Minutes of CNIB Programs & Services Committee (PSC) in-person meeting held on Saturday, June 12th, 2010 from 8.00 am to 3.00pm at the CNIB Centre, Meeting Room 220, Toronto.
Present: Jane Beaumont, Chair; Donna Cookson-Martin, Cheryl Crocker, Al Jameson, Penny Leclair, Omer Melanson, James Officer, Vic Pereira, Patricia Suvak, Donald Walls, Marian Zaichkowski
Regret/Absent: Victoria Nolan
Management: Tim Alcock, Lee-Anne Cross, Keith Gordon, Sandra Levy, John Rafferty, Shampa Bose (Staff Support)
1. Opening Remarks
Ms. Beaumont thanked everyone for coming to Toronto for the meeting and self introductions were done.
2. Approval of Minutes
It was moved by Ms. Crocker and seconded by Mr. Walls, THAT the Minutes of the meeting held on March 3, 2010, be accepted as presented.
Carried.
3. Service reports
CNIB service report and service statistics – Lee-Anne Cross
Ms. Cross reviewed the FY 2009 year end service report and statistics. It was noted that the first opportunity to compare true year over year statistics will occur in October 2010, one year after EVRR data entry stabilized. Further discussion was deferred until later in the meeting.
Consumer Programs & Assistive Devices (CPAT) – Tim Alcock
Mr. Alcock presented the first CPAT report modeled on the EVRR Service reports and providing performance data comparing April 2010 and April 2009. In future data will cumulate through the year. In September the PSC will receive a report covering April – July 2010 with 2009 comparative data.
Action: T. Alcock will seek additional input on which indicators are relevant to PSC and the National Board.
Action: L.Cross and J.Beaumont to discuss the parameters for a similar report from the Library.
Agenda items 4-6 were open discussions led by facilitator Sandra Levy, V.P. Human resources and Chief People Officer. Discussion points are summarized in Attachment 1.
4. *Seeing beyond vision loss: CNIB strategy 2010-2013 – John Rafferty,
5. *CNIB service model – Lee-Anne Cross
Action (from Lee-Anne):
Where do we go next?
· Have a baseline and come up with an evaluation process.
· Take the feedback to review and reflect in future plans.
· Continue with training staff on service model itself. Cross train staff and outside organizations, continue with community agencies to support people with vision loss, get perspective from EMT.
6. Volunteers at CNIB – Sandra Levy
Action:
· Lee Anne to provide a copy of the application that is being used current for volunteers.
· Sandra to look into volunteer liability insurance.
7. Other business:
Omer Melanson will be stepping down after the September meeting. The PSC and CNIB management expressed their thanks for his contributions to our discussions and deliberations.
8. Next Meeting
September - 3 -4 weeks before the AGM on 25 September 2010.
Action: Shampa to canvass the committee members to find a convenient time for teleconference meetings in 2010/11
9. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 3.00pm.
Attachment 1:
Summary and notes from discussions of Agenda items 4-6:
4. Seeing beyond vision loss: CNIB strategy 2010-2013 – J. Rafferty
John addressed the delivery of core services with the PSC. He suggests that 1/3 of CNIB’s resources need to be apportioned to each of children, working age adults, and seniors. In doing this CNIB also has to take into account age and geography (urban, rural and remote) all of which have special needs and characteristics. In order to meet the needs of the growing senior population CNIB needs to find new ways to deliver services through partnerships and community based support so that there are resources for the other groups.
Discussion and suggestions:
· One of the biggest issues is the uneven and inconsistent levels of service across the country.
· Employment services:
o Need to mentor clients, not just for working at CNIB
o Advocate for persons with vision loss in the workplace
o Develop leadership programs for young adults, manage talent for the future
o Keep track of scholarship recipients and hire some after graduation
o Support career paths for younger employees: give them first work experiences, pick out management potential, encourage returning to CNIB at a higher level after gaining experience elsewhere
o Partner with employers
o Help with pre-training for specific employers (apprenticeships?)
· Younger clients
o Needs a comprehensive plan to get service to young clients, especially for O&M and Low Vision Services
o Need to point out the relevance of this in messages to the government
o Physical well being and promoting an active lifestyle early in life is critical
o CNIB can help get kids ready for participation in mainstream sports
o CNIB not meeting needs in terms of readying young people through appropriate O&M programs
· Adults, including seniors
o Coordination of services with other organizations, e.g. Diabetes, Cdn. Hearing Society, consumer organizations
o Importance of quality control in partnerships
o Deafblind should be specifically named in CNIB mission statement
· Counseling
o Huge unmet need for counseling: employment, social skills, coping with blindness etc.
o Develop the CNIB Conference and use it for workshops for kids, trainers, and parents
5. CNIB Service model – Lee-Anne Cross
The purpose of the service model is to gather into one location the information necessary to implement and monitor high quality services and to provide a functional tool to enable CNIB to plan for and implement quality improvement. There are three distinct service level categories based upon client need (child and youth services, moderate/high service need adults, low service need adults) This is essential in order for CNIB to strategize to meet all client needs.
