Kelowna parents express concern over transition to new child services model

Families who've used a Kelowna-based child service provider for years are concerned about transitioning to an entirely new system, after the provincial government recently announced a widespread change to its funding model for the delivery of child and youth services in the Central Okanagan.

Last November, the province announced the previously announced rollout of Family Connection Centres – that will centralize therapies, interventions, supports and services to young people – would be limited to just four regions as pilot projects. The move came after the government received pushback from families.

Earlier this month, the province announced the Central Okanagan would be one of those four pilot project regions, and ARC Programs Ltd. secured a three-year contract to run the facility.

With a five-year budget of $72 million, the new FCC model that services youth from zero to 18 years of age will see previously funded service providers in the area lose that funding. This includes the Starbright Children's Development Centre, which has provided services to children under six years of age since 1966. The facility currently provides specialized services to about 1,000 children between Peachland and Oyama, but with their funding now set to expire at the end of March, the future of the non-profit is unclear.

Several parents who've been happy with the services offered for their children have expressed their concerns about the change.

“Early childhood intervention, which is necessary for these little ones with neurodiverse diagnosis, that requires a lot of work, so an interruption of that service is a big concern for us,” said Roy Schatz, the father of a 28-month-old child with Down Syndrome who uses the services at Starbright.

His wife, Sandra Kahle, echoed those statements.

“Consistent therapy and caregiving is extremely important. We can't just go and say let's transition and say there may be a period where we may not be able to give you services, that is not acceptable in our case,” Kahle said. “That may be acceptable for adults but not for these young kids that need to have these sessions.”

Their young daughter has dealt with many health challenges in her young life, including two open-heart surgeries, two cardiac arrests, and seven emergency flights between BC Children's Hospital and KGH. Kahle and Schatz say this new change has added more stress to an already stressful situation.

They are part of a group of five parents who've reached out to local politicians of all levels about their concerns. A recently created private Facebook group called "Support Starbright" currently has about 150 members.

Kelowna city councillor Mohini Singh used the services of Starbright 17 years ago, when her five-year-old daughter was dealing with early development issues.

“She was having a massive meltdown in the car, it was out of control, and I just saw the sign that said neurological child centre, so I ran up the stairs and asked them to help me,” Singh said. “The early intervention really, really, really helped. Helped her, helped me, helped us as a family.”

Singh, who emphasized she's speaking out as a parent and not as a politician, says Starbright is more than just a service provider, but an important staple of the community. While her family hasn't used the services of Starbright for many years, she's continued to help fundraise for the local non-profit.

“It's suddenly being taken away, it's a huge loss,” she said. “Nobody knew, it just came out of left field.”

ARC Programs CEO Shane Picken said local families shouldn't be concerned about the change, and asked for patience from families while they transition to the new system. He told Castanet that families seeking services for their children will be able to show up at the Family Connection Centre without a referral, and begin working on a plan.

But Starbright president Carol Meise says Starbright has also never required a referral, and families are able to just walk in off the street with their concerns, as Singh did 17 years ago.

“This is by no means a new approach,” Meise said. “Child development centres have been delivering this open door 'needs-approach,' multi-disciplinary service for years.”

Schatz and Kahle are hoping Starbright can be saved, or at least funded for a longer transition period, to ensure the new hub model can operate successfully.

“Why not run the hub, get a pilot up and running, and if it works, then maybe take over Starbright clientele and take the zero to five year olds over time?” Kahle said. “It's a recipe for disaster.”

Ministry of Children and Family Development spokesperson Angus Noble said in a prepared statement that the ministry is extending its contract with Starbright “to support families as they begin accessing services through the new family connections centre.” The Ministry gave no indication of how long that extension will be.

But Meise says while MCFD has told them verbally there will be a transition period for Starbright through to June 30, they've received no confirmation or details in writing. She's expressed her frustration with the lack of communication she's received from MCFD.

“It's the most bizarre position I've ever witnessed, just to be ignored [by MCFD],” Meise said.

In the ministry's statement, Noble says the four pilot projects will help them “learn how families across the province want to access these increased services, and how best to deliver them.” The Ministry ignored Castanet's question about how long the pilot programs will run for, and if and when the FCC model will be rolled out to the entire province.

Noble says the Ministry “will be in close contact with families and service providers in the coming days and months.”

Singh says she doesn't understand why the province has chosen to disrupt a service like Starbright that clients have been satisfied with for years.

“This ain't broke, why fix it?” she said.