Component: Children’s Rehabilitation Services

Services Delivered: Equity in Leading Innovation for Transformation (LIFT)

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017

Service description

Equity in LIFT empowers community-based organizations to partner with Children’s Treatment Centres (CTCs) with the goal of achieving inclusive and culturally safer services for families from equity-deserving communities.

Identified community organizations will work with an identified CTC to design and test new service models that meet the diverse cultural and linguistic needs of children and families from equity deserving populations. Knowledge sharing of identified best practices with other CTCs is a key feature of this service.

People served

Families and children from identified equity communities who face barriers accessing and navigating children’s rehabilitation services.

Service features

To support improved effectiveness in School-Based Rehabilitation Services and Community Based Rehabilitation Services, community organizations representing equity-deserving communities will collaborate with Children’s Treatment Centres to combine the community’s cultural knowledge with the CTC’s clinical expertise and develop evidenced-based best practices to improve access and quality of care for children and families from equity-deserving communities.

Specific service provided:

  • Co-design and delivery of culturally responsive rehabilitation services that reflect the needs of children and families from equity-deserving communities. Services may include, but are not limited to:
    • peer-led support groups to allow parents and caregivers to share their lived experiences.
    • culturally responsive or anti-racism training programs for providers.
    • culturally responsive ways to connect families with rehabilitation programs.
    • enabling culturally responsive use of assessment tools.
  • Documentation and sharing of lessons learned and resources such as training materials, guides, or community presentations to support system-wide learning and improvement.
  • Participation in evaluation processes to identify best practices and related knowledge sharing.

Service goals

The goals of the Equity in LIFT Service are to

  • Strengthen community partnerships by building sustainable collaboration between community organizations that represent equity-deserving populations and CTCs.
  • Promote knowledge mobilization by sharing effective practices with other CTCs through different mediums (e.g. presentations, case studies).
  • Build cultural competency by delivering anti-racism and cultural safety training for CTC staff and service providers.
  • Improve impact measurement and evaluation by supporting data collection and analysis to identify practices that can be scaled across the sector.

Ministry expectations:

Service activities are to be delivered in alignment with:

  • the descriptions provided here and/or additional guidance documents, subsequent updated versions and any additional supporting documents provided by the Ministry
  • the Preschool Speech and Language and Children’s Rehabilitation Services Guidelines, 2023, SmartStart Hubs Guidelines, 2022 or any subsequent updated versions (or any other supporting policy documents provided by the Ministry)

Reporting requirements

Service data nameDefinition
# of Families SupportedThe total number of families from equity-deserving communities that received direct services such as service navigation, parent coaching, or culturally responsive rehabilitation activities.
# of Children Accessing ServicesThe number of children from equity-deserving populations who accessed rehabilitation services.
# of Partnerships EstablishedThe number of formal Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) signed between community organizations and CTCs to co-design their strategy. Starting with a minimum of one MOU between the community organization and CTC.
# of Staff and Service Providers TrainedThe number of regulated health professionals and community staff who completed equity, anti-racism, or cultural safety training.
# of Knowledge Materials DevelopedThe number of tools, guides, reports or presentations created to support learning and share best practices across the sector to improve equity-focused service design.
# of Community Outreach or Education SessionsNumber of awareness and training sessions, workshops, or community events promoting early identification, access to rehabilitation services. and culturally safe care.