Child and Family Services

Children are among our clients - Community Care Access Centre Toronto What you should know
THE TORONTO COMMUNITY CARE ACCESS CENTRE offers one-stop access to health and personal support services to people of all ages living in the old City of Toronto. The School Health Support Program is one of the services offered. See Child and Family

The School Health Support Program focuses on children and youth with special needs and provides them with professional health care services and case management services in the schools. This Program also provides health-related education, teaching and consultation services to school staff and parents in the school setting.

The goal of the School Health Support Program is to enable children and youth with special needs: to attend school with their peers; to foster and support opportunities for ongoing learning and social skills development; and to facilitate the integration of students with special needs into the regular school system and the community.

Who does the Program serve?

The School Health Support Program is for students in Metro Toronto Public and Separate Schools who have special needs because of a temporary or permanent illness or disability. It covers students The Toronto Community Care Access Centre offers one-stop access to health care and personal assistance for people of all ages and cultures throughout the old City of Toronto. Whatever the diagnosis, we can help you get the care you need in your own homes or at other community-based service sites. Whether for in-home support or placement services, the Toronto Community Care Access Centre is ready to work with you to assess your needs and coordinate your services or those of the person you care for.

Child and Family Services Program
The Child and Family Services Program is a specialized program which provides service coordination and support to children, youth and their families to assist with short or long-term disabilities or other special needs. The Program is headquartered at the Toronto Community Care Access Centre and serves clients throughout the old City of Toronto.

The Program is committed to the following:

assessment based on the needs of the child or youth and their families, not on the diagnosis
meeting the entire family's needs for service planning, coordination, and delivery;
respect for the differences of each child, youth or family
realizing the great potential of each child or youth and their family
revising and updating the service plan as needs change
providing dedicated staff with specialized knowledge and skills related to child and family services
working closely with other community partners who provide services to children, youth and their families.

Depending on their needs, clients may receive services in their homes, at their schools, or in both settings.

In-Home Support Services
The goal of the Child and Family Services Program's in-home support service is to provide health and personal support services to children, youth and their families. These services support those with short or long-term disabilities or other special needs in their home setting. In-home services available through the Toronto Community Care Access Centre's Child and In home support from Community Care Access Centre Toronto Family Program are based on the individual needs of clients and may include:

Nursing
Personal Support Services
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Nutritional Counselling
Speech Language Therapy
Social Work
Respite Care
Palliative Care
Information and Referral Services
Coordination of Services

School Health Support Services
In the School Health Support Program, children and youth with special needs are provided with professional health care services and case management services at the school. The School Program also provides health-related education, teaching and consultation services to school staff and parents in the school setting. The goal of the School Health Support Program is to enable children and youth with special needs to: attend school with their peers; to foster and support opportunities for ongoing learning and social skills development; and to facilitate the integration of students with special needs into the regular school system and the community.

Services available through the Toronto Community Care Access Centre's School Health Support Program are based on the individual needs of the student and may include:

Nursing
Physiotherapy
Occupational Therapy
Speech Therapy
Nutritional Counselling
Information and Referral Services
Coordination of Services

Eligibility for School Health Support Services
To be eligible for the School Health Support Services a child or youth must:

Have an Ontario Health Card Number

Be pre-registered or attending school

Have an identified need for one or more of the available services

Consent for referral to a Comunity Care Access Centre

Receive treatment as an outpatient

The student must also meet one or more of the following conditions:

Routine would be seriously disrupted by leaving school to receive treatment

Provision of treatment after school would not be clinically advantageous to his/her success in school

Other community resources are not available

Student would be unable to participate in school routines/instruction without the School Health Support Service

The Role of Child and Family Coordinators

In the hospital
Child and Family Coordinators work in the community to provide information and coordination services. They also work on site in Toronto hospitals to assist clients in accessing community care. Coordinators based in local hospitals assess children, youth and their families to determine their needs. They then work with parents or the child's support network to develop a plan that will assist the child or youth to return home with the necessary support services in place.

In the Community
Child and Family Coordinators working in the community to assist children or youth and their families to develop a service plan, coordinate the services needed and arranges connections to other necessary community resources. The services of the Toronto Community Care Access Centre can be arranged from the home or from the hospital.

Who Pays for the Services?
Professional and personal support services for eligible clients are funded by the Ministry of Health. Other agencies or sources of payment may be used to enhance services when required. Medical supplies, drugs and oxygen may be fully or partly funded for a limited time. However, if medical equipment, laboratory services and transportation are required as part of the care plan, the client's family is expected to look after the costs related to these items.

Getting in touch with us
Anyone can make a referral to the Toronto Community Care Access Centre's Child and Family Services Program.