The Support Team and Service Coordination

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Supporting children with additional needs is based on teamwork and collaboration.  The child and family are at the centre of the team because a family’s understanding of their child is key to the work of the team.  Every team member has an important role to play in supporting a child’s growth and development. 

Communication lines and methods should be discussed and established.  The team members can include, but are not limited to:

• Parents or guardians
• Child care facility director/room lead
• The Inclusion Support Program Coordinator
• A child development specialist
• Therapists/specialists
• A government or agency case manager  

The case manager is typically the coordinator of services for the family. The case manager will:

• Facilitate referrals to agreed upon services, after discussion with the family and other members of the team
• Develop plans to access needed services and revise these plans based on changing abilities, changing needs and life transitions
• Address needs or issues that may arise from the family or from the other members of the team
• Ensure the transition to school form is completed

Service Coordination

There are many services available for children with additional support needs based on assessed need and resources available.

Some of the agencies and service providers that may be involved include:

• Children’s disABILITY Services (CDS)
• Manitoba Possible
• St. Amant autism services
• Family Dynamics
• Hospital services
• Rehabilitation Centre for Children
• Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada
• Manitoba Centre for the Deaf
• Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY)
• Children’s Therapy Network of Manitoba (CTNM)

These service providers are experts in areas such as:

• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• speech and language development
• autism
• fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
• behaviour and play therapy

Each service provider addresses a specific area of the child’s development. For example:

• The occupational therapist (OT) may encourage the development of fine motor, sensory, or self-care skills.
• The physiotherapist (PT) may work on movement, positioning and handling, or mobility, such as rolling, crawling or walking.
• The speech-language pathologist promotes the child’s ability to use and understand speech and language.

Because areas of development may overlap, the goals in each child’s Individual Program Plan (IPP) will be developed together by the child’s family, service providers and the child care facility.

Go to the next page: Program Planning

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