SmartStart Hubs will be a clear entry point (main door) to services for families with concerns about their child’s development and day-to-day functioning related to development.

SmartStart Hubs will explore families’ concerns and support them to identify their children’s strengths and functional needs from a holistic perspective.

SmartStart Hubs will ensure seamless and coordinated connections to appropriate further assessments and services, including family-based supports.
 

Figure 2: CTCs will be accountable for the delivery of SmartStart Hubs functions


Children’s Treatment Centres (CTCs)footnote 6 are accountable for the delivery of SmartStart Hubs functions, as described in these guidelines (see Part 8: The SmartStart Hub Functions).

CTCs may deliver all of the Hub functions, or the functions of the Hubs may be delivered in conjunction with partner organizations.

The Objectives of the SmartStart Hubs

The SmartStart Hubs were designed to address the challenges and issues described in Part 2. The objectives of the Hubs are as follows:

SmartHub Objectives
Figure 3: Objectives of the Hubs

1. Clear entry (main door) to service that supports early identification of strengths, goals and needs

In each community, the SmartStart Hub will be a clear place for families to go(or to be referred) when they have a concern(s) about their child’s develop mentor day-to-day functioning related to development and want to explore those concerns further and get support in determining next steps (see Part 4 for more information about who Hubs will serve). Families may have concerns about their child’s development for various reasons. For instance, they may have observed challenges at home, or discussed their child’s developmental milestones with a physician (e.g. well-baby visits) educator or childcare provider, or completed a parent self-report tool (e.g. Looksee Checklist or Early Years Check-In).

SmartStart Hubs will not be the only way to access children’s services, nor do families have to go through the Hub to access other programs and services.

As a clear entry point to children’s services, SmartStart Hubs will support the identification of children’s and families’ strengths, goals and needs early in their service journey, to help children and families get the help they need sooner, including assessments and early intervention supports, as appropriate, and will provide linkages to other services and a clear plan for next steps.

2. A consistent, strengths-based and child- and family-centred approach

The SmartStart Hubs will help to achieve greater consistency across the province by adopting common approaches and tools that are child- and family-centred and strengths-based (based on the F-words for Child Development).footnote 7 For more information see Part 5: Principles of the SmartStart Hubs.

This will help families have a more consistent service experience, regardless of where they live in the province.

3. Streamlined connections to assessments and services

The SmartStart Hubs will provide seamless and supported connections to appropriate assessments and services. Connections will be led and facilitated by the Hubs and supported by information sharing (with consent from the family). footnote 8 This type of supported connection differs from a referral that requires the family to take the lead in making contact with the new service provider, and where no information is shared with the provider to support the connection (for more information about supported connections, see page 34).

SmartStart Hubs will develop streamlined service pathways with community partners to ensure that the family experience is seamless.

4. Early access to family-based supports to leverage and build on families’ existing capacity to support their children at home and in the community

SmartStart Hubs will provide and connect families with supports that build on their existing capacity, empowering them to support their children at home and in the community.

Footnotes

  • footnote[6] Back to paragraph In Toronto, the organization accountable for the SmartStart Hubs functions is Surrey Place. In this document, for the purposes of the Hubs, the term ‘Children’s Treatment Centres’ will include Surrey Place.
  • footnote[7] Back to paragraph The “F-words for Child Development” were developed by CanChild at McMaster University in 2012 and are an internationally recognized and adopted approach that focuses on the whole child. An “F-words” approach to service delivery has been adopted by many CTCs and is widely recognized as evidence based, strengths-based and family-centred approach. The six F-words, based on the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning framework for health, are Family, Friends, Fun, Function, Fitness, and Future.
  • footnote[8] Back to paragraph Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario https://www.ipc.on.ca/part-x-cyfsa/collection-use-and-disclosure-of-personalinformation/