The Children’s Treatment Centre (CTC) of Chatham-Kent received a huge boost from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, one that will extend a key program.
The Children’s Treatment Centre’s Life Links program received a grant of $287,000 from the foundation.
The program supports children and youth with special needs, transitioning into adulthood, with discovering and pursuing their unique interests of becoming active and contributing adult members of their community. Life Links staff assist clients with exploring employment, continued education, volunteerism, independent living and planning life after high school.
The program has, until now, stopped when clients reach age 18, but thanks to the funding boost, it will continue until a client reaches age 21.
Life Links staff assist clients with exploring employment, continued education, volunteerism, independent living and planning life after high school.
Christian Picard, who is in the program, said the extension is appreciated.
“The Life Links program at the Children’s Treatment Centre is just a wonderful program,” he said. “I cannot say enough how it impacted my life. The staff lifted me up when I was down. They gave me so much care and attention.”
Katie McCall, a social worker in the Life Links program, said the funding will help young adults in their shift from teen to working adult.
“At the age of 18, youth would transition to adult services,” she explained. “There was a gap; no one to help transition them. We did a pilot project to see what was needed.”
The program co-ordinates with community supports and services.
Rick Nicholls, MPP for Chatham-Kent Essex, delivered news of the grant.
“This funding will directly help local families by alleviating wait times for support services allowing for specialized one-on-one counselling for children and young adults,” he said.
According to CTC staff, the centre is the only provider of one-on-one transition facilitation in Chatham-Kent for children and youth with special needs, and there is very limited advocacy and resources for connecting and transitioning children and youth with special needs to appropriate community resources.
Donna Litwin-Makey, head of the CTC, said the funding will extend a program that is seeing growth.
“Funding from OTF will allow Life Links staff to more efficiently serve its growing caseload, older clients, and youth with diverse needs,” she said. “This is a huge enhancement to services and will increase our time to work with youth.”
