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The SCC component of the Strategic Initiative has had a slow but effective beginning in BC. Considerable progress has been seen at both the provincial and regional/local levels in moving towards SCC. The transition has been well-managed. Commitment, collaboration, and cooperation were generally depicted in the attitudes of those interviewed at both the provincial and regional levels. Respondents from mature SCC communities are already heralding its success. Despite this, there are many challenges to ensuring a successful transition to SCC. The major challenges, identified during the interviews conducted for this review, follow.

SCC is a principle-based framework. Two of the principles upon which it rests are inclusion and family-centred care, which encompasses parental choice as a leading descriptor. Both of these principles were embraced by all of those interviewed for this study. Yet, the application of these principles has, in some instances, been problematic for it is not clear which of the two principles is to take precedence when they come into conflict. Indeed, it is not clear to regional respondents if segregated settings may continue to be funded at the end of the transition period. Does the framework intend parental choice within the context of inclusive settings? If so, this needs to be clarified.

While the communication strategies utilized to date have been many and varied, information sharing remains an on-going challenge at the end of year one. Regional respondents, in particular, need more information about the components of the SCC transition, how they fit together, and their status. This need was particularly evident in relation to training where the responsibility and funds are spread amongst several Ministries.

Generally, respondents felt that the communication, education, and promotion efforts associated with the SCC component of the Strategic Initiative have increased the public's understanding of child care as it relates to children with special needs and their families. Some respondents noted that for the first time, they saw child care stakeholders working together collaboratively with an openness and willingness to jointly find solutions. The component "has forged relationships that would not have otherwise existed" - not only in the communities amongst parents, caregivers, and specialized service providers, but also within institutions such as colleges where the base-funded programs are seeing the advantages of collaborative approaches with the continuing education programs.

While new relationships have been forged, an on-going challenge in a number of regions is educating the stakeholders about the value of SCC - the benefits for the children and families involved. Many of the regional staff interviewed perceived a lack of trust on the part of parents and service providers. In a volatile fiscal environment, characterized by social services and education budget reduction, federal transfer cuts, a re-structuring of the health delivery system, and new child protection legislation, respondents believe that stakeholders are hesitant to trust the newest government initiative - especially when it may mean a considerable change in service for their children, or in the case of child care providers, their livelihood. While assurances of funding over the long term are desired by many, it is by no means clear that this alone would earn the desired trust.

The SCC component of the Strategic Initiative rests on a community development approach. Respondents were nearly unanimous in their support of this approach to implementing SCC. By allowing communities to adopt the new framework at their own pace and according to local needs, it is believed that a responsive system of child care for children with special needs can be achieved.

Despite this, much of the information received suggests that the community development approach is also the greatest challenge facing the success of the transition process. The reasons for this are two-fold. First, a community development approach is much more dependent than centrally-dictated approaches upon the varied competencies and commitment of local people. Fears were expressed by regional respondents about their ability to maintain volunteer commitment and steering committees during the course of the transition. Furthermore, as many government employees are finding themselves working in an environment of change with competing priorities, it may indeed prove difficult to maintain the motivation of those responsible for making the transition a reality. Second, the community development approach makes the program ripe for inconsistencies/inequities - one of the reasons behind the review of SNDC. If this review is any indication of the long term, there will be great diversity in what SCC looks like across the Province four years from now.⁶¹

Existing data available from the Ministry of Social Services, regarding day care utilization and children with special needs, are limited. Available statistics only allow determination of the number of files open for SNDC, the total expenditure for special needs authorizations and agency contracts as well as regional breakdown of age, sex, and budget/expenditure. None of these sources captures the number of hours of service provided, the support needs of the children served, the type of child care setting(s), the hours of care provided, or the nature of the supports provided - information which would be useful to the summative evaluation of the transition to SCC. As such, the information collected during the review of SNDC assumes increased importance, providing the baseline for comparative purposes.

Footnotes

61	Furthermore, the success of this initiative is linked to the larger child care sector, which is itself described as "frail".