What We Offer

The family support team is funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to provide supports to children with physical and developmental disabilities, adults with developmental disabilities, and their families.

Facilitators work in partnership with families exploring opportunities to increase meaningful community participation, develop social networks, plan and support a home of one’s own, and deepen personal relationships for their son or daughter. This planning can include all aspects of life, including the need for families to take short breaks (“respite”) from each other. Facilitators work with families in planning and bringing about lifestyle and support that best suit the individual and family.

The family support team hosts a variety of workshops which focus on all aspects of a good and meaningful life for people, and we promote and encourage the participation of families at these events. There are usually no fees for these events.

After the creation of Developmental Services Ontario, there has been a shift as to how some services are offered to those with developmental disabilities and their families.

• Children and those under 18 years of age are welcome to connect with a facilitator here and receive support and planning.

However, if you haven’t been in touch with the DSO, or are waitlisted by them, we are still a place where you can touch base to receive some help and guidance. Everyone is welcome to join our “information network”, where families are made aware of relevant workshops and events, and opportunities to meet with people who share their aspirations and concerns. All of these are open and available to all families.

Furthermore, everyone is welcome to come in and meet with a facilitator for quick conversations or questions. With the exception of Wednesday mornings, someone is always here for a conversation about respite, funding applications, planning, RRSPs, tax credits, etc. There have been many changes to services and supports, and we are more than happy to help clarify, navigate, and get on the path to answers. To ensure someone is here when you come by, calling ahead to Heather is advisable.
To contact us for information, please call or e-mail Heather Minors at 905-436-2500 ext 2314 or email her at hminors@dafrs.com.

Family support reflects the right and the responsibility of parents to make decisions regarding all their children including their child with an intellectual disability.

Family support enhances the competency of family members to make informed decisions.

Family support reflects the power of small personal responses by family, friends and members of the community.

Family support enables the family, and individual family members, to fulfill, sustain and/or enhance relevant and valued social roles.

Family support is flexible enough to accommodate unique needs of different families.

Family support is a role model of positive interpretations of people with intellectual disabilities and their families and thus teaches parents and the community to do so as well.

Family support communicates to families and to involved community members that their loyalty and responsibility are to family, not to the organization.

Family support programs provide a diverse range of supports to families with diverse characteristics and needs (including age, crisis, short/long term, etc.)

Family support services should:

1. fit into normative family life as smoothly as possible,
2. intrude upon family life as little as possible, and
3. enable and support the family to carry outs its normative familial processes as much and as well as possible
4. assist families to promote valued social roles for their disabled family member
5. be founded, where possible, on unpaid, community connections
6. where required, provide excellent paid support (trained, reliable, etc.)