About Coordinated Service Planning (CSP)

The goal of coordinated service planning is to improve service experiences and outcomes for children and youth with multiple and/or complex special needs and their families through the support of a Service Planning Coordinator who will connect them to the multiple, cross-sectoral services they need as early as possible, and monitor their needs and progress through a coordinated service plan. The following coordinated service planning principles from the ministries are imbedded in the implementation markers that will guide local planning committees in their implementation process.

1. CHILD, YOUTH AND FAMILY-CENTRED SERVICE: Coordinated service planning is a supportive, proactive, responsive, and family-centred service. Family-centred service recognizes that:

• each family is unique;
• the family is the constant in the child’s life;
• they have expertise on their child’s abilities and needs.

In family-centred service, the family and service providers work together to make informed decisions about the services and supports the child and family receive. Child and youth-centred service recognizes that young people must have a voice in the planning and delivery of the services and supports they receive, wherever possible. Child and youth-centred service delivery recognizes that young people may have different perspectives and priorities than their families, and that these perspectives and priorities should be recognized and respected during the planning and delivery of their services.

2. FAMILY AND YOUTH ENGAGEMENT: Families and youth are actively and meaningfully engaged as partners and their input is incorporated throughout the system-level planning, delivery and evaluation cycle of coordinated service planning.

3. INCLUSIVE PLANNING, DELIVERY AND EVALUATION: The coordinated service planning process is culturally-appropriate, respects the values and meets the diverse needs of children, youth and their families, including linguistic and cultural needs. The different linguistic and cultural communities within the service delivery area and the service providers who serve them, are actively and meaningfully engaged as partners and their input is incorporated throughout the planning, delivery and evaluation cycle of coordinated service planning.

4. LEADERSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP: The Coordinating Agency and its partners champion the vision of coordinated service planning, the principles of child, youth and family-centred service and the development of flexible and innovative service delivery approaches. The Coordinating Agency and its partners have strong partnerships and collaborate in the planning, delivery and evaluation of seamless child, youth and family-centred coordinated service planning.

5. EVIDENCE-INFORMED PRACTICE AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT: Best practices and evidence, including demographic, service delivery and performance data, inform system-level service planning decisions. The Coordinating Agency engages its partners in analyzing and evaluating the coordinated service planning process on an ongoing basis and, using the results, works with its partners to make service changes to better meet the needs of children, youth and their families and inform continuous quality improvement at the local level.