Family & Individual Support Program - Handbook Welcome and Introduction to the Simon Fraser Society for Community Living Welcome to the Simon Fraser Society for Community Living (SFSCL). We have been serving the communities of New Westminster, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra since 1954. SFSCL offers services and supports for children who need extra support, adults with developmental disabilities and their families. SFSCL offers services to families and their children / family members of all ages, through: Family & Individual Support Program (FISP) Transition Planning Services Other SFSCL services for children and their families: Infant Development Program Supported Child Development Program Key Worker Services SFSCL services for adults with developmental disabilities: Community Inclusion Employment Services Skill Development (short term supports for independence) Outreach (on-going support to people who live independently) Shared Living Housing Respite Each program provides different types of service to individuals and families. Over time, you may get services from more than one of the programs. This handbook gives information about how our programs work. It also gives more information about the Family & Individual Support Program (FISP). We look forward to getting to know you. We welcome your questions, comments and ideas about this handbook and our services. FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 1
Our Vision, Mission and Values Our Vision: Everyone s welcome Everyone belongs Everywhere Our Mission: We promote options and opportunities for people to have meaningful relationships and fulfilling lives. Our Values: Access for all people to all opportunities. Belonging we all deserve to be included at home, at work and in the community. Integrity we ll always do the right thing, even when it s not easy. Living well includes emotional, physical, spiritual and material well-being. Individuals matter everyone counts; we celebrate diversity. Total commitment to quality service and the highest standards. You make a difference Global change starts with one person and that s you. Your Rights The SFSCL protects and stands up for the rights of the people we serve. We believe that people have the right to ask for services and supports for themselves and their family members. The role of our staff is to support people to get and understand the information they need to make decisions. Everybody who gets services from the SFSCL has the right to: Get information about community and government services that may help with financial or other support Make decisions and choices about services and supports for you and/or your children Speak up and be involved in decisions about supports and services for your adult family member, with their consent Act as a legal representative for your adult family member Get information in a way that you can understand See your own file and records FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 2
Be respected for your lifestyle, spiritual beliefs and cultural traditions Give feedback about the service Make a complaint about the service Refuse service Confidentiality and privacy We will always do our best to respect and uphold your rights. We will work with advocates or other people that you want to speak with you, or for you We will support you to make informed choices, even if the choice means that there is a risk to your health and safety We will not support choices that are against the law. We will not support choices that could harm anybody else We will keep everything you tell us confidential and private unless you give us permission to share it with other people or when the law forces us to share it About Health and Safety The SFSCL has policies and procedures that staff must follow. To keep everybody healthy, our staff must stay home from work if they are sick. When this happens, we will cancel our appointments with you. When staff are well enough to come back to work, we will make a new appointment time with you. If you or anyone in your house is sick with something other people could catch, please tell our staff. We will make a new appointment time with you, when you and your family are well again. The safety of our staff is very important. Work Safe BC has laws that require our staff to be aware of anything that could be harmful or dangerous. Staff must leave any situation we believe could be harmful or dangerous. Staff must check in with our office at regular times so we know they are safe. Staff will do this if a visit takes longer than planned. Staff must follow the Society s emergency plan when needed. FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 3
Tell Us How We re Doing We want to hear from you! Please tell us what we are doing well and what we can do better. There are different ways you can tell us this: When we visit you, tell us what you think about our services and supports Once a year, we do surveys that you can use to tell us what you think about our services and supports If you come to our workshops and information sessions, there are evaluation forms that you can use to tell us what you think about the sessions Sometimes, with your permission, program coordinators may join you and our staff so that they can see how the services are working You can talk to the staff about any concerns that you have about our service. You can also use our complaint process. There is more information about the complaint process in the Program section of this handbook. We want the people we serve to be involved in planning and reviewing our services. You may be interested in joining some of our committees and panels to help us with this. If you want, we will be happy to give you more information about this. We want our staff to build a strong, positive working relationship with you. Our staff are professionals who give you services that you have a right to. Please do not give gifts to our staff. If you want to appreciate our staff, just say a simple Thank you. Some Things We Have to Do Our Funding Contracts: Most of the funding we get comes from a contract with the BC Government Ministry of Children and Family Development - Children and Youth with Special Needs (MCFD-CYSN). Contracts have rules we have to follow. We give MCFD-CYSN information about the number of people who receive our services and how much service we give to people. We do not give MCFD-CYSN any personal information about children and families. Our Adult Services are mostly funded by Community Living BC (CLBC). FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 4
CLBC refers adults to us for service. Our contracts require the SFSCL to be accredited. This means we have to pass a test to make sure we are doing a good job and that we offer good services. An agency called CARF gives the SFSCL this test. They visit us every 3 years to make sure that our services meet CARF standards. CARF needs to look at some of our child and family files. They might want to talk with some of the people we serve. We might ask your permission to show CARF your file, or to share information with them about you or your family. Legal Requirements: Earlier we told you about some of your rights and what we do to honor them. Some of these things are required by law. These laws are put in place by the Governments of British Columbia and Canada through legislation or acts. This section tells you a little bit more about them. Privacy and Confidentiality: The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act is a set of laws that protects peoples privacy. This law says that we have to keep information about you and your family members confidential. We will ask you for your written permission to share any information with others. You do not have to give us this permission if you don t want to. We will not share information with anyone else without your permission, unless the law makes us. The law can make us share information with a court subpoena or if there is a child protection concern (a concern about a child s health or safety see below for more information). Exception - Child Protection: The Child, Family and Community Services Act is a set of laws that protect the health and wellbeing of children in British Columbia. This law says that we have to report to the Ministry of Children and Family Development if we think that a child is being abused or neglected, or is at risk of being abused or neglected. This is the law and we must obey it, even if we don t have a person s permission to share their information. FAMILY & INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT PROGRAM (FISP) FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 5
