Project Description
Challenge
Accessing supports and services for FASD can be very challenging, and families and individuals are often unaware of existing supports or face barriers to access.
Project Summary
The Fetal Alcohol Resource Program (FARP) was established in 2015 in collaboration with Citizen Advocacy Ottawa (now ABLE2). Its purpose was to take on a navigator role and connect individuals and families living with FASD to existing supports and services in their community. In 2018, they added clinical service delivery through a collaboration with CHEO to deliver the Ontario FASD Worker Program and expanded their services to the regions of Prescott Russell and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry. The team also offers professional consultation and customized workshops to train people on FASD as a way to increase knowledge and improve strategies across many sectors, including, but not limited to, housing, education, justice, and health care.
To date, FARP has provided trained over 4,000 people, including health practitioners, professionals, and frontline service workers. They have also responded to over 600 requests for navigation and clinical support. They run support groups for youth and adults with FASD and caregivers. Services are offered in both official languages. They have provided intensive support to several families who were in crisis and at risk of adoption breakdown. The program is being adapted into another KBHN project, where teams across the country are looking to improve navigational support for families and individuals living with brain-based disabilities.
Looking Towards Cycle III
FARP will extend training workshops beyond their three regions with a fee-for-service model for sustainability. They are taking on a leadership role with Ontario’s 34 FASD Workers, hosting knowledge exchange events and creating a Community of Practice to standardize service delivery across the province. They are developing an FASD Walk-in clinic and expanding the impact of their annual FASD Awareness Walk and Eastern Ontario FASD Symposia. A KBHN research student will assist them in evaluating the impact of FARP’s programs on FASD awareness and services provided by frontline service providers, and quality of life for people with FASD and their families.
Funding
Contributions Received to Date:
Kids Brain Health Network – $600,000.00
Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa (CASO) – $80,000.00
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) – $726,531.00
ABLE2 + Community Donor – $357,000.00
Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families – $10,000.00
Team
Principal Investigators
Dr. James Reynolds, Queen’s University
Program Manager
Nancy Lockwood, ABLE2 (formerly Citizen Advocacy Ottawa)
Implementation Partners
ABLE2 (formerly Citizen Advocacy Ottawa)
The Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)
Community Foundation of Ottawa
Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO)
Health Nexus
Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families
iSpark Consulting Inc.
“Kids Come First” Ontario Health Team
Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne
Valoris
Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
