded over time and the standards of care will vary region to region, as regional protection supervisors are asked to take on yet another responsibility from the side of their desks. Minister Polak may not be around to see the full impact of her decision, but there will be tens of thousands of families that will be adversely affected by this decision. These kind of services, once dismantled, are not easily rebuilt and the expertise and experience discarded, is not readily found.

I support the need to fund more field positions in both IDP and child care, but urge you not to do this at the expense of dismantling the leadership so vital to these services.

Sincerely,

Lois Yelland

Letter from S. Anson, Neonatal Follow Up Program -BCCH- Ambulatory Clinic

2009-10-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Honorable 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

Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca

Date: October 5th, 2009

Dear Ministers,

Re: Proposed closure of the office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Programme

It was recently brought to my attention that there are plans to close the office of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Programme. As a physician and a mother, I would like to add my letter of concern to the collection.

I work as a Pediatrician in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Neonatal Follow-up Programme at BC Children’s Hospital. We service families from all across the province. Our babies and families are survivors, who have gone through a lot in the first few months of life. We send them home with lots of hope, but also lots of worries about long-term neurodevelopmental issues.

The Infant Devleopment Programme plays a very important role in the follow-up and support of these children. We rely on them to share their child development expertise with families, and to identify children who need further services (ie. Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, etc.). The IDP consultatns help families navigate a very complicated support network for children with disabilities.

I do not understand how any professional body can work without leadership. The IDP consultatnts are certainly professionals in the field of child development and they deserve the support of a Provincial Advisor. This is important for education, for maintaining standards and for keeping sight of the vision of the program.

In my work in the Neonatal Follow-up Clinic, I have realized that there are vast inequalities in the services for children with disabilites in our Province. Children in different communities and with different disabilites receive varying levels of support. It is critical to maintain our Provincial bodies and to strive to give all children equal and optimal opportunities.

As a mother of 2 young children with profound hearing impairment, I have also had personal interactions with the Infant Development Programme. Early Hearing Screening recently became universal in our province. Since that time, the IDP consultants have added one more group of children to their caseload. The IDP consultants received extra training to enhance their knowledge about this special group of children. Without Provincial coordination, this would not have been achieved.

I sincerely hope that you reconsider this decision.

Yours sincerely,

Shelagh Anson, MD, FRCPC
Neonatal Follow-Up Programme, C&WHC BC.

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

2009-10-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

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

Letter from K. Mary- Public Health Nurse

2009-10-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

I am writing to express my sadness at recent funding cuts to the provincial Infant Development Program and the Books for Babies program.

As a public health nurse working with young children, I am aware of how these programs made a huge difference in the lives of the families that I see. While I know that local IDP services will continue, the provincial program was essential in co-ordinating services, particularly to smaller areas where the resources are fewer.

Delivering the Books for Babies gift bag has been one of the happiest things that I do for new families. Along with giving them information about their new babies and introducing them to public health services, the new book is something that is a gift far greater than the paper it is printed on. The book, and the information given in the library bag, is a way of demonstrating to parents that nurses, librarians, and their government put literacy as a priority and that we want to practically support families. It actually shows everyday people that the government cares enough to give something really lovely to them personally at one of the most important times in their lives.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the Vancouver Sun ran several articles leading up to their annual “Raise a Reader” campaign, which always coincides with the wonderful “Word on the Street” festival. Many of these articles referred to the proliferation of information (much of it done by local researchers) that proves the strong link between support given in a child’s early years and healthy growth and development. It is no secret that if we give attention to children in their first few years, there are huge benefits to the child’s neurologic and social development. Studies have also shown the cost to society if these children are not supported in these crucial years. In view of this research, it is sad indeed that you have chosen to withdraw this funding.

I also find it very interesting that political leaders have been quoted in these articles both this year and in previous years, giving their own personal support to the importance of literacy. This is a confusing message indeed.

As nurses and public sector workers, we will mourn this loss but over the years we have learned to be flexible and resilient in managing cuts to our funding. We all can appreciate the need to manage a budget well, but it is very hard to understand why such important services are being cut. The real losers here are the families. And the cost to government may end up being larger in the long run.

I urge you to please reconsider these programs. We will truly miss them.

Karen May, Public Health Nurse

0-5 team, South Community Health Office

MCFD Response re Baby Books - Cuts to Provincial Offices

2009-10-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

From MCFD:

Thank you for your email in support of both the Books for BC Babies program and the Infant Development Program.

As you know, we are experiencing some tough economic times due to the global economic downturn, but we are working hard to deal with the associated challenges. We are reviewing all government programs, policies and initiatives, looking at strengths and weaknesses, and new approaches to reaching important goals. When the economy improves, we will be able to revisit funding decisions across the board and we look forward to that happening.

Your comments about the Infant Development Program have been shared with the Honourable Mary Polak, Minister of Children and Family Development. Please be assured that a response from the Ministry will be forthcoming at the earliest opportunity.

