Services delivered: Integrated Services for Northern Children (ISNC)

Component: Services For Children And Youth With Complex Needs

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

Integrated Services for Northern Children provides assessment, consultation, and treatment services, on a multi-agency, multi ministry basis, to children and youth with physical, psychosocial, and educational problems, in under-serviced rural and remote communities of Northern Ontario.

People served

• children and youth up to age of 18 years (19 for Children’s Treatment Centres (CTCs) and 21 for Education)
• children and youth with multiple needs that require a combination of at least two services from more than one ministry: Health, Education, Community, Children
• and Youth Services (including children’s rehabilitation Services delivered by CTCs
• children and youth with identified physical, psychosocial, and educational needs but for whom services either do not exist or are inaccessible, within available ISNC resources

Program/service features

• Providers are responsible for the delivery of professional assessment, intervention, and consultation services as part of their agencies’ operations
• CTCs or like agencies will manage and deliver rehabilitation services of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy
• Children’s Mental Health/Developmental Service Agencies will manage and deliver psychology/psychiatry services. Where there is more than one service provider sponsoring the program, a joint model of service delivery will be required. Options that fragment the allocation to existing providers will not be acceptable
• designated access mechanisms will manage and deliver functions of access and service coordination

Specific service provided

This program is delivered in accordance with the descriptions provided here or any subsequent updated versions (or any other supporting policy documents provided by the ministry.)

Program goals

Services will be

• reflective and responsive to child/youth, family and community strengths and needs
• accountable to the child/youth, family, and community
• sensitive to the social, linguistic, and cultural diversity of families and Indigenous communities
• staffed by individuals with the appropriate range of skills and abilities necessary to respond effectively to the needs of children, youth, and families
• the support is based on the child’s/youth’s assessed needs, preferences and available individual, agency, community, and contracted ministry resources

Services are delivered based on the principles of child-, youth- and family-centred service; seamless service delivery and information sharing; and meeting diverse needs through inclusive, accessible, and culturally safe practices.

Child/youth and family-centred service

• Services are delivered in a way that is family-centred and ensures the family, children and youth are actively engaged and their input is incorporated throughout service delivery
• Family-centred service recognizes that each child, youth, and family is unique; that the family is the constant in the child/youth’s life; and that the family has expertise in their child/youth’s abilities and needs
• Through family-centred service, service providers work with the family, and the child/youth as appropriate, to make informed decisions about the services and supports the child/youth and family receive. The strengths and needs of all family members are considered

Seamless service and information sharing

• Families will experience seamless service and information sharing. With consent, information about a family’s needs will be shared between providers. Families should not feel like they are repeating intake and assessment information or repeating their stories unnecessarily; however, families should be encouraged to share information with providers and can share their stories with new providers if they wish

Meeting diverse needs

• Services will be inclusive, accessible, and culturally safe for all families and children/youth. Services will be respectful of the values and meet the diverse needs of children, youth, and their families
• Service providers will be aware of distinct approaches required to address the needs of First Nations, Metis, Inuit and urban Indigenous children and youth. This includes providing culturally safe services and linkages and referrals to Indigenous service providers and other community resources as required
• Service providers will respond to the service needs of French-speaking children and youth, and their families. The French Language Services Act identifies communities where specific services must be available in the French language

Ministry expectations

Services are child and family-centred and support the diverse needs of families in a way that is culturally safe, promotes equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression.

These specialized services are to be provided to children and youth in Northern Ontario within the following parameters

• Any service provided by ISNC will maximize interdisciplinary, inter-ministry and interagency coordination and cooperation. This will allow for a holistic view of the client to determine service delivery. All attempts will be made to lower or eliminate traditional boundaries and restrictions to provide services which reflect a holistic view of the child
• The resources will be managed by existing northern organizations, with an additional requirement that these organizations work in an interagency management relationship
• Services are to be delivered only to children and youth who live in rural and remote communities, outside the five northern major urban centres: Thunder Bay, Timmins, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury
• Services will be provided as close to the child’s home community as possible
• Priority for service delivery will be for children and youth with multiple challenges (who require a combination of at least two services from more than one Ministry: Health, Children and Community Services and Education)
• Services are also to be provided to those children and youth, where no available or accessible service exists, within available ISNC resources
• Specialized services are to be provided by an interdisciplinary team of specialized professionals
• Services provided by the interdisciplinary team are assessment, treatment, consultation services and training
• The interdisciplinary team will be connected to the local community by a network of access mechanisms, or where not implemented, the ISNC Case Manager based in rural communities
• Services provided by Case Managers are access functions and service coordination services
• Access to ISNC rehabilitation and psychology resources is only by referral to the based access mechanism. Where future direction plans have not yet been submitted, access to education resources may continue to be processed through the designated access mechanism/ISNC case manager
• Access to ISNC education resources is only by the locally based future direction plan submitted and approved by the ministry
• ISNC resources will not replace or duplicate existing services and will pressexisting agencies prior to acting itself
• ISNC resources are to be assigned fully to rural and remote activities only. Where wider integration is occurring, ISNC Case Managers may assume case management activities for an expanded children’s service system such as service coordination

Individual planning and goal setting

Each child and youth will have a current plan of care that reflects an assessment of his/her needs and preferences. The plan of care will identify the specific services/supports received by the child/youth, the expected outcomes and be based on the principles of person-centred planning, self-determination, and choice.

Reporting requirements

The following service data will be reported at an Interim and Final period. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.