About FISP The Family & Individual Support Program (FISP) offers services and supports to Children, youth and adults who have developmental disabilities and their families Adults with developmental disabilities who have no family. FISP goals are: To strengthen and support people with the challenges that come with disabilities To support people to speak up and advocate for themselves and/or their family members To build community connections and partnerships To raise awareness of disability issues in the community and advocate when needed This service is free. You decide whether you want to be involved with FISP or not. You can request different kinds of support at different times in your life, or your family member s life. FISP is partially funded by the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development, Children and Youth with Special Needs. What FISP Does FISP can help people to: get information about services connect with other families and people get ready to move from one stage of life to the next, such as the move from one school to another, or the move from high school into adult life learn to advocate for themselves and their family members speak up and be involved in current issues and concerns develop support networks FISP does this by offering: calls or visits with you Groups, workshops, presentations and information sessions Social and networking events FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 6
Information and referrals to other services Support to know about and understand how to get different services for people with disabilities The way that FISP offers support depends on what you want. Our staff can connect with you by visits, meetings, phone calls & emails. We can do this at times and places that work for you. We welcome you to come to our networking groups, workshops and information sessions. With your consent, we can add you to our email distribution list and we will email you our bulletins and notices about upcoming events. You may want other services that we do not offer. We can help you to ask for these services from other community agencies. You can contact them yourself, or you can ask us to contact them for you. If you ask, and if you give us your written permission, we will work with other agencies to support you or your family member. Confidentiality We will keep all of your information private and confidential. We will only use this information to help you plan for services and supports for yourself and/or your family member. We will ask you for your written permission to share your information with others. You do not have to give us this permission if you don t want to. We will not share information with anyone else without your permission, unless the law makes us. All written information such as notes from visits or phone calls or support plans are kept in a confidential file. You are welcome to read your file at any time by asking a FISP staff person. The staff will answer your questions about the information in your file. If you want, the staff will give you copies of anything that is in your file. What We Ask Of You Please help us to give you the best service we can. We ask that you: Let the FISP staff know ahead of time if you want to cancel a visit or meeting Cancel your visit if you or anyone in your household is sick with something that other people could catch. Our staff will do the same for you. Do not smoke during visits. Sign in at the front desk of our office if you are here for an appointment or meeting. We have to know who is in the building if there is an emergency. FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 7
Sometimes, FISP staff will ask you if they can bring a new staff member, a student or a volunteer to a visit with you. If you are comfortable, we ask you to allow this new person to join your visit. This helps new people learn and makes our services better. Frequently Asked Questions 1. How do I make contact with a staff in the Family & Individual Support Program? You can call us at 604-528-3950 or email us as well. We are happy to speak with you. 2. Is there a cost for service? There is no cost for FISP services. Sometimes we ask people to pay a small cost to help us pay for some activities or workshops. If there is a cost that you cannot afford, please talk to our staff. We will make sure you can come. 3. How often will I get service? It depends on you. FISP can offer services based on what you need, when you need it. We like to say we have an open door and that you can contact us at any time. 4. Is my information kept confidential? Yes. We only share information if you ask us to and give us your written permission. We have to share information if the law requires us to. 5. What should we do if we re sick and we re supposed to have a visit? If you are sick, please call and cancel your appointment. You can make a new appointment when you are well. 6. Is there a waitlist for FISP services? There is no waitlist for FISP services. We reply as soon as we can to all families and individuals who ask for information or support. If we cannot reply to your request right away, we will reply as soon as we can. If You Have Concerns We want to hear your concerns and/or compliments about the services we offer. If you want to talk about your concern or if you don t agree with a decision, the first step is to talk with the FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 8
FISP staff person. The FISP staff person will work with you to understand the concern and find a solution. If you are not satisfied after this, you can talk to the supervisor. The supervisor will talk to you and the staff person about your concern. The supervisor will work with both of you to try and find a solution. If you are still not satisfied, you can talk to the Department Director. If you are still not satisfied, you can talk to the Executive Director. After that, if you are still not satisfied with the solution or final decision, you can contact the Ministry of Children and Family Development. We can give you the contact information. We appreciate you telling us about your concerns. You have the right to complain about services without risking those services. You have the right to confidentially throughout the complaint process. You are welcome to have someone support you during the complaint process. Our Mission: We promote options and opportunities for people to have meaningful relationships and fulfilling lives....supporting people across their life span. Family and Children s Services: Infant Development Supported Child Development Key Worker Services Family and Individual Support Adult Services: Community Inclusion Employment Services Skill Development & Outreach Shared Living & Housing Respite For more information, please visit our web site at: www.sfscl.org. The Simon Fraser Society is a CARF accredited Organization. The Simon Fraser Society is partially funded by Ministry of Children and Family Development, Community Living BC, and the United Way. 204 Blue Mountain St., Coquitlam, BC V3K 4H1 Phone: 604.528.3950 Fax: 604.525.3013 www.sfscl.org FISP Family Handbook-Basic/revised October 2014 Page 9