· Levels of Service
Currently each service provider determines how much service a client gets as there is no standard protocol in place. Often level of service received depends more on amount of time available than on best practice and professional judgment is used at all times.
o Service model for clients who require moderate to maximum service levels: This segment defines the ideal amount/type/pace of service for clients who, based on the results of the Levels of Service assessment, need a moderate or maximal level of service from CNIB. Examples: adults of any age who are active participants (or want to be active participants) in work, school, community activities.
o Service model for clients who require minimal service: This segment defines the ideal amount/type/pace of service for clients who, based on the results of the Levels of Service assessment, need a minimal level of service from CNIB. Examples: adults of any age that have few/no goals related to independence. Eg. Senior in care facility with multiple other disabling conditions which prevent activity. Or an adult who has no immediate work/school/community participation goals (perhaps due to other priorities at the time.)
o Service model for child and youth Assumed to require highest level of service until proven otherwise.
Comments on the concept of levels of service and the service model:
1. Reframe minimal level service: it is not that people do not have goals but they can be at a different level or need, and age should not normally be a determining factor, except for children and youth where the need is always urgent
· Some people need less support in achieving goals
· Need to look at why people decline service
· Decisions need to be controlled by the client in a collaborative approach
· ‘Level of services’ should not be rigid.
2. Intake and referral – needs to be consistent across the country
· Has to include counseling – people need “someone to talk to” at this stage
· Counseling – for people who lost their sight not too long ago, can help to reduce wait times.
· Done by peers not necessarily by support groups. To give the person sense of empowerment.
3. O&M: Looking at bringing in people getting trained in Toronto and take it back home – follow-up after offsite O&M, low vision assessment, cross-train staff and make services efficient and make things less overwhelming for clients, one point of contact at the CNIB. Skills need to be transferable.
4. Independent living skill services:
· Needs redefinition, e.g. basic assistive technology training is always needed, not just on computers, but also things like the remote control, telephones, etc.
· More group service delivery to make best use of staff and resources
· “come to us” but also have to meet local needs with local staff
· Use remote technologies to provide training and follow up counseling
· Alternative approaches to service delivery: telehealth model, email mentoring, chat rooms
· Essential to cross train staff in smaller service centres
Needing development:
· Counseling, both professional and lay / peer counseling and mentoring
· Assistive technology training (this is an essential part of independent living today, not a frill or luxury)
· Employment support and services
These are all priorities for today’s clients and all need urgent attention and development
.
6. Volunteers at CNIB – Sandra Levy
How we can enhance our services by involving volunteers?
Discussion: Focusing on What can volunteers do, How, When, Where, and Who?
1. Management to find a role for volunteers
· Volunteers need to be involved in all priority groups - community based support, knowledge and national voice.
2. Risk management
· Is there a fear of reliability issue if people are driving people for appointments, how does CNIB protect that?
· CNIB needs to clarify liability - Are volunteers included under liability insurance?
· Security clearance is a requirement, CNIB needs to facilitate this when necessary
· Benefits far outweigh the risks.
3. “Candy stripers”–
· CNIB could take advantage some provinces requiring high school students to donate community hours.
· Develop a specific program that is appropriate and accommodates the continual change of persons involved.
· “Become a preferred place to volunteer in the community”
· Ask students what they can do for us?
· For example: technology in daily living, physical activities, physical labour at special events
4. Why can’t our volunteers be involved at different levels after getting trained?
· O&M paraprofessional support
· Technology, introducing library services and DAISY machines
· Presentations
· Telephone calls
· Surveys
5. Matching of skill sets: peer support program (senior and young kids), ambassador’s program (people go out and speak about the services CNIB provides), Vision mates, meeting social needs of clients, technology support
6. Areas that have been identified as having gaps (coaching, counseling)
7. Sit on various Boards, Committees and Leadership Councils
8. In answer to a question from John: CNIB should involve volunteers in:
· Friendly visitor services
· Driving
· Peer support / counseling
· Group visits, e.g. to retirement homes
· Library services
· Representing CNIB on external committees
How can we involve (not use!) volunteers? (right now they are involved in a generic way)
1. Reciprocity
a. Treat volunteers the same way as employees.
b. The question needs to come from the other direction: what can you (volunteers) do for us?
c. Someone who is reliable; engage them and have a good volunteer profile and then provide necessary training.
d. Make sure they know whom they can call if they have a problem? May be a handbook for FAQs as part of the orientation.
e. Volunteers need to get something out of the experience too, find out why the person wants to volunteer.
f. Be flexible about job descriptions where possible or appropriate.
g. Volunteers need to be able to network with each other.
2. CNIB needs to:
a. Engage carefully and “choose wisely”.
b. Protect volunteers.
c. Define the volunteer role in the Service Model.
d. Provide training.
e. Invest in recruiting volunteers.
f. Work at a culture change to involve and engage volunteers more positively.
g. Certify volunteers.
h. Hold volunteer days “speed dating” to get more volunteers.
3. Accept applications – tell us your skills
4. Recruit in corporations, retirement groups, high schools
Other notes:
· Consider volunteerism by former CNIB staff.
· Be careful not to over use or assume willing involvement of family members. We should not be calling them only when we need them, but otherwise too.
· Recognition program – look for opportunities for community awards for CNIB volunteers in addition to routine recognition.
Four priority areas that can all involve volunteers: Counseling, mentoring, employment, technology.