Again, thank you for writing. We do appreciate the important work you are doing as a public health nurse and commend you for your commitment to BC families.

cc: Honourable Mary Polak

Letter to Premier-S. Formosa, Speech Language Pathologist

2009-10-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Premier Campbell,

I am shocked and deeply disheartened to learn that the Provincial IDP office, the Provincial Aboriginal IDP, and Supported Child Development Offices will be closed by the end of 2009. I am a registered speech-language pathologist and former director of the Alan Cashmore Centre. I have been working in BC since 1979. The quality of training and support offered to IDP staff and families has made a tremendous difference to innumberable families for whom I have provided services. This network of continuing education, knowledge of best practices, and standards of care has made IDP in BC what it is today. In the 1980s I saw this overarching support removed for SLPs within the Vancouver School Board. The resulting lose of morale, expertise, resources, and accountability for best practices within that system over the last twenty years speaks to the lack of wisdom in removing this kind of resource for the people who provide the direct services.

Dana Brynelsen is a gem. She has served on many boards for diverse issues and needs. This has added to her knowledge of best practices. I relied on her input significantly when developing the Parent-Infant Program at ACC and she helped to establish a very easy collaboration between my staff and IDP professionals. Her sense of humour and tremendous skill in listening to viewpoints and finding common ground resulted in huge changes in how services are delivered to people in BC who have hearing loss. She was instrumental in bringing the Parent-Child Mother Goose program to BC and realizing a provincial office to oversee the delivery of this program throughout the province. She petitioned the health care system to make significant changes to post surgical care of children after losing her own daughter in post op. She didn't get angry - she just got going and had a plan implemented. Dana understands the needs of families and has ensured that families have remained the central focus for IDP professionals. With all of the special needs of the children who receive services through IDP, the professionals could easily have overridden the family perspective without Dana's insistance that families come first. That way of moving in the world has been admired and modeled by everyone who has worked with Dana on a committee, on a board, on continuing education development, or in planning for new programs both within BC and across the country. She has created her role as Provincial Coordinator to last beyond her time by establishing a standard for what is needed to ensure IDP services to young families are of the highest quality in BC. Don't throw this away.

Several years ago, the provincial government dismantled the Greater Vancouver Mental Health Services Society - a world leader in care for people who have mental health issues. It was a bad decision. I urge you to not repeat history again by eliminating another world leader. Keep the Provincial Offices open - the cost of running them is small. The cost of losing them will be huge. Families come first.

Sincerely,

Sue Formosa
Resgistered Speech-Language Pathologist

Letter from Toronto Parent Child Mother Goose Program

2009-10-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

To Whom it May Concern,

I heard about the recent cuts at the Infant Development Program in BC and would like to express my surprise and disappointment. I understand that the managers at IDP represent an enormous amount of expertise lost. Dana Brynelson is known to us in Toronto and at the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program here as a visionary and a highly skilled, interesting, intelligent, compassionate and funny human being who has used her considerable abilities on behalf of all Canadians, and of course particularly those in BC. It is hard for us to understand what can have led to these decisions.

I can only hope those involved and those responsible think seriously about the reasons and the consequences of actions such as these and allow themselves some honest discussions about the future. We must stop dismantling the positive efforts of others or we will maintain the fragmentation rather than the health of our society. It is a privilege to be in a decision making capacity and it is important to resist destructive or partisan forces and to build rather than to destroy. Very important.

Ruth Danziger

Executive Director

Toronto Parent-Child Mother Goose Program

MCFD to IDP/AIDP/SCDP Programs October 9, 2009

2009-10-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

October 9, 2009
RE: Provincial Advisors for Infant Development Program, Supported Child Development, Children First and Aboriginal Infant Development
Dear Community Partner,
This letter is to inform you of recent decisions regarding services provided by the Offices of the Provincial Advisors for Infant Development (IDP), Aboriginal Infant Development Program (AIDP), Supported Child Development (SCD) and Children First (CF). Economic uncertainty, budget pressures and the need to preserve the direct service levels in our contracted agencies have impacted our ability to continue our funding support to IDP, SCD and CF Advisors.
In the last week of September, MCFD met with the Development Disabilities Association and the Comox Valley Child Development Association to advise them of the ministry’s decision to discontinue the Provincial Advisors role. In addition, an agreement was reached with the British Columbia Aboriginal Friendship Centre to extend the Aboriginal Infant Development Advisor for a six month period. An analysis and review 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 review, options to support the ongoing development of the Aboriginal Supported Child Development Program will also be considered.
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. Similarly, the SCD Advisors, Lorraine Aitken and Tanya Brown, have made significant contributions through establishing, supporting and mentoring Supported Child Development Programs across the province.
Diana Elliott will continue as the Provincial AIDP Advisor until the review is completed. Diana has held this position for the past seven years and has been instrumental in supporting nineteen additional programs in this province.
Historically, the Provincial Advisor contracts for IDP and SCD included funds to support professional development and training for community agency staff. Transition planning will take place to determine options on how these opportunities will be managed in the future. The role of the Regional IDP Advisors will also be considered in the transition. Contracts for direct services will not be reduced as a result of the decision to discontinue the advisor positions.
If you have questions regarding information in this letter please feel welcome to call.
Kind Regards,
Alanna Robson
Manager of Strategic Planning and Project Development
Fraser Region, Ministry of Children and Family Development

