The Development and Evolution of a Provincial Network
In southern Ontario, the growth of Home Based Services (HBS) utilizing an Intensive Family Preservation Service (IFPS) model can be traced back to the development of programmes at Kinark Child & Family Services followed by the Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto, Catholic Children's Aid Society of Metropolitan Toronto and Peel Children's Aid Society, to name but a few. Soon after, the IFPS movement grew outside of child protection services and into the field of Children's Mental Health. Lynwood Hall Child and Family Centre, Parry Sound Child and Family Centre, Peel Children's Centre, Madame Vanier Children's Services and Lutherwood-CODA all began offering IFPS as one option in a continuum of services. While many of the child welfare programmes began by using the Homebuilders model as a template, those that served a mental health population modified aspects of the service to meet the varying needs of the clients. The consistent and significant modification to take place was related to the length of service. This was in direct response to the complexity of needs of the client population. Four to six week service delivery models were modified to 3 months to 2 year time frames, as the shorter models were not seen as sufficient to achieve good outcomes and sustain any gains made. The service goals were also modified with less of a focus on "preserving the family" (preventing an out-of-home placement) and more of a focus on targeted areas of improved family functioning and a multi-systemic approach to treatment planning which incorporates a comprehensive system of care.
In the early 1990's a small group of managers and front line workers in South Western Ontario in the field of IFPS (known then as Family Preservation) met together to discuss the development of what would soon become known as the Ontario Family Preservation Network. They met informally at various locations on a quarterly basis and kept each other informed of new initiatives and practices in the field of IFPS. In 1996 the Network hosted its first conference in Parry Sound drawing on the expertise of its members to offer training and consultation on topics pertinent to home-based work. Over the years the Network has seen programmes and members come and go as many programs were held together by tenuous budgets and were vulnerable to service cuts. Many programes have become a constant in many agencies allowing our membership to expand over the years.
The current networking group in South Western Ontario is called Home Based Family Service Network and has over 100 members representing over 30 agencies.
The Eastern Ontario networking group is called The Intensive Services (I.S.) Network and consists of all the Children's mental health agencies providing home-based services in Eastern Ontario, of which there are 7. The Provincial Home Based Family Services Network is an amalgamation of the two networks. For more information on the Eastern Ontario Intensive Service Network click on their tab.
The intent of the network is to share knowledge and resources as services develop and to examine best practice approaches to achieve better outcomes.
Excerpts from an article written by Sue Lessard (Founding member of Family Preservation Network)
