Community Living BCCommunity Living BC is in the process of developing an integrated service delivery model, which puts the person with a developmental disability at the centre of assessments and planning. This is an important part of improving services for people with developmental disabilities over the long term.

 

 

There are two components to this process:

1) A Navigator is a person who will help families to access services effectively. Navigators would be the single point of contact for families, and their role is to help coordinate planning and access to the range of services and supports available to them.

2) A Common Assessment Platform is a web-based application that will provide a central place for gathering and sharing assessment information by those involved in planning for and supporting an individual. This application will allow for collaboration and effective communication between various parties involved in the planning process, including ministry staff, individuals and their families, and professionals who deliver services.

Navigators will be available to families to assist them and the individual they are supporting through periods of transition. The navigator project is focused on supporting individuals who are transitioning in the following categories: a) children/youth transitioning to adult services and b) seniors over the age of 55 who require support.

Navigators will coordinate planning and access to the range of services and supports available, and will have the ability to bring together government partners to respond to families. Although navigators cannot make resource or funding decisions, but are there to provide individuals and families with ideas and options as to where to get the funding they need. Navigators will also help individuals and families learn how to access and use the Common Assessment Platform explained above.

This new model will be rolled out in five communities, which will serve as “early implementation sites”. These sites will run for 18 months to test the new integrated service delivery model before it is implemented across BC. The Burnaby community will focus on the 55+ age group and specific services and supports for older adults. Four other communities, Courtenay/Nanaimo, Surrey, Kamloops/Merritt and Prince George/Haida Gwaii, will focus on supporting youth and young adults aged 16-24. If you are a Burnaby resident over the age of 55 with a developmental disability and require help in navigating your service options, you can get access to a navigator. You can do this by calling 1-855-356-5609, or by asking your CLBC contact or health authority for a referral.

For more information regarding the integrated service delivery model, refer to the following resources:

For more information on the new Services to Adults with Development Disabilities program (STADD), visit www.sd.gov.bc.ca/pwd/isst.html or call 1-855-356-5609.