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Specialized Homes and Support Services Information for Service Providers
Publication date: October 18, 2023
Specialized Homes and Support Services is part of the Ministry's broader network of care focused on early intervention supports, keeping families together, supporting healthy development and wellbeing for children and youth, and supporting children and youth to remain at home and in their community.
What is the Network of Care?
The network of care is closely connected to other supports, such as Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN), Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH), and Youth Justice services, and is intended to help ensure our various systems work together to provide wrap around services to children, youth, and families. The network of care is designed to provide early intervention supports to help keep a family together, support healthy development and wellbeing for children and youth, and support children and youth to remain at home and in community. Specialized Homes and Support Services (SHSS) are a part of the ministry's broader network of care.
Network of Care
What are Specialized Homes and Support Services (SHSS)?
The Ministry of Children and Family Development is transforming the system to better serve children and families in BC. This involves changes to service frameworks, developing additional resources, and expanding services.
SHSS is a new approach to providing services and staffed care to children and youth, and their families within the province’s network of care. Beyond supporting the safety and well-being of vulnerable children and youth, SHSS plays a crucial role in providing prevention services and early intervention support to keep families strong and together.
Moving away from traditional group home models of care, SHSS establishes specialized homes for children and youth with unique needs that can’t be met at home or in other care settings. It also introduces new services like stabilization supports and specialized respite to strengthen prevention, early intervention, and family preservation.
How did we get here?
The SHSS journey started by building on work in response to reports and recommendations dating back to 2012. Working with service providers, the ministry focused on creating a network of Specialized Homes and Support Services (SHSS) aimed to keep families together, improve the well-being of children and youth and ensure that children and youth experience a strong sense of belonging and connection to culture and community.
The ministry is working towards building strong relationships with internal and external partners to implement SHSS without disrupting existing contracts or impacting children and youth.
What was the engagement process?
- Consulting Provincially (2018) with thousands of service providers, ministry staff and families who participated in extensive engagements with internal and external partners.
- Partnering with existing service providers to learn from successful and unsuccessful models and experiences, including listening to the voices of children and youth.
- Engaging province wide (February 2021 to March 2022) with Indigenous partners, service providers, contract holders, staff, families, interest groups, and community members to help shape the new model for SHSS and ensure that, once implemented, it meets the unique needs of vulnerable children, youth, and families.
- Initiating targeted discussions with key partners supporting the implementation of SHSS, including:
- An Early Implementation Area (EIA) Advisory Committee (established Fall 2022)
- Collaboration with sector groups including a SHSS Sponsor Committee with key service provider partners, and larger sector engagement supported by the Federation of Community Social Service BC
- Consulting with key groups such as youth, service providers, Indigenous Child and Family Services Directors (ICFSD), and the First Nation’s Leadership Council (FNLC).
- Collaborating with an external steering committee made up of sector partners, including urban and rural ICFSD/ICFSAs, Métis Nation, and the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC).
How does this work reflect the needs of Indigenous, Métis and Inuit partners?
The ministry is committed to working collaboratively, respectfully and in partnership with Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit peoples, communities and agencies, and Indigenous Child and Family Service Agencies (ICFSAs) to improve outcomes for Indigenous, Métis and Inuit children, youth, families and communities in B.C.
The ministry is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and partners over the coming months and years to support their vision for services. This includes:
- Contracting with Alderhill Planning, an Indigenous-owned consulting firm, to engage with Indigenous Rights Holders across B.C. A summary, ‘What He Heard’, report was delivered Fall 2022
- Continuing engagement with Indigenous partners, including ICFSAs, to explore how this work supports the creation of services embodying an Indigenous worldview and fostering cultural identity.
The ministry works separately with Indigenous partners through a distinctions-based process that does not assume these SHSS Services will fit the needs of their children, youth, families, and communities.
Ongoing engagements and communications continue with the sector partners through virtual information sessions, in-person meetings, regular SHSS email updates, and a regularly monitored email SHSSTransformation@gov.bc.ca.
What are the four services under SHSS?
Emergency Care
A safe and supportive short-term home for a child or youth who comes into care unexpectedly, and where an out-of-care or foster care option is not immediately available for placement. Emergency care supports the immediate safety of a child or youth and provides a concentrated period of time to develop a deeper understanding of the child or youth and their family’s unique needs and circumstances.
