$300,000 GRANT TO IMPROVE SPECIAL NEEDS SERVICES

VICTORIA – The Province is providing a $300,000 grant that will be used to help improve delivery of government services for children and youth with special needs, Children and Family Development Minister Tom Christensen announced today. The project is part of a cross-ministry initiative to make it easier for families to find and access services and supports.

“Government has more than 90 programs and services for children and youth with special needs at a cost of over $500 million, and families have told us that navigating those services can sometimes be a challenge,” said Christensen. “This grant will help us map services across the province so we can then enhance the system and better allow more families to easily access the right services at the right time.”

The BC Association of Child Development and Intervention (BCACDI) will use the grant to form a cross sectoral project steering committee and hire consultants to identify what special needs services the Province provides, where those services are located, where there might be gaps or duplication in services, and how to improve delivery. The mapping project, which builds on work that began with the creation of the cross-ministry children and youth with special needs (CYSN) framework for action, is expected to begin this fall and is targeted for completion by the spring of 2009.

“Our government is committed to providing a coordinated approach for children and youth with special needs and their families,” said Education Minister Shirley Bond. “We know the current system of services is complex and the results of this project will help families better access those services, giving children and youth with special needs the best chance to succeed in school and in life.”

BCACDI and the project steering committee will compile their findings and present them to government in a comprehensive report, which will be made public. The Province will use those findings to clarify available programs, and then design a system of services that better responds to the needs of children and youth with special needs.

“We’re pleased to be a part of this process because this work is going to make a significant difference for children and youth with special needs and their families,” said Bruce Sandy, provincial advocate for BCACDI. "Through this process, we will get a more accurate picture of what services for children and youth are available across the health, children and family development, and education sectors in the province and how families can more easily access them."

A provincial non-profit organization, BCACDI was chosen for the project as the organization with the broadest representation of disability areas and across the tiers of service delivery for children and youth with special needs. BCACDI provides advocacy, communication, networking, research and education services to over 25 member agencies throughout B.C. and the Yukon.

The CYSN framework for action is a cross-ministry initiative of the Ministries of Children and Family Development, Education and Health Services to help create a more integrated, accessible continuum of quality services to support children and youth with special needs and their families.

For more information, visit www.mcf.gov.bc.ca

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Media contact:	Matt Gordon Media Relations Manager Ministry of Children and Family Development 250 356-1639	Media Relations Ministry of Education 250 356-5963
	Bruce Sandy Provincial Advocate BCACDI 604 461-8789
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