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Program Details
Description
Our Group Living Program is available to all children, regardless of gender who are between birth (0) and eighteen (18) years. Any bed, if available, can be accessed for emergency, respite, short-term emergency placements while ensuring that placements can continue to serve longer term residents. Children are eligible for placement for the following reasons:
(1) Long Term Care – Children requiring shelter and care for a specific longer period of time until parents and/or family can resume responsibility.
(2) Emergency Care – Children directly from an abuse, neglect or other crisis situation may be referred to the program for safety and security until alternate living arrangements are
established.
(3) Short Term Care – Children requiring a transitional placement between one home to another (awaiting placement in foster home, repatriated child, etc.).
(4) Respite – Children requiring temporary accommodations while care providers attend to other immediate needs. Our program is intended to accommodate children until the age of eighteen (18) years. Wandex Integrated Service Inc. may determine, with the input or at the direction of thechildren’s services authority that the placement may be terminated under certain planned or unplanned conditions. Our Family Support Program is available to all parents with children or youth currently in the care of Wandex Integrated Service Inc.
Specialized Family Support staff will assist parents in designing therapeutic and family-focused Healing (Service) Plans to address referring needs and issues that resulted in their child(ren) being required to reside outside of the family home. This program allows parents to develop and/or strengthen skills specific to parenting complex (medical or behavioral) children and youth within the program and successfully transition those skills into the family home. The Family Support Program is also available, on a fee-for-service basis, to families who are at risk of being separated as a means to preserve and strengthen the family unit, increase parent capacity and decrease the risk to the child(ren).
For the purposes of Article 12 of the Contract, the following deliverables and intellectual property are subject to the provision:
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. has not yet opened and is aware that a program must be operational for six months prior to CAC accrediting. Once our program has been operational for three months, Wandex Integrated Service Inc. will make application and be accredited within the year. Any documents (including policy and procedure, admission and intake forms, strategic and risk management plans) used in achieving and/or maintaining accreditation are the intellectual property of a third-party and cannot be released to other agencies by the funder.
Additional Contractor Responsibility (optional) Wandex Integrated Service Inc. shall ensure that the following items are provided from funds as outlined in Schedule “B” – Direct Client Costs:
Nutritional Standards as set out in accordance with the Canada Food Guide and/or
Canada’s Food Guide for First Nations, Inuit and Indigenous persons;
Staff to client ratio set at 1:3 unless otherwise required (with provision to increase to a
1:1 ratio when required) or requested by the Caseworker;
All transportation costs for children placed with the program (i.e. family visits,
appointments, school, recreation, etc.) within city limits;
Maintaining clothing according to child welfare rates after admission
Maintain client’s belongings in accordance to clothing /items tracking process.
Spending allowance according to current Alberta Children services rates;
Gifts, including birthday and Christmas, according to current Alberta Children services rates;
Personal incidentals such as items required for hygiene, grooming, etc.;
Group recreational activities (i.e. swimming, movies, etc);
Public transportation through use of bus passes or bus tickets;
School supplies as required.
Additional Province Responsibility (optional)
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. shall require that the following items are provided by the children’s services authority:
Initial clothing to standard per the regional authority rates;
Any seasonal (winter, spring, summer or fall) clothing and periodic updates as required;
Medical/dental/optical services including any prescriptions or specialized equipment required;
Therapeutic and/or counseling services as identified in service planning and agreed to;
Individual recreational fees per annual regional authority rates;
Individual vacation fees per annual regional authority rates;
Transportation and supervision out of civic boundaries at the rate of $0.52/kilometer;
Additional staff if specific client requires for stabilization outside of normal ratio.
Remuneration
Remuneration shall be at the rate of $425 per diem (per client) on fee-for-service beds and occupied “block funded” beds. The additional family support component shall be at a rate of $100 per diem (per client) on the basis of medium to high intensity family work.
This rate includes all identified items in 3.3. As identified in 3.4, the authority shall be responsible for travel expenses outside regional boundaries.
The contracting authority shall remit payment within 30 days of receipt of invoice.
Client Information
Client Characteristics
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. is specifically designed to meet the therapeutic and developmental needs of children with complex needs, including medical and behavioral, and of who would benefit from Trauma Informed and Client-Centered interventions in a group living environment. Wandex Integrated Service Inc. is a blend of cultural and therapeutic philosophies to facilitate the most comprehensive support available to children with complex needs in this region. The program is funded through a contract or on a fee-for-service basis with Designated First Nations Agencies and/or Alberta Child & Family Services and is available on an emergent, short-term and/or long-term basis. The potential clients are of either gender, from birth (0) to eighteen (18) years and may be at-risk for developing further traumas, are struggling with emotional/mental health concerns, and/or are unable to reside within their family due to impacting issues.