Sunshine Coast IDP Letter

2009-10-09T19:41:00.000-07:00

October 9, 2009

Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca
Honorable 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

Dear Premier Campbell, Honorable Minister and Deputy Minister:

For the past 18 years, I have been the “sole charge” Infant Development Consultant on the Sunshine Coast serving children birth to age three with disabilities or developmental concerns and their families. Today I am feeling the impact of news from MCFD to cut the position of the Provincial IDP Advisor by the end of December 2009.

This is a harsh blow to isolated programs in rural communities, where we depend strongly on the provincial advisor and staff, as do many families, for support, guidance and counsel. The Provincial Office is responsible for hiring one provincial advisor, one administrative assistant and one regional advisor for each of the five regions in the province. This is not a bureaucracy. This is a skeleton staff providing an enormous amount of extremely important work with, and on behalf of vulnerable families and IDP consultants throughout the province for over thirty years.

As the only IDP staff working on the Sunshine Coast, I contact the Provincial Office staff frequently. I know they have the level of expertise not available to me in my local community. Their support relates to my work with families including: grief and loss issues specific to the population I work with, difficult medical conditions, the latest evidenced based research, intervention techniques, best practices, or training opportunities. The service provided from the Provincial Office is specific to concerns in the field of infant development and has been created over 30 years. For instance, the family centered philosophy is the underlying approach of the IDP, and the Provincial Office models this approach to families and consultants. It provides a personal direct link to a vast array of other “family-centered” networks and supports provincially and nationally. The provincial advisor and assistant have always been available for empathic direct telephone discussion and support, so important and helpful in an era of automation and technology. The BC Provincial IDP Office has become known internationally as a leader in the field of infant development and without this valued and reliable service, I know the quality of my work with families in my rural community will be diminished.

The Provincial Office also provides strong advocacy to local agencies for high quality professional development for IDP consultants, to assure the highest quality service to families. In this regard, the Provincial Office has been responsible for organizing state-of- the-art summer institutes and inservice training specific to the philosophy of the program. Over my 20-year career in IDP I have attended 6 summer institutes at UBC, leading to a post-degree diploma in infant development and have attended spring and fall in-services annually as well as many conferences and workshops. The Provincial Office organizes leading edge professors and researchers in the field of early child development to teach summer institutes and bi-annual inservice training sessions. These “experts” are known to the provincial or regional advisors who make it their job to carefully research “the best” in the field. Without the work of the Provincial Office in providing the best training available for IDP consultants, we would be at a great loss in developing the skills most suited to doing our jobs.

Another aspect of the provincial office is the creation and regular updating of the policies and procedures manual, including in-depth evaluation tools. This important document is based on research, best practices and years of experience from Provincial Office staff and input from families on what works best. It provides standardization for all IDP programs in the province and assures consistent family-centered service to families when they move between communities. This 265 page document provides the structure we all use and value because it is created from “real” input from users of the program and from the staff at the Provincial Office who “care”.

I have always felt honored and proud to be part of this wonderful caring community of infant development consultants of BC, and it’s provincial advisor who has role-modeled all that the program aspires to be. Her empathy, compassion, humour, overall generosity and caring for families and consultants have given us the strength to carry on in times of challenge, grief and overwhelming family trauma. As the only consultant doing the IDP work on the Sunshine Coast, I cannot imagine how it would be without the support, expertise, caring and direct service the Provincial Office provides. The quality of service to families would definitely be impacted. I strongly urge you to reinstate the funding for this much needed and valued Provincial Office of Infant Development.

Sincerely

Merrily Corder
Infant Development Consultant
Sunshine Coast Infant Development Program

Cc Dana Brynelsen, IDP Provincial Advisor: infantdv@interchange.ubc.ca
Carol James, leader of the opposition: carol.james.mla@leg.bc.ca
Nicholas Simons, MLA: nicholas.simons.mla@leg.bc.ca
Vicki Dobbyn, Executive Director Sunshine Coast Infant Development Program: vickidobbyn@dccnet.com

Infant program cut is devastating-Times Colonist Oct.8, 2009

2009-10-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

Infant program cut is devastating

Times ColonistOctober 8, 2009

Without the provincial advisor, the Infant Development Program of B.C. will cease to exist. The Ministry of Children and Family Development does not have the resources to maintain the quality of the current program without the provincial adviser.The infant development program is an excellent service that provides information and support in timely manner to families whose children have special needs. The IDP is highly regarded by health-care professionals and academics, both provincially and internationally.The IDP is a cost-effective program that provides service to families in their homes throughout the province, even the most rural areas.Over the past 35 years, the provincial adviser has been instrumental in the development and ongoing success of the IDP. Currently, there are 53 programs with 194 consultants who provide direct service to 8,000 families annually. The provincial office is necessary to ensure consultants are well educated, family focused and well informed of current research and various therapies.What is it that Children's Minister, Mary Polak doesn't like about providing front-line service to kids? Why destroy a cost-effective, highly regarded program that is available throughout the province to families, who desperately need support and information?We are all painfully aware of the ministry's failures. Why add one more? Lynda Kimola Infant Development ConsultantVictoria

