How we’re engaging with you

There are many ways for all families and people with lived experience to get involved (outlined below). Many engagement opportunities related to children and youth with support needs are being led by community partners who will report their findings back to the Province.

Note that the Province is also accepting written feedback from anyone who wants to share their ideas:

• Anyone can share their recommendations for a CYSN service approach/model with the Province by emailing a written submission by December 1, 2024.
• Guided questions in an online feedback form will also be available until December 1, 2024.
  

Community-led Collaboration Project

• The Community-led Collaboration Project is 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 is 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 understand when, where, and how you can be involved

Inspire Kids FASD Society

• Reaching families and individuals with lived experience of FASD
• Learn about the 2024 events taking place
• Contact: InspireKidsFASD@gmail.com

Family Support Institute

• Reaching 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.

• Engaging 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

• Working with sector partners to develop a hybrid-style service delivery model
• Contact: jason@bcacdi.org    

Down Syndrome Resource Foundation

• Supporting people living with Down syndrome and their families through programs, services, and information resources.
• Contact: info@dsrf.org

BC Complex Kids Society

• Reaching 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 relies on ongoing partnership with the 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 immediately beginning 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 is currently leading an engagement and co-development process with First Nations Rights and Titleholder that explores: 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 are encouraged to participate in the other ways to engage that are outlined in the other sections on this webpage.

Also note that the Province is accepting written feedback from anyone who wants to share their ideas:

• Anyone can share their recommendations for a CYSN service approach/model with the Province by emailing a written submission. Written submissions are being accepted now through fall 2024.
• Guided questions in an online feedback form is also open to people in British Columbia until December 1, 2024.

Ministry-led engagements with First Nations Rights & Titleholders

• A series of 2-hour, virtual engagement sessions are 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. Dates for upcoming sessions are available at the CYSN First Nations Engagement page.

Engagement capacity funding available

Provincial funding is 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 is available to all 204 First Nations communities in BC. Funding requests are open until December 1st, 2024.

To express interest in accessing this funding, please email MCF.CYSNengage@gov.bc.ca. There is no need to submit a detailed plan for the funding at this time. All that is required is a brief summary of how your First Nation community intends to use the funds, along with the full name and contact information for the person who the grant letter will be addressed to.

Visit the govTogetherBC page specific to this engagement to learn about upcoming sessions and engagement capacity funding available to First Nations communities.

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

Note that the Province is also accepting written feedback from anyone who wants to share their ideas:

• Anyone can share their recommendations for a CYSN service approach/model with the Province by emailing a written submission by December 1, 2024.
• Guided questions in an online feedback form will also be available until December 1, 2024.

There are many ways for service providers and sector partners to get involved (outlined below). Many engagement opportunities related to children and youth with support needs are being led by community partners who will report their findings back to the Province.

Note that the Province is also accepting written feedback from anyone who wants to share their ideas:

• Anyone can share their recommendations for a CYSN service approach/model with the Province by emailing a written submission by December 1, 2024.
• Guided questions in an online feedback form will also be available until December 1, 2024.

Workforce Reference Group

• The workforce reference group meets quarterly to better understand current workforce strategies and opportunities to strengthen the sector.
• Representatives participating in this reference group include provincial therapy associations and organizations providing community-based services.

Community-led Collaboration Project

• The Community-led Collaboration Project is 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 is 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 understand when, where, and how you can be involved

Inspire Kids FASD Society

• Reaching families and individuals with lived experience of FASD
• Learn about the 2024 events taking place
• Contact: InspireKidsFASD@gmail.com

Family Support Institute

• Reaching 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.

• Engaging families and individuals with lived experience of ADHD
• Contact: engagement@adhdbcsociety.com

BC Disability Collaborative

• Working 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

• Working with sector partners to develop a hybrid-style service delivery model
• Contact: jason@bcacdi.org    

Symposium Speaker Series

• This speaker series will provide 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 will help 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.