The corresponding family support program is designed to specifically provide support to families in the process of reunification and/or preservation of their family unit. This program aims to ensure the parent(s) or family member(s) are supported in creating an emotionally and physically safe environment while maintaining appropriate and healthy relationships with important persons in their lives. Wandex Integrated Service Inc. has an “in-house” Family Support Worker who is responsible for ensuring that the needs of the children are met while providing all members with better understanding and management strategies of their impacting issues. This service will be completed in coordination with the children’s services authority determination of needs and issues for service planning andgoal setting.
Referral
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. accepts referrals from Alberta Child & Children Services – Regional authorities and Designated First Nations Agencies and/or other provincial children’s services authorities. Initially, contact is made with the Director or Team Leader to determine the appropriateness of the placement (contract or fee-for-service) and to ensure that the agency’s mandate is suitable. If a referred person is appropriate to the mandate and eligibility criteria of Wandex Integrated Service Inc., the following will apply:
Placement not immediately available:
1. The Director and/or Team Leader will gather relevant information regarding the referred child;
2. A determination of intake timelines will be provided to the person making the referral;
3. If appropriate, information for available community resources will be provided;
4. The Director and/or designate will make contact with the person making the referral when a placement becomes available.
Unplanned/Emergency Placements:
1. The Director and/or Team Leader will gather as much relevant information as possible – specifically any information relating to the health and safety of the child (e.g. delegation of authority, treatment service number, conditions of contact with family, allergies, etc.);
2. Wandex Integrated Service Inc. will endeavor to obtain mandatory consents in order to provide services to child. Should the need arise for consents to be verbal in nature, authorization will be documented on the correct form including the person’s name that provided verbal consent;
3. The Director and/or designate will arrange a formal Intake Meeting within 10 days of admission if client remains in the program.
Upon Intake:
1. The Director and/or delegate will conduct pre-placement interviews with the child (if appropriate), case manager and family or other significant persons (if appropriate);
2. An age and cognitive appropriate explanation and confirmation that the person served understands the reasons for admission to the program;
3. An introduction to relevant program policies and procedures and the review of and consent to treatment including the signing of the intake package by client (if appropriate) and/or the guardian;
4. The initial advisement of all rights relating to the child
5. Providing the child and/or guardian with a written copy of program components
Entrance Criteria
Clients must have Alberta Child & Children Services or DFNA status with a current Referral and Evaluation (R&E).
Exit Criteria
When positive outcomes have been obtained and our children and their families have achieved the growth and skills needed through our program, a transition plan will be created to support the successful integration into the community, with family and/or an alternative placement within or outside of the agency.
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. understands that unplanned discharges may be encountered, and services may not be completed as desired. Should such a situation occur (through AWOL, determination of a more suitable placement, etc.), documentation including a discharge report and program supports available which may be available to the child after services are terminated will be created. This information will be forwarded to the case worker and/or the guardian (if appropriate). Further release of this information will require the guardian’s consent.
All discharges from the program require a discharge conference. This shall involve all facility staff, the placement agency worker(s), parent(s), the child and any relevant others. In instances where the child is discharged while AWOL, the conference may be held after the fact.
An unsuccessful discharge may result from:
(1) Being AWOL longer than the approved number of days (re: waiver form).
(2) Non-cooperation from a worker(s) to the point where the placement is nolonger working.
(3) Violent/aggressive behavior towards staff, other residents or self beyond the capabilities of our program.
(4) In the case of the family support program, failure or unwillingness to engage in the program and/or repeated cancellations or no shows.
A successful discharge is one that is planned in accordance with service goals. The basis for this planning is the Healing Plan (service plan), which is a joint effort between the program,
the placing agency, and the resident. The Healing Plan is done quarterly so that everyone is working towards the same discharge goals throughout placement.
Program Goals, Outcomes and Performance Measurements
Philosophical Base – Our philosophical base involves an approach of nurturing and learning for children in crisis whom are in need of care and or protection in providing a stable home that focuses on the well-being of each child to address their mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual health. To provide a home which meets all applicable standards and an atmosphere based on caring, respect, compassion, sharing; and acknowledge their individual uniqueness and cultural heritage. All of these are significantly conducive to the health, self-esteem, safety, and well-being in the personal growth and development of the children.
Rationale – We believe that for a child to be healthy and strong, the mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual aspects of that child must be in balance. Most of the time, when these aspects of are not in balance, children end up struggling in society, and end up in the care of Children’s Services. We must focus on these aspects. Learning skills creates a strong sense of identity, builds self-esteem
and the foundation of a person.
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. – Group Living Home with Family Support was established to:
(1) Provide a unique and stable program that support the need for emergent, short- or long-term care;
(2) Strengthen the cultural identity of indigenous children and youth while addressing specific trauma responses, emotional, developmental, social and physical needs.