Emergency Care (PDF, 343KB)
Respite Care
A short-term overnight care for children and youth whose needs require a staffed setting. It provides families and care providers (including parents/guardians, out-of-care providers, and foster caregivers) with a break from day-to-day parenting in order to improve overall family functioning and wellbeing, preserve the stability of the child or youth’s home, and prevent their need for full time out of home care or the need for a new placement.
Respite Care (PDF, 265KB)
Low-Barrier Short-Term Stabilization Care
A specialized service designed to stabilize a child or youth experiencing a functional crisis and/or instability in their living environment (family, out-of-care arrangement, in-care placement). This service is a 3-9 month out of home stay and offers crisis mitigation, healing and interventions.
Low-Barrier Short-Term Stabilization Care (PDF, 358KB)
Specialized Long-Term Care
A highly specialized home for a child or youth in care whose extraordinary needs can no longer be met at home or in a family care or out-of-care setting. This home provides specialized 24 hour care to support behavioural, mental health, medical and other exceptional needs.
Specialized Long-Term Care (PDF, 352KB)
How Do Service Providers apply to offer SHSS services?
Call for Responses (CFR)
- A non-binding ‘Call for Responses’ (CFR) is being used to pre-qualify Service Providers who would like to apply to provide SHSS Services.
- The CFR can be found on BC Bid (see links for each of the four services on the right hand column)
- Once an application is received through the CFR process, the ministry pre-qualifies respondents who can demonstrate they can deliver the standard of care required for any of the services in the application, as identified in the CFR evaluation criteria
- From there, the ministry will draw-down from this list and offer contracts to Service Providers based on suitability to an identified community of geographic need.
- As the CFR is open for applications over the next ten years, the ministry will build and continually add to the pre-qualified list of Service Providers and will review responses in quarterly batches.
Benefits of applying to the SHSS CFR for Service Providers
Benefits
- Service Providers receive reliable baseline funding that is capacity-based (moving away from ‘ a bed filled is a bed funded’)
- Funding amounts include allocated set of funds to address the unique needs of child or youth
- Staff wages are aligned to union rates (CSSEA)
- Moving away from reporting for the sake of reporting: by completing the Care Plan, the Service Providers have completed most of their reporting requirements
- Service Provider Portal (accessible once entered on to the qualified provider list) provides transparency on payment processing, resource planning, tracking
- CFR is open for 10 years with responses reviewed quarterly (or as otherwise decided by the Ministry) and the same Service Providers can re-apply to provide additional services if applicable over time
- Allows more open opportunities for smaller Providers/Indigenous Providers
- Creates opportunity for Service Providers who do not currently provide bed-based services but who provide similar services (e.g., crisis services for youth, adult bed-based services)
- Service Providers have an equal opportunity to respond for potential inclusion on the pre-qualified list
- Opportunity to work with someone to strengthen and resubmit, if a Provider’s submission is not successful
How to apply
- Visit the BC Bid website or use the links located on the right hand column for any of the applicable services and be sure to take a look at the service expectations links above for each of the four services to validate eligibility.
Do existing Service Providers have to apply to the CFR?
When a Service Provider wants to provide a ‘net new’ SHSS service (service not currently being delivered under an existing contract)
Any new SHSS contracts will be awarded through the CFR process. Service Providers must respond to the CFR for the new service to be evaluated for inclusion on a pre-qualified list.
When a Service Provider has an existing contract and wishes to continue providing only that service
As part of the transformation the ministry will work with each Service Provider to discuss transitioning their existing contracts through a supported and gradual process. The focus of this process is safety and stability for children, youth and families.
Existing or 'legacy' Service Providers do not have to respond to the CFR, however it is certainly encouraged to apply for any service that applies in order to access opportunities for any new future contracts.
When a Service Provider contract is up for renewal soon and hasn't been contacted yet
It is "business as usual" until the local ministry resource office is in contact to begin the transformation of any current contract (legacy contract) to the new SHSS model. This is done together with the ministry and Service Provider. Each contract is individualized to help avoid disruption to existing service and to the children and youth receiving the services.
Resources
Policies and Guides
Contact information
For more information about SHSS
SHSSTransformation@gov.bc.ca
SHSSTransformation@gov.bc.ca
For specific questions about the Call for Responses (please use "SHSS Call for Responses" in the subject line)
mcfprocurementservices@gov.bc.ca
mcfprocurementservices@gov.bc.ca