Minutes - Community Living Coalition - December 16, 2002 - 7:00 PM

Bonsor Community Centre

1. Introductions were made around the room
2. Members of the Board of the Interim Authority provided their feedback on the first, informal meeting of the Interim Authority on December 9th, 02.  There are currently 13 people appointed, with 11 more people identified by the Minister and to be appointed by the end of the year.  The first formal meeting of the board will take place in January when all board members have been appointed.
   1. Two contractors have been hired to begin work on the transition issues that will be prepared for board approval - Doug Woollard and Doug Walls.
   2. The Co-Management Group has been appointed:
      From the Ministry: Robin Syme, Les Foster & Elaine Murray
      From the Community: Doug Woollard, Melinda Heidsma & Rick Mowles
   3. There will be community presentations for service providers over the next three weeks to talk about preparations for fiscal year 2003 - 2004.
3. Eddie Bartnik presentation on Community Governance: Eddie Bartnik has been a leader in the reform of services in Western Australia.  Eddie discussed a number of fundamental concepts and strategies that have been central to the reform in Western Australia:
   1. The importance of focus: Services for people with disabilities were spread across multiple departments and governments.  In 1992, the Disability Services Commission was created to pull together this multitude of programs.  A community board of 9 community members was appointed to oversee the commission.  The State government agreed to fund two 5 year plans for development of services.
   2. The importance of knowing the people you serve: A new planning role was created with small community offices and people given the time and direction to know the people they are assisting with planning.  Resources were moved, over time, from the expensive crisis-driven services to more proactive preventative supports.
   3. Positive values and assumptions about people & families: Looking at people's strengths and trusting individuals and families in their dreams.
   4. Away from "providing services" towards "building community & capacity":

   Eddie gave examples of new ways of meeting people's needs that reflected their dreams and the dreams of their family, instead of focusing on fitting the person into the service system.  In 1995, the government approved the first 5 year plan which increased funding by $5 Million over 5 years, enabling the system to move, across the state, to the community based, capacity-building model.

   Eddie talked about direct payments to family members and the way families appreciate the increased choice and control in working with the service system.   A person's life should not be focused on services, but instead services should support the person to have a good life.  Some people use their direct funding to buy their own supports, others take their funding to agencies to purchase services.

   Leadership must come from families and individuals as well as from people within government.  The commission must not only work with individuals and families, but also work with communities to help them build capacity.

   The steps that planners should follow when meeting with individuals and families:

   1. The planner should meet and get to know the individual and their family and get to know their community.
   2. The planner should help the individual and family clarify their plan for a good life.
   3. The planner should provide information and options that will help them achieve their plan.
   4. The planner would meet with community organizations to find ways that they might support the individual or family.
   5. The individual / family might be offered direct payments as a method of achieving those supports that cannot be found in the community.

   In Australia, their census figures showed that 70% of care and support to people with disabilities is provided by families and friends.  Obviously, government must support family and friends as the service system cannot manage without them.

   In Western Australia, Local Area Coordinators (124 of them) have 50 people they support.  This means 6,200 people are served by the local, flexible community planning.  90% of the Commission's funding goes to the structured service provision side.  The commission serves 19,500 people.

   Q&A's:

   1. Do people who meet with LAC's have access to the structured service system (the other 90%)?  Yes, families choose the supports that work for them.
   2. Do the LAC's determine eligibility? Eligibility is determined by state law, but there are always fuzzy areas.  Yes, sometimes LAC's do determine eligibility.
   3. Do the LAC's approve direct funding?  They have authority to approve small one-time grants.  Ongoing direct funding proposals go to a review panel at the state level.
   4. What has been the growth of direct funding?  Most new funding has been individualized so growth has been slow and incremental.
   5. Has there been much focus on "unbundling" or moving people out of group homes?  No, there has been less energy focused on existing services - more energy focused on increasing participation in the community planning services.
   6. Who monitors direct funded services?  There are national standards for service and there are independent monitors who review paperwork and services.
   7. Will there be an initiative to move more people from the 90% agency side to the community planning side?  No, the only emphasis is on assisting people to have choices.  People might choose to go to agency services and they always have the option of exploring the community planning option.
   8. What system do you have in place for people who have approved funding and want to collaborate with other people with funding? There is a separate government service that coordinates supports for people with complex disabilities.  There is a general rule that the maximum funding available is approximately the cost of 1/4 of a 4 bed group home.  It is possible to get additional funding approved for people with very complex needs, but this funding must be approved by the board and will receive coordination support from this separate government service.
   9. How is support provided to people who don't have family involvement? There are ways within Australia's guardianship legislation to appoint a guardian.  As well, there are advocacy organizations and Citizen Advocacy that assists people without family and friends.  These supports could always be improved.
   10. How successful has community development been?  It is an evolutionary process, based on relationships.  There must be a focus on rights, accessibility and citizenship and it must happen at many different levels of society - in neighbourhoods, in towns, in local associations, churches and at state and national level.  There is no magic recipe for instant results... it takes time and lots of persistent work.

   Eddie was thanked for his presentation and insights from Australia.

    

4. Other Business:
   1. People expressed appreciation for the plain-language version of the final report and asked whether it was possible to have this mailed to all families involved in community living - this suggestion will be passed on to the Ministry.
   2. The Minister is accepting public comment and feedback on the final report for 90 days.  Information on providing feedback is in the report, on the Ministry website, and on the CLTSC website.  
   3. Community Communications Facilitators: We've had lots of response to request for communications facilitators - 23 people in communities around the province - check out the participants on the Facilitators Page.
5. Next Meeting: January 16, 2003 - 9:30am - Location to be determined