lignesantechamplain.ca – Health Services for Champlain

Health News For Champlain

Monday, May 01, 2017
Eastern Ontario Health Unit - Cornwall - Pitt St
Upcoming improvements to the delivery of children’s rehabilitation services in the community

Families whose children may be receiving or waiting for rehabilitation services can expect to see improvements in the delivery of those services in 2018. These improvements are being implemented as part of the Ontario Special Needs Strategy for Children and Youth.

In 2014, the government launched the Special Needs Strategy in response to feedback received from families to improve the timeliness, effectiveness and coordination of the services that children and youth with special needs require to fully participate at home, at school, in the community and to achieve goals for adulthood. A key objective of the Special Needs Strategy is the integrated delivery of rehabilitation services, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology, for children and youth from birth to school exit.

What is changing?

Once the improvements are implemented, children and youth with rehabilitation service needs and their families will have:

A seamless service experience from birth to school exit, with no gaps in service as children transition to school or between service providers
Child, youth and family centred service as parents and children/youth work together with service providers and educators to set goals based on their individual needs and strengths
Access to a broad range of high quality interventions (classroom, parent training, educator consultation) in settings that are most appropriate to their needs, and as convenient as possible to families
Continuous and consistent services throughout the calendar year regardless of who delivers them in the community
When will these changes take place?

These changes will be phased in so that they will not disrupt any services your child may currently be receiving in the community or school. Families currently waiting for services will maintain their place on the waitlist. There will be no reduction in service capacity as a result of this change. Implementation of new service delivery models is expected to begin as early as Fall 2018.

We will continue to work together across service providers in the community to ensure that there will be no gaps in services for your child and that any changes will be seamless for you and your family.

How can I get more information?

We will continue to keep you informed as the new model is developed in our community. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Eastern Ontario Health Unit at 613-933-1375 or 1 800 267-7120.