MCFD-Response:INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ARE PROTECTED

2009-10-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

OPINION-EDITORIAL
INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS ARE PROTECTED

By Hon. Mary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development
October 7, 2009

VICTORIA – In the Legislature on October 5, NDP MLA Maurine Karagianis suggested the Infant Development Program was being cut and then stated that for rural families, “... there will be no place to go to try and get the kind of support system that families need.”

These reckless and irresponsible comments are untrue and have created a great deal of unnecessary anxiety for families that depend on this service – particularly for families in rural B.C.

The only change is the phasing out of two provincial advisors. These two positions do NOT deliver direct services to infants and children. The positions have served as an intermediary between the ministry and service providers, and have helped the ministry build a successful foundation for both our Infant Development and our Supported Child Development programs.

The fact is the Infant Development Program is not being cut, and no changes have been made to the Supported Child Development program. Both programs continue to receive full funding with $18-million for the Infant Development Program - an all-time high - and $57 million for the Supported Child Development program. Service delivery will not be interrupted – these programs continue to be offered to all families in B.C. who need them.

The Infant Development Program serves children who are at risk for, or who already have, a developmental delay. To date, more than 65,000 infants and their families have participated in the program. Supported Child Development provides a range of consulting and support services to children, families and child care centres so that children with extra support needs can fully participate in child care settings. This program reaches about 9,000 children annually and serves children from birth to age 12, with services for youth 13-19 years available in some communities.

The decision to eliminate the advisor positions is part of our effort to reduce administrative costs and invest those dollars where they are needed most – in direct, front-line services for children and families.

Parents can learn more by calling 250 387-7027 in Victoria, or toll-free 1-877-387-7027 from anywhere in the province.

Power-Not Money-PublicEye

2009-10-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

PublicEye
Provincial-October 7, 2009

Last week, it was reported the provincial government would be scrapping "teams of advisors who help families with special-needs children get in touch with the right child-care workers and who give guidance to those workers." This, according to CTV's St. John Alexander. But one of them, Dana Brynelsen, has stated that decision wasn't made for fiscal reasons. Instead, it was about "power and control and the direction" of the ministry of children and family development.
In an email to colleagues, Mr. Brynelsen - the provincial advisor for British Columbia's infant development program - wrote, "I understand now that the decision to close the Provincial Offices was made over a year ago. It is very difficult to understand how we could have worked with MCFD staff for over a year without this information being shared, without consultation and opportunity to have a thorough analysis of impact."
"Our biggest challenge is that this is not about money." Instead, the decision was "about power and control and the direction of MCFD which is to devolve all power and control to the regions. I have been told that the move to decentralize is in part a move to remove standards and that for our field this will lead to increased caseloads and services which will be viewed increasingly through a child protection lens."
"As you know MCFD, under the current Deputy (Lesley du Toit), does not support family centred practice," she continued. "All MCFD documentation I have viewed through the Strong Safe and Supported work does not use that terminology. The current Deputy is from South Africa. I do not know her vision of early childhood intervention but I fear that we are heading in the direction of South Africa, which to my knowledge has never been a leader in our field."
The following is a complete copy of Ms. Brynelsen's email.
***Dear Infant Development Consultants,
Thank you all for your support over the past week. I see the letters coming in and the newspaper articles and I know that you are speaking up from your perspectives throughout BC. Some of you have contacted your union to express concern that if this Office goes you will be without the technical supports you need to do your job. I have attached a press release from HSA. Parents are speaking up as well. Many parents seek advice and direction from this office in their search for answers for their child's development. Many are referred by us on to you. As you and the families we serve are the 'constituents' of our Provincial Office there are no more important voices.
You have many allies. I have attached a letter from Dr. Michael Whitfield whom many of you know has served on the Provincial Steering Committee for many years. He is on holiday in New Zealand and has written from there. I am also sending a letter by separate email to you from my nephew who is in Grade 10 and a friend who was the first psychologist consultant to the IDP to let you know that family and friends are in this as well. They don't always have the facts exactly right but they are concerned. So we do have much support.
It was of course professionally devastating to me and to Amelia and the Regional Advisors to be dismissed by MCFD so abruptly last week, with no acknowledgment of our work of many years. So the supportive letters you are sending are very rewarding.
I understand now that the decision to close the Provincial Offices was made over a year ago. It is very difficult to understand how we could have worked with MCFD staff for over a year without this information being shared, without consultation and opportunity to have a thorough analysis of impact.
Our biggest challenge is that this is not about money. If this was a fiscal issue, we could win this battle. We have kept the fiscal wolf from the door for 34 years.
This is about power and control and the direction of MCFD which is to devolve all power and control to the regions. I have been told that the move to decentralize is in part a move to remove standards and that for our field this will lead to increased caseloads and services which will be viewed increasingly through a child protection lens. The implications of the child protection lens in our field are of particular import for many families in the IDP who are struggling with many issues in addition to having a child with special needs. And of course this will have a significant impact on AIDP and Aboriginal families.
As you know MCFD, under the current Deputy, does not support family centred practice, all MCFD documentation I have viewed through the Strong Safe and Supported work does not use that terminology. The current Deputy is from South Africa. I do not know her vision of early childhood intervention but I fear that we are heading in the direction of South Africa, which to my knowledge has never been a leader in our field.
If our population base and specialized resources were equitably distributed throughout BC then the closure of a provincial resource like the IDP Provincial Office would have no particular impact. But we are serving a relatively low incidence population and in some situations children with very rare conditions. Even conditions as common as Down syndrome are not common at all in small communities. In the North region in our last statistics there were only 4 babies referred with Down syndrome in that huge region over an entire year. And two of these babies were born at opposite ends of the region. How do we keep up to date with low incidence conditions? These are the issues we need to address.
Even something as seemingly simple as Gesell training cannot happen with ease regionally unless many more of you become qualified to train others. And then you will need the time from your caseloads to do this. So we do have challenges ahead. And I am working with the Regional Advisors to document the impact and figure out ways that some work can be done to support you when the office closes.
In regard to the work that will be done when the office closes at the end of December I was informed that inservice training and Summer Institute will be in future organized under the direction of a committee of three social workers with child protection backgrounds. Social work is a great profession but when I reviewed the curricula of all schools of social work in Canada a few years ago, not one had as a graduating requirement, a course in child development. These three social workers to my knowledge have not worked in our field. They have not attended training we have held, or taken the certificate or diploma. They are now called Children and Youth with Special Needs Specialists. So in the absence of skilled leaders we need to figure out how you will be able to influence to the best of your ability our field in future. This is what we are working on.
On a personal note, as you know I am on medical leave. Some of you have expressed concern about how I will manage without a pension or medical plan after December 31. I have been assured by my employer that I can remain for a period of time on extended benefits with some compensation.
So let's concentrate now on how we are going to get you the support you need in your communities in the coming years.
Many, many thanks for your caring support.
Kind regards,
Dana