(3) Establish an inclusive, individualized and relevant program to strengthen and add to the community’s resources to respond to children and youth in need.
(4) To assist in the personal growth and development of children and youth while transitioning through crisis.
(5) To offer a (culturally) specific multimodal alternative to children and youth and to support them in remaining close and connected to their community
(6) To offer in-house and in community supports and teaching to increase parent capacity and preserve or reunify the family
(7) To increase the opportunities for children and youth to have success within their family and community.
Reporting Information
Critical Incident Reporting Expectations
Critical Incident Reports are detailed narratives which document situations posing or have posed a risk to the well-being and/or safety of one or more persons, an employee, or the community. If the incident involves a child, children or family member and/or employee of Wandex Integrated Service Inc., a Critical Incident Report will be completed. Incidences to be documented and communicated in this manner are as follows:
Critical Incident Reporting Expectations (continued)
involvement of a person served in a dangerous situation;
medical emergency (serious accident, illness or injury) or incident (pregnancy, unintentional injuries, etc.) including the transfer to a hospital or medical clinic;
medication errors, drug reactions including over-sedation, missed or refused dose(s) and/or suspected abuse of medication;
any change in medical circumstances including outbreak of contagious disease or condition (if exposed), significant weight loss or gain, changes in body functions, etc.
legal offenses and/or serious assault to persons served and/or staff;
suspicion and/or allegations of abuse or neglect occurring within/outside of the program;
risk to the community and/or others including aggressive, combative or potentially harmful behavior;
serious mechanical and/or physical property breakdowns;
vehicular accidents involving persons served and/or agency vehicles;
serious misconduct by agency employees (inappropriate use of behavior management, etc.);
suicidal and/or self-harm ideation, attempt or behavior, and/or death;
suspicion of and/or use of illicit substances including alcohol;
use of confinement (locked and unlocked) and searches;
unauthorized or unanticipated absences (AWOL) from the program.
Procedurally, once an incident has been reported or has come to the knowledge of Wandex Integrated Service Inc. employees, it will be communicated immediately to the Supervisor and the Director. The Director and/or Supervisor shall coordinate any immediate required responses to the incident including the contact of guardians, family, CFSA/DFNA workers,
etc.
A Critical Incident Report will be completed as to the following protocols:
the sequence of events and/or circumstances that was the antecedent to the incident including the behavior of the child, children and/or family member;
involvement and to what capacity of contractors, family, members of the community, etc.
any interventions used to prevent the situation including timelines and descriptions of actions taken;
follow up to the incident including debriefing with the child and any others, children and/or staff members that may have been impacted by witnessing the incident;
documentation that the child was re-informed of their rights;
the Critical Incident Report will be completed and submitted to appropriate persons including the case worker, family and police (if appropriate) and Indigenous Resource Person within 48 hours.
the Director(s) shall review incident reports on a case-by-case basis to ensure completeness of the document and reporting requirements are being met. All incident reports will be reviewed as a collective semi-annually to determine any trends related to children/contractors/circumstances and utilize the information to take corrective action;If any restrictive procedure resulted in injuries to a person served and/or employee, the Director shall further review the Critical Incident report to ensure that any corrective action required is documented and implemented to ensure that further incidents are mitigated.
Issue Resolution and Decision Appeal Process
(in relation to service delivery)
Peace Keeping (Grievance) Process
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. is committed to providing fair, ethical and equitable treatment to all clients, family members, employees, practicum students and volunteers.
The resolution of disputes and Peacekeeping procedures can be viewed as a hierarchy of processes ranging from least to most formal. When these conditions exist, the client/employee/volunteer/practicum student may initiate a Peacekeeping procedure
according to the following established procedures:
1. The complainant’s direct supervisor shall, within five (5) days of becoming aware of the unresolved issue, attempt a resolution through discussion with the parties involved;
2. Should an agreeable solution not be reached, the complainant and/or direct supervisor will forward the concern in writing to the Director within five (5) days of the discussion noted above;
3. The Director, in consultation with the complainant and parties involved, will determine a meeting time as soon as practical and will invite all to present their perspective of the concerns;
4. The Director will verbally notify the complainant of the decision within three (3) days of the meeting and in writing within fourteen (14) days of the meeting. The decision made by the Director may be appealed to an outside member of the
community or any person who is in good standing.
5. The elected member will review the written Peacekeeping report and determine if further investigation is required. A decision will be forwarded to the complainant within seven (7) working days. The elected member’s decision will
be final.
Peace Keeping (Grievance) Process
See item 4
Documentation for Peace Keeping (Grievance) and Appeals
Position Qualifications
For the purposes of Article 10.1 of the Contract, the following employees, subcontractors, agents or positions (if any) are subject to the provisions of Article 10.1of the Contract.
