How people participated
Several engagement initiatives took place. See below for details of how the Province worked through multiple paths to reach the broadest range of people.
There were many ways for families and people with lived experience to get involved (outlined below). Many engagement opportunities related to children and youth with support needs were led by community partners who will report their findings back to the Province.
Community-led Collaboration Project
- The Community-led Collaboration Project was a two-year engagement strategy led by:
- The BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
- The Federation of Community Social Services of BC
- Inclusion BC
- The BC Association for Child Development and Intervention
- This project was an opportunity for communities to engage in meaningful and inclusive conversations about how best to create a system of services and supports for children and youth with support needs and their families
- Follow links on the Community-led Collaboration Project webpage to learn about the engagement
Inspire Kids FASD Society
- Reached families and individuals with lived experience of FASD
- Learn about Inspire Kids engagement with the FASD community of B.C.
- Contact: InspireKidsFASD@gmail.com
Family Support Institute
- Reached families and individuals with lived experience with complex care needs, dual diagnosis, and transitioning to adulthood
- Visit the Family Voices Project CYSN engagement page
- Contact: familyvoices@fsibc.com
ADHD Advocacy Society of B.C.
- Engaged families and individuals with lived experience of ADHD
- Visit ADHD Advocacy Society’s engagement page
- Contact: engagement@adhdbcsociety.com
BC Association of Child Development and Intervention
- Worked with sector partners to develop a hybrid-style service delivery model
- Contact: jason@bcacdi.org
Down Syndrome Resource Foundation
- Supported people living with Down syndrome and their families through programs, services, and information resources.
- Contact: info@dsrf.org
BC Complex Kids Society
- Reached families with lived experience of raising medically complex children and the community teams that are partners in their care.
- Contact: bccomplexkids@gmail.com
Symposium Speaker Series
- This speaker series provided the opportunity for partners and families to hear from experts on evolving themes impacting the CYSN services as well as an opportunity to ask questions. The symposium helped inform recommendations for a provincial CYSN service approach/model.
- Learn more about the CYSN symposium speaker series
Advisory Councils/Circles
- The Province also relied on a partnership with a Minister’s Advisory Committee for CYSN and an Indigenous CYSN Advisory Circle.
The Province recognizes the importance of CYSN services that work for every child and youth and is committed to meaningful engagement with First Nations Rights and Titleholders.
The Province is guided by the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (the Declaration Act) and the commitment to co-develop legislation, policy, and programming with First Nations Rights and Titleholders. As part of this commitment, the Province led an engagement and co-development process with First Nations Rights and Titleholder that explored: a system of services for Indigenous children and youth with support needs that aligns with First Nations Rights and Titleholders’ vision for their children, families and communities.
Note that the ways to engage specific to First Nations rights and titleholders are featured below, but First Nations people were also encouraged to participate in the other ways that are outlined in the other sections on this webpage.
Ministry-led engagements with First Nations Rights & Titleholders
- A series of 2-hour, virtual engagement sessions were open to all interested First Nations Rights and Titleholders to co-develop a new provincial service approach for children and youth with support needs and their families. Learn more about these sessions on the CYSN First Nations Engagement page.
Engagement capacity funding available
Provincial funding was available to B.C. First Nations communities to help support their capacity to engage with the ministry and others on their unique needs in the context of supports and services for children and youth with support needs. Grant funding of $25,000 was available to all 204 First Nations communities in B.C. Funding requests closed on December 2, 2024.
Focus groups with underrepresented populations (led by consulting agency)
From September 2023 to February 2024, Reciprocal Consulting Inc. (RCI) led focus groups with Urban Indigenous, Métis, English-as-a-learned-language, immigrant, refugee, BIPOC, LGBTQ2S families, and other underrepresented population.
- Website: https://reciprocalconsulting.ca/
- Contact: teamleads@reciprocalconsulting.ca
The following report summarizes findings from RCI’s focus groups: RCI’s final report
There were many ways for service providers and sector partners to get involved (outlined below). Many engagement opportunities related to children and youth with support needs were led by community partners who will report their findings back to the Province.
Community-led Collaboration Project
- The Community-led Collaboration Project was a two-year engagement strategy led by:
- The BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres
- The Federation of Community Social Services of BC
- Inclusion BC
- The BC Association for Child Development and Intervention
- This project was an opportunity for communities to engage in meaningful and inclusive conversations about how best to create a system of services and supports for children and youth with support needs and their families
- Follow links on the Community-led Collaboration Project webpage to learn about the engagement
Inspire Kids FASD Society
- Reached families and individuals with lived experience of FASD
- Learn about Inspire Kids engagement with the FASD community of B.C.
- Contact: InspireKidsFASD@gmail.com
Family Support Institute
- Reached families and individuals with lived experience with complex care needs, dual diagnosis, and transitioning to adulthood
- Visit the Family Voices Project CYSN engagement page
- Contact: familyvoices@fsibc.com
ADHD Advocacy Society of B.C.
- Engaged families and individuals with lived experience of ADHD
- Contact: engagement@adhdbcsociety.com
BC Disability Collaborative
- Worked with its member organizations – provincial (BC) non-profit organizations and associations registered under the Societies Act and other organizations that support disabled children and youth and their families/caregivers – to understand how to better advocate for those children, youth and families/caregivers
- Visit the BC Disability Collaborative website to learn more
- Contact:admin@bcdisabilitycollab.ca
BC Association of Child Development and Intervention
- Worked with sector partners to develop a hybrid-style service delivery model
- Contact: jason@bcacdi.org
Symposium Speaker Series
- This speaker series provided the opportunity for partners and families to hear from experts on evolving themes impacting the CYSN services as well as an opportunity to ask questions. The symposium helped inform recommendations for a provincial CYSN service approach/model.
- Read more and register at the CYSN symposium speaker series
Advisory Councils/Circles The Province also relies on ongoing partnership with the Minister’s Advisory Committee for CYSN and an Indigenous CYSN Advisory Circle.