Times Colonist-Cuts to Autism

2009-10-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

Scrapped autism program was unfair: Polak
By Lindsay Kines, Times Colonist
September 22, 2009
B.C. Children's Minister Mary Polak backtracked yesterday on her reasons for scrapping an early intervention program for autistic children.
Polak said last week that she killed the early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI) program, in part, because it performed little better than less expensive services.
"We recognize, too, that we have to look at the outcomes," she told a news conference then.
"And when it comes to what was occurring with EIBI, we were not seeing any appreciable improvements in the outcomes for those kids."
Polak changed her story, however, after the ministry admitted that she was basing her comments on a four-year-old study. The research was done while EIBI was still in its infancy, and the ministry acknowledges that much has changed since then.
Faced with that, Polak now says the decision to scrap the EIBI program had nothing to do with its quality, and was solely an issue of fairness.
"Whether or not, in point of fact, there was a greater improvement or an appreciable difference between the programs was not the issue upon which we based the decision," she said. The real reason, Polak said, was that the EIBI program cost $70,000 annually for each child under six and served only 70 children in seven communities. The other 800 or more autistic pre-school children in B.C. receive $20,000 a year.
"This is an issue of equity and it's an issue of access," she said yesterday.
The government argues that by scrapping the $5-million program, it can use the money to boost intervention services to all children from $20,000 a year to $22,000 as of April 1. It will also use part of the money to set up a $1-million outreach program to improve services in rural and remote areas.
The decision to kill the program affects 22 children in Victoria and eliminates 39 full-time, part at Queen Alexandra.
NDP children's critic Maurine Karagianis said Polak's reversal shows the ministry acted too quickly and failed to consult parents.
"I think their reasons for cancelling this program are crumbling under close inspection," she said.
"And the fact that the government is now changing their tune -- backing away from their original statement -- says to me that ... there is no basis for this."
Polak said the B.C. government has increased funding for autism from $4.1 million in 2001 to $46 million this year.

lkines@tc.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist

Kamloops-This Week: Cuts to Autism Provincial Funding

2009-10-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK
The problem is, Campbell and Polak just don’t get it
By Dale Bass - Kamloops This Week
Published: October 01, 2009 11:00 AM
Updated: October 01, 2009 11:59 AM