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. has a comprehensive and trained staffing complement specific to our culturally relevant programming. The basic qualifications required by each of the positions within the organization are specific to the role in which they fulfill. All direct care program staff will have the following training –
Within 24 hours of commencement:
access to and review of current policies and procedures;
duties and responsibilities contained within the position description.
Within 10 working days of commencement:
agency structure including mission /values, employee Code of Ethics, agency and program goals;
responsibilities regarding limits of authority, accountability and program commitment;
responsibilities to persons served (rights, growth planning, etc.);
approved behavior management strategies;
introduction to needs and issues of current client population;
universal precautions;
abuse protocol orientation and/or training
trauma informed approach to service delivery
medication administration and use of medical equipment;
facilities and personal safety (working alone, emergency procedures, etc.);
self-harm awareness and intervention
important contact persons related to client and employees.
Within 3 months of commencement:
First Aid (renewable every three years)
Medication administration training (renewable every three years)
Within 6 months of commencement:
Suicide Intervention (renewable every three years)
Self-harm awareness (renewable every three years)
Non-violent Crisis Intervention (renewable every three years)
Quality Improvement and Outcomes – if applicable (renewable every three years)
Within 9 months of commencement:
Indigenous Awareness Training* (6 hours initially and 6 hours of annual on-going learning);
Diversity/Cross Cultural Training (4 hours initially)
* note: training applicable IF employee does not identify as Indigenous and/or if employee is not
culturally informed or involved
Describe the minimum qualifications of positions associated with this Program.
See Addendum A for position descriptions (including qualifications)
Describe the responsibilities of Client Development staff
See Addendum A for position descriptions (including qualifications)
Organizational Chart
Monitoring and Evaluation
Monitoring
In conjunction with the policies referencing Quality of Service and Continuous Quality Improvement, Wandex Integrated Service Inc. establishes and maintains a data collection system that is capable of supporting its outcome monitoring, evaluation and service improvement efforts. Specifically, these systems are comprised of: nominal rolls, pre-to-post measures conducted on service plans, incident reports, and data collected from case conferences, client/family interviews at discharge, financial analysis as well as consultation with the funding authority.
This will provide a measurement tool capable of defining areas of success and/or areas for growth and development in the service delivery. Additional analysis and assessment regarding outcomes is related to our client’s achievement of goals within the current parameters of the program’s treatment model, values and mission, Wandex Integrated Service Inc. will continually research and gather information related to “best practices” associated with children, children and families.
Evaluation
On an on-going and formally on an annual basis, Wandex Integrated Service Inc. will be reviewed to determine the quality level of its operations and to determine the effectiveness of service delivery. Our organization strives to maintain compliance to all applicable regulatory bodies and requirements.
The quality-of-service analysis will include the following elements:
progress made towards achieving recommendations identified in the previous
year’s review;
adherence to agency goals and objectives;
review of relevant policies and procedures;
identification of areas that may benefit from quality improvement;
establish priorities for training, if required, to ensure an effective and efficient
program.
The outcomes evaluation will include the following elements:
on-going reviews of pre and post measures from client service plans;
child admission and discharge interviews;
monthly nominal rolls and occupancy reports;
quarterly program and financial reports;
information solicited from residents, case managers, funders and/or members of
the community.
Information resulting from quality of service and outcomes analysis will be evaluated
with the following as considerations to program development and/or adaptations:
positive outcomes for persons served;
negative outcomes for persons served;
positive and/or negative unanticipated outcomes;
positive and/or negative outcomes that do not achieve intended targets.
Monitoring and Evaluation
All information gathered will be reviewed by the Advisory Panel and the Director of the organization. Any approved changes in policy and/or procedure will be communicated to the appropriate person(s) for implementation and corrective action will be reviewed on an on-going basis.
All shifts in programming and/or agency direction as a result of the above will be communicated to persons involved (e.g. children, employees, stakeholders, funders, community, etc.) through appropriate means. This synopsis of recommendations will include specific and measurable goals, timelines for review (at minimum, quarterly) and reports of the findings determined to be priorities for monitoring and improvement.
Additional training and education will be provided should it be necessary to facilitate any changes.
Accreditation
The Contractor will make application for accreditation with the Canadian Accreditation Council of Human Services (CAC) prior to licensing and complete accreditation within one (1) year of opening (first intake).
Position Descriptions, Responsibilities and Minimum Qualifications
Please refer to corresponding Policy and Procedures Manual (Section C)
Placement Opportunities
Refer A Child
Wandex Integrated Service Inc. accepts referrals from Alberta Children Services – Regional authorities and Designated First Nations Agencies and/or other provincial children’s services authorities. Initially, contact is made with the Director or Team Leader to determine the appropriateness of the placement (contract or fee-for-service) and to ensure that the agency’s mandate is suitable.
