The B.C. Ministry of Children and Family Development (ministry) still hasn’t selected which agencies will take over the contracts.
On Nov. 20, 2015, the ministry issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for early intervention and school age therapies, and protective family support services.
Regarding the RFP for the early intervention and school age therapies, the ministry said “proposals have been marked and interviews are being scheduled for the first week of February.”
Regarding the RFP for the protective family support services, the ministry said it is “still in the process of conducting reference checks on successful applicants.”
Shawn Larabee, a Ministry Spokesperson, said the ministry will announce the successful applicants for the first two RFPs after interviews have been conducted and the successful candidates chosen.
“Until the procurement process is completed, we are not able to share specific information regarding the contracts,” he said.
On Nov. 20, 2015, the ministry also issued a notice of intent (NOI) to work with a service provider that was already familiar with providing services to children and youth with special needs. The ministry said the NOI was removed in December and moved to two RFPs, for which the closing dates were Jan. 19, 2016.
“Marking of those RFPs is expected to take place next week,” said Larabee.
The board of directors of College of New Caledonia (CNC) has said the college would deliver the family programs until these programs were successfully transferred. However, Burns Lake Mayor Luke Strimbold said the CNC board has neglected to mention that several programs are not being renewed in the community. This includes the healthier babies brighter futures - a provincially recognized program in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) education and prevention -, which is no longer funded.
“This will leave the families who rely on these programs without much needed support,” said Strimbold. “While some [programs] will be transitioned, it is our hope that there is a very robust transition plan in place for the sake of our community.”
The decision to transfer the family programs was an attempt of the college to refocus on education and move away from what it calls social programming. Strimbold said the village has made several attempts to convince the CNC board that the family programs do not go against the college’s main focus.
“We have communicated to the board of CNC on several occasions that we do not agree that post-secondary education and family social services are philosophically misaligned,” he said.
Strimbold said the hub model of service, combining education with family social services, has been of immense value to the community.
“We [village council] feel that dismantling this incredibly successful system with little to no community consultation was an enormous misstep on the part of the CNC executive,” said Strimbold.