Samantha Warden is just a few steps into a massive trip she’d rather not be taking. Her guide on this trip is her son, Regan, just three years old.
She’s taking a trip many have gone on before, but few who have faced as many hurdles as she and her little man must overcome.
Regan has autism and he’s one of what the province says is just 70 who are being funded for what used to be called applied behavioural analysis
and is now referred to as early intensive behavioural intervention (EIBI).
Whatever it’s labelled, it’s a monumental voyage that starts with the stark diagnosis and, usually, a dire prognosis. Your little one will probably never really develop, the line usually goes. In our family’s case, it was “he’ll probably never talk or understand social behaviour.”
Samantha — like us — chose to not accept that future. She chose the much more difficult path of doing absolutely anything she can to help break Regan out
of that shell, if just a bit, that is the autistic mind. For her, it means intensive therapy for hours a day. It’s a costly process, with the provincial government providing up to $70,000 to pay for it.
But, for Samantha, it has meant her little guy has gone from screaming and dragging her to make her point to things he wants to a little guy with some words who will look her in the eye and use his own hands to point.
As the mom of an autistic child, I know just how important that “look her in the eye” really is. It tells us that we’re making the connection, we’re seeing the first autistic brick shatter.
It’s something most people — and that would definitely include Premier Gordon Campbell and Children
and Family Development Minister Mary Polak — just don’t get.

They may think they do, but they don’t.
But now, Samantha faces the reality that the B.C. Liberal government isn’t willing to give her the money she needs to try to reach Regan and start to give him the tools he’ll need to perhaps one day live a somewhat normal life.
And that has her angry. She’s so angry that she has called a meeting of other parents like her, their families, their friends —
anyone who wants to know why the most recent changes to the provincial autism-funding programs are wrong — for Saturday at Pioneer Park at 2 p.m.
And she’s so angry that she has organizing a rally for Oct. 18 at Prince Charles Park on Columbia Street at 12:30 p.m. She’s so angry she’s got a Facebook page — with more than 800 members now — and an e-mail for people to contact her to join the fight (bcautism@gmail.com).
She’s angry because Polak had the nerve to say there is nothing to prove EIBI works. Google it and you’ll find myriad research studies that show it is effective.
Talk to any family that has seen its life turned topsy-turvy to accommodate EIBI and you’ll know it works. Or, consider this:
Regan was incapable of interacting with his family before he started EIBI earlier this year. After many sessions, Samantha asked him for a hug.
She had done it before, many times, only to get that autistic reaction — nothing.
But, this time, Regan crawled up onto the couch with her, threw his arms around her and squeezed her neck.
She sat there and timed it — many parents of autistic kids often analyze things their kids do. He hugged her for seven minutes.
And, while she counted off every second, Samantha cried.
And that’s something else Campbell and Polak also just don’t understand.
dale@kamloopsthisweek.com

Kootenay Family Place Support Letter

2009-10-08T16:36:00.000-07:00

October 8, 2009
The Honourable Mary Polak
Minister of Children and Family Development
Minister Responsible for Child Care
Minister.MCF@gov.bc.ca

Dear Minister Polak;

I am writing to you today to raise concerns about the recent notice of closure given to the Provincial Offices of Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program and the Supported Child Development Programs.

Kootenay Family Place has programs that utilize both Infant Development and Supported Child Development Consultants who provide services in the Boundary and West Kootenay covering an area from Beaverdale to Nakusp. This is a massive area geographically and encompasses an enormous range of socio economic, culturally unique, economically challenged and physically isolated communities. The range of issues presented to our staff challenge their training, experience and skills on a regular basis. It is at these times that our staff have come to rely upon the Provincial Offices for their support, information on new practices and the highly skilled expertise of the various advisors in supporting solutions for families of children with special needs. That support and expertise cannot be replicated at the local level for any amount of money and its loss will be keenly felt and will ultimately impact our service effectiveness.

The loss of these Advisors will have the net result of cutting off a precious, cost effective and valuable “supply line” of information and support to those in the field. The lack of valuable inputs from the Advisors will have a detrimental impact on program outcomes and, in particular, for those delivering these services far away from urban centers of information, where there exists more easily obtained alternative supports. Currently, information can be accessed easily and in a timely way. In the future it will require a great deal of staff time and effort to ferret out that same information at a cost to direct service.

In addition, the loss of the Aboriginal Advisors will be felt at a time when the transfer of support services to the Aboriginal community is still in its infancy. Complex issues can and will arise in the delivery of services between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities. The guidance of the Provincial Advisors, in sharing practice information and innovation from around the province, has been most helpful and is vital to future success.

Minister, I want to underscore the tremendous value that these Advisors add to our services to vulnerable children and families. I strongly urge you to reconsider the impacts that these closures will have on our attempts to support some of the most challenged children and families in our Province.

