RESOURCES

The Integrated Navigational Support Program is a combined research-system level quality improvement program. It aims to understand and improve the experience of families who seek and need services and supports for their child/youth with neurodevelopmental special needs (neurodisability) from across multiple agencies and service sectors. 

 

We are part of a Western Canada initiative (BC, Alberta and Yukon) supported by the Kids Brain Health Network.  In each region, team members have been building connections with families, government and community-based partners.  In BC, our goals are two-fold: (1) to raise public and policy-maker awareness of “navigational”-type work and its importance; (2) to work collaboratively with the main agencies, organization and providers who primarily or secondarily help with navigational-type work, and with families themselves, to increase connectedness, collaboration, and information-sharing. 

 

With our Project Provincial Advisory Group, we are addressing three barriers identified as most pressing and most actionable. Our research is forming a base for further work and advocacy.  In addition, we recently brought together over 100 stakeholders including families, organizations who work with children and families in navigational and other capacities, and government, in a successful and productive “Navigation Summit” to advance the overall agenda and promote opportunities to collaborate.

 

BC Summit on Navigation for Children and Youth with Neurodevelopmental Differences, Disabilities, and Special Needs

 

This event is viewed as the capstone event of our project in BC, as it represents an unprecedented bringing together of key stakeholders who support families through helping them to navigate to services and supports. The aim of the event is for participants to learn from each other, to seek ways to achieve a more seamless experience for families, and to create a new and sustainable movement to recognize and establish the role of navigation as an integral component of the service system for the families of children and youth with neurodisability. This is the long-planned embodiment of a vision of coming together now for a better future.

Held on January 18 and 19, we had hosted the Summit on a virtual platform that brought together over 120 participants including patients and families, service providers, researchers and decision-makers. The Provincial Advisory Group worked hard on participant composition which comprehensively represented sectors from education, healthcare, provincial government, non-profits, family-led services and indigenous-led services. Special attention was also paid to ensure voices around the table reflected the vast geographic spread of communities in BC including rural and remote communities, indigenous communities, low-income or socioeconomically vulnerable populations and regions outside of Metro Vancouver. 

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Overall feedback about the event was positive and the team is working towards a knowledge translation plan, with goals of:

1.      Sharing important key messages and learnings from the Summit;

2.      Building a community of stakeholders and practitioners of navigation of services and supports in BC and;

3.      Strategizing possible system changes.

 

Contact

 

BC Project Lead, Anton Miller

Email: amiller@cw.bc.ca

 

Sunny Hill Health Centre

BC Children’s Hospital, 4500 Oak Street,

Vancouver BC V6H 3N1