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Can the ministry ensure that family programs will remain intact?

“We are working to ensure that services will not be interrupted,” says ministry.
Can the ministry ensure that family programs will remain intact?
Can the ministry ensure that family programs will remain intact?

In the story ‘CNC budget approved’ published in the Lakes District News’ May 6, 2015 issue, the board of directors of the College of New Caledonia (CNC) decided to transfer all family programs offered at the Lakes District campus to other agencies by March 2016.

Community leaders have expressed their concerns that once these programs are transferred to other agencies, some of the services might get cancelled.

“It goes back to the [new] contractors to decide what services will remain and how they will look in our community, so a loss and change in services may potentially happen, and if those services aren’t retained in our community, you’re going to be looking at a significant increase in vulnerability in families,” said Joan Ragsdale, member of the Lakes District Family Enhancement Society.

The ministry of children and family development told Lakes District News they are “working to ensure that services to the community will not be interrupted as a result of these changes.”

On Nov. 20, 2015, the ministry issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for early intervention and school age therapies, and protective family support services. The ministry also issued a notice of intent (NOI) to work with a specific service provider that is already familiar with providing quality services to children and youth with special needs.

According to Ragsdale, there is no guarantee that the programs put out to bid will be the same as the existing programs serving the community.

“Personally I remain very concerned that programs may be discontinued and the level of service will not be the same for our community,” she said. “In addition, in terms of region I understand this would refer to the Nechako Lakes district region, so there was no guarantee that the funds would stay in the community [Burns Lake].”

When Lakes District News asked the ministry if the they could ensure that the hub model of services and the current family programs would remain intact, the ministry didn’t answer the question directly.

Instead the ministry said the aim of the RFP is to find a service provider who is going to be able to “deliver services in a way that’s consistent with the way it’s been delivered in the past and with the needs of the community.”

Henry Reiser, CNC President, said the college has been working closely with the ministry to try to ensure that the transition of the family programs is done in a “smooth and timely manner” to an appropriate agency.

“When we talked to government, we explained to them what we are providing,” he said. “We are hopeful that government will ask for the same services in the proposal process and in a single location.”

Although CNC has been making a series of cutbacks to address a deficit in its budget, the decision to transfer all family programs had little to do with money.

“The core business of CNC is education, and the core business of the province and the health care system is supporting the family and social programs,” explained Reiser. “We’re comfortable with the government and the health services executing their core businesses; our core business is education and that’s what we want to focus on.”

The family programs have been funded through contracts with government agencies such as the ministry of children and family development. These programs have benefited hundreds of families in the community - through early childhood intervention programs, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders prevention, complex development and behavioural condition diagnosis, and a host of other initiatives.

The family programs offered at the Lakes District campus are regarded as one of the college’s most successful operations.

The announcement of successful proponents for the RFP and NOI contracts is anticipated in January 2016.