The Family Voices Project is a collaborative initiative aimed at gathering the invaluable insights, experiences, and desires of families with children and youth who have disabilities.
The Family Voices Project
Project Activities
The Family Support Institute of BC (FSI) is on a community engagement journey to gather stories on what has and has not been working in the current system for Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN). Welcome to the Family Voices Project!
We want to hear from BC families and youth self-advocates who currently have, or are in need of, CYSN services and supports. Connect with us in-person when we visit your city/community, or connect with us virtually between July and September 2024.
The Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN) program through the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) offers various services, including the At Home Program, Autism Funding, respite care, key workers, and some specialized therapies, family support, and medical benefits. CYSN services are for children and youth from birth to 19 years of age who are BC residents. Children and youth eligible for these programs include those with developmental delays, autism, and some complex health needs.
Register to connect with us now!
Join a community engagement session
Additional dates and locations will continually be added as they are confirmed.
FSI acknowledges that the work of the Family Voices Project takes place upon the traditional, ancestral, and unceded Indigenous territories in BC. Therefore, we respectfully honour all First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, as well as their ancestors, who have lived here and cared for these lands. It is with gratitude that we can live, learn and do our work in the province now known as British Columbia.
Connect with us virtually from anywhere in BC
Our virtual engagements are conducted by our partners at the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship (CIIC), the only university-based research institute in Canada with a dedicated focus on disability policy and practice.
You can connect via the following methods: virtual focus group, individual interview meet, telephone conversation.
Virtual Focus Group (via Zoom)
To participate in a virtual focus group, please complete and submit this form. The form asks you to provide your consent to participate and answer a few short demographic questions.
After you have submitted the form, you will be contacted by the CIIC with further information on scheduling your time.
Individual Interview Meet (via Zoom)
To participate in an individual interview meet, please complete and submit this form. The form asks you to provide your consent to participate and answer a few short demographic questions.
After you have submitted the form, you will be contacted by the CIIC with further information on scheduling your time.
Questions and Answers
Where did this start?
The landscape of support services for children with disabilities in British Columbia (CYSN) has been undergoing changes. In 2020, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) launched a new service model with their intention of improving services for families and children with disabilities and support needs. During this announcement MCFD advised that Autism funding would also cease in the coming year for families who receive individualized funding, and all services would be delivered through “Hubs” or “Family Connections Centers” in communities. The announcement left many families with more questions than answers, feeling unheard, in an upheaval, and apprehensive about the future wellbeing of their loved ones. The new model, while aiming to streamline services, resulted in limited options and choices for families. Moreover, it became evident that the model lacked a culturally safe and trauma-informed approach.
What is the re-set? What are the 4 pilot regions?
In response to these concerns, Premier David Eby along with MCFD have re-set the Provincial roll-out to the service model, scaling it back to 4 pilot regions to better understand its impact. Premier Eby reinstated individualized funding for autism as well during this re-set. Recognizing the importance of directly engaging with families accessing Children and Youth with Support Needs (CYSN) services, a few organizations have been granted the opportunity to work closely with these families. The objective is to gain deeper insights into their experiences within the current CYSN framework and to gather their perspectives on shaping the future of these services.
Who is doing this engagement work?
What will FSI do?
FSI has been asked to engage with 4 groups of people:
- Families of complex kids
- Transitioning youth
- Families of kids who have dual diagnosis (a disability combined with a mental health condition)
- Self-advocates
As part of our grant, FSI has partnered with the UBC Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship (CIIC) to conduct research on the findings derived from these family engagements. The intention behind this collaboration is to ensure that the stories and data collected continue to drive ongoing strategies to hold MCFD accountable to what they hear from families now and into the future.
To achieve this, we plan to conduct an extensive research project, employing methods such as online surveys, one-on-one interviews (online and in person), focus groups (online and in person), large group meetings (online and in person), and a provincial tour (options for hybrid). Our aim is to connect with individuals and families in ways that resonate with them, ensuring that we capture the most valuable information possible. All options will be accessible, and we will do our best to reduce any and all barriers for families to ensure we can hear from those that want to participate.
What can FSI pay for?
Gift cards: For families that participate in the online focus groups or the 1:1 interviews, these will be conducted by the CIIC and follow research guidelines. These families will receive a $25 gift card for their participation.
For the families that participate in hybrid sessions and in person sessions, these sessions will be conducted by FSI and will utilize the same interview questions that the CIIC will be using. We may be able to also provide a $25 gift card to these families, but this will only be determined after we know how many people we will be meeting, based on your responses to the Engagement Survey, as this aspect is unknown and needs to be budget determined.
Childcare: FSI can provide childcare reimbursement to families who want to participate in this project (either in person or online). Please tell us your anticipated childcare expenses in the Engagement Survey as this needs to be pre-approved in advance.
Travel: We can reimburse mileage for those who need to travel to the sessions we book in person or online. Tell us in the Engagement Survey about your needs in this area. These will also need to be pre-approved in advance, since the project has a specific budget, and we have no idea the number of people who will request this funding. In order for us to manage this budget, we need to know in advance how much funding is being requested to be able to accommodate the requests. Much of our budget is going towards this budget item.