Yours sincerely,

Jim Fisher
Executive Director
Kootenay Family Place

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

AiMHi-IDP Letter of Support

2009-10-08T16:31:00.000-07:00

October 1, 2009

To the Honourable Minister Mary Polak;
Re: Infant Development Program Office of the Provincial Advisor Contract Renewal

On September 30, 2009, Infant Development Programs across British Columbia were confronted with the abrupt closure of the Office of the Provincial Advisor for Infant Development Programs. This is an alarming turn of events and it is a mistake.
Provincial Office represents the needs of families and young children from across British Columbia by ensuring that service providers throughout the province are well trained, well connected and well supported. The Provincial Office provides direct services to families of infants with disabilities or who are at risk for developmental delays, over 194 Infant Development Consultants, and to other service providers who share a commitment to early childhood development.
Many families in Northern British Columbia live in isolation from specialized services and established social networks. Infant Development Programs across Northern British Columbia rely on the resources of provincial and regional offices to ensure that families living in the north have access to high quality early intervention services. To sever this link to would be to sever the link to over 36 years of research and knowledge in best practice for British Columbia’s youngest citizens.
The move to close the Office of the Provincial Advisor marks more than just the loss of leadership for Infant Development Programs across British Columbia. Without the knowledge, passion and expertise provided by Provincial and Regional Advisors, families throughout British Columbia will lose access to a rich network of support and resources. Coordination at this level cannot be achieved on a regional scale.
Decisions made today are directly linked to the outcome of future generations of British Columbians. Make the correct decision for families in British Columbia; renew the contract for Provincial and Regional Offices for the Infant Development Program.
Sincerely,

Shelley Anderson Lisa Engstrom Judie Smith
AiMHi, IDP consultant AiMHi, IDP consultant AiMHi IDP consultant

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”.-cont South Cariboo IDP

2009-10-08T16:30:00.001-07:00

South Cariboo Infant Development Program
Suite 218, 475 Birch Avenue, Box 1197, 100 Mile House, B.C. V0K 2E0 Telephone 395-5272 Fax 395-4686

October 5, 2009
Re. Potential closure of IDP Provincial Office

Concerns from the South Cariboo Infant Development Program:

Accountability to families and funders:
– IDP is not a direct entry profession: IDP consultants come from a variety of backgrounds as a necessity because at this stage, there is no other profession that trains exclusively in the field of 0-3.
– No other governing body: Other professions, having been established longer and a larger pool of professionals, have governing bodies that oversee the maintenance of professional standards of practice.
– Working in relative isolation: Working in a small community means there are few, if any, other professionals nearby with this background and experience. As a consultant, I rely on the Provincial Office to advise me of current best practices recommended in the field, and to provide guidelines around those practices.
– Necessity of the work: Current research is consistent in supporting the need to intervene when children are as young as possible, since it is now known that the brain pathways formed through experiences in the first 3 years lay the foundation for all future development.
– Complicated nature of the work: The knowledge necessary to provide effective interventions with families in this stage of the life cycle is by nature “cross disciplinary”, as each member of the family as well as the dynamics between them has to be understood and taken into account. This is much more complex than addressing the individual needs of a single client, since young children’s development is dependent on their biological makeup as well as the experiences provided by their family and community.
– Need for specializing: Currently the infant development program is the only program that specializes in intervening in the needs of very young children. While other professions (mental health, occupational therapy) provide intervention to children and their families in this age range, there are not enough registered professionals to possibly meet the demand.
– Families & taxpayers need accountability: The provincial office of the Infant Development Program provides standards for practice, holding consultants accountable to an acceptable standard of service delivery.
– Ongoing training is essential: The Provincial office also organizes and coordinates training designed especially to meet the high demands of this work, which is not available elsewhere, ensuring that families all around the province are getting up to date, quality services.

Adapting to society’s changing needs:
· Changing issues affecting children: Advances in technology continue to impact on the optimum development of children in our society. Since the Infant Development Program started, there have been advances in medical technology that have directly influenced the numbers of children born with recognized childhood disabilities. The disabilities that the Infant Development Program was initially developed to address are now a minority in many regions. Unfortunately, these disabilities have been replaced with other, more subtle, but no less potentially debilitating disabilities.
· New issues need new initiatives: The Infant Development Programs, under the umbrella of the Provincial Office, is in the process of adapting services to meet the “new” needs of families where children’s development is at risk. As society changes, programs need to be adaptable to meet the needs presented. The Provincial Office continues to ensure that consultants are able to take the training and provide services according to what is considered “best practices” in the field. This level of coordination and access to new training would not be possible without the Provincial Advisor and the Provincial Office.
· Staying current with best practices: Currently, the Provincial Office has been overseeing the training of consultants in the complex field of infant mental health. The first cohort of consultants have just begun this process. It would not be possible for this type of training to be organized among such a geographically diverse and relatively small number of consultants without the Provincial Office.

Effective Service Delivery:
- Coordination at all levels: The Infant Development Program depends on positive, trusting relationships with community partners at all levels all over the province in order to reach, engage, and provide effective interventions to the children and families who need it most.
- Trust: The Provincial & Regional Advisors work to maintain the Infant Development Program as a legitimate and trustworthy program that doctors, health nurses, and other professionals can feel confident in referring families.
- Ongoing process of maintaining credibility: Without the accountability and efforts at maintaining awareness, understanding, and relationships with other community partners that are taken care of at the Provincial Office level, knowledge and awareness of the needs of families will fade, and individual programs will eventually collapse and crumble.
- Avoiding duplications, overlaps, and gaps: Communication, collaboration, and cooperation between programs and between service providers is recognized as the key to effective service delivery. Without these efforts at the Provincial level, there is a much greater potential for duplications of services, overlaps, and gaps. None of these are helpful to families or their children who are at risk.

