ABOUT COORDINATED ACCESS

Coordinated Access and Referral is a case resolution mechanism designed to provide recommendations and referrals for families, children and youth who have complex needs and are experiencing difficulties gaining access to support and services in the community. The mechanism is a collaborative and cross-sectoral community effort intended to provide recommendations and referrals to resolve difficult situations.

Core