Haliburton County families with concerns about their child’s development can now access a wealth of resources and connect to care at the click of a button.
Five Counties Children’s Centre launched its new SmartStart Hub Sept. 13. The online portal is available to people in the Highlands, Peterborough, Northumberland County and Kawartha Lakes who have children up to the age of 19, or 21 if they’re still in school.
The site can connect families to support for any child development concerns relating to moving around, performing daily tasks like feeding and eating, speaking with and being understood by others, getting along with other people, and taking part in routine activities.
“Think of the hub as the front door to go through to find support and services in your community for concerns about your child’s development,” said Alex Cranfield, a program manager at Five Counties. “SmartStart simplifies the process, as we do the work to connect you to the right service provider or care agency.”
Some of the top services provided, Cranfield said, include things like speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, parent coaching, and professional diagnoses and assessments. Once a request is made to Five Counties, staff will connect with parents and guardians to establish a game plan to assist the child.
The program is supported by Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, Kinark Child and Family Services, which runs a youth camp in Minden, and local non-profit Point in Time.
Cranfield noted parents are welcome to make use of any support they already have in place, and that the SmartStart Hub serves only to enhance the level of programming and assistance.
“Accessing the hub doesn’t prevent families from directly contacting a service provider if they know what their child’s needs are, and where to go for help,” he said.
Five Counties is one of 22 childrens’ treatments services offering the hub program in Ontario. The organization specializes in providing speech, physio and occupational therapies, as well as other kids’ treatment services, across the region.
Last year, Five Counties served more than 6,200 local children and youth – the highest number of clients in its near 50 year history.
For more information on the program, visit fivecounties. on.ca.