Without the Provincial Office, services to families all around the province will be directly affected. The quality of services provided and the ability of consultants to meet the needs of families will become drastically less and less effective over time. To achieve a healthy society, we need to make our programs stronger, not weaken them.

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it”.

Sincerely,

Letter from South Cariboo Infant Development Program

2009-10-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

October 7, 2009

Re. Potential closure of IDP Provincial Office

Dear Premier Campbell;

I am writing to express grave concerns about the decision not to renew the funding for the Provincial Office of the Infant Development Program.

This appears to be a misunderstanding of the role of the Provincial Office.

The Provincial Office is the “parent” to the 39 Infant Development Programs in B.C. Without the leadership and guidance of the Provincial Office, our separate programs will be left to fend for ourselves. This job is already complicated and difficult at the best of times, especially in a small community where we do not have other professional resources.

As a sole charge consultant, I rely heavily on the Provincial Office to guide me in this work, so that the families with young children at risk in our community receive the best possible services we can offer.

Please read my specific concerns (attached). I am sure that it is not the intention of the government to weaken successful programs, and that you will be able to clear up this serious misunderstanding.

Sincerely,

_______________
Kjerstin Dunk
Infant Development Consultant
100 Mile House, B.C.

Haida Gwaii Infant Development Program Letter of Support

2009-10-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

Haida Gwaii Infant Development Program
Northern Health
Box 619, Masset, BC, V0T 1M0
Tel: 250-626-4716

Honorable 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

Premier Gordon Campbell premier@gov.bc.ca

October 6, 2009
Dear Ministers,

Re: Closure of the Provincial Advisor of the Infant Development Program of British Columbia

I have served the communities of Haida Gwaii as an Infant Development Program Consultant for the past 16 years. Haida Gwaii is a remote, isolated island off the west coast of British Columbia. When I started in this position not long out of school with my BA in Human and Social Development I had a lot to learn about supporting families who have children with special needs. The wonderful thing about this program was the immediate support provided to me and the families I began to work with from the Office of the Provincial Advisor. Looking back I am not sure that the families I have had the privilege of working with over the past 16 years would have received the same level of support had it not been for the constant guidance and support from the Provincial Advisor.

As I continue to work in this profession I am often made aware when talking to other professionals just how well coordinated and supportive the Provincial Office is and how that is reflected in the uniformity of programs from community to community across this vast province. The coordination and clear vision of the Provincial Office is translated to each and every Infant Development Program across the province. The Loss of this very strong and focused Program at the Provincial level would be devastating, devastating to the individual Infant Development Programs across the province as well as to the individual families who use the services.

When I reflect on what the Provincial Advisor means to me at a professional level I do not even know where to start and I feel overwhelmed with concern as I think about a future that does not include this support for the programs and the families who access the programs. The ongoing and consistent support provided to me inspires me to commit to continuing my education, to reflect ongoing changes in ‘best practice’ for young children who have special needs and their families, to collect valuable and meaningful data about the infants and families we serve, to remain focused on and informed of the most recent research, to evaluate my practice, and to advocate for the developmental needs of children who have special needs.

This type of support is not born overnight. It is 30 years in the making, constantly evolving and shifting to meet the most current needs of families who are raising children who have special developmental and health care needs. This type of support can not be understated. I know that it would have been much more challenging to provide the type of accountable, professional and current support to families without the services of the Provincial Advisor.

The Provincial Advisor position is NOT a “$300,000 a year layer of bureaucracy”. For the past 30 years this position has supported families and program consultants every day on issues like best practice guidelines, ongoing education to keep up with current research, constant self/program evaluation and enforcement of standards that are carried across the province to make sure that a family moving from a Vancouver area program to a program in remote Haida Gwaii will receive the same level of expertise, support and care.

I fear a fragmentation of Infant Development Program services across the province will occur without the clear, focused, evidence based and tireless work that the Provincial Advisor is committed to.

I connect with and connect families I support with the Provincial Advisor Office on a frequent basis. Families who are facing a diagnosis and are living in isolation without any connection to other families with similar issues find support from the Provincial Infant Development Program.

I ask you to please reconsider cutting out the ‘backbone’ of a program that has recognition across the world as one of the best in supporting families who have children with special needs.
I ask you to consider the long term impact that this cut will have on Infant Development Programs and ultimately the infants and children who have special needs in British Columbia and the ‘cost’ that this will have to our province over the long run.

Sincerely,

Kimberley Larocque, BA, HSD, CYC
Haida Gwaii Infant Development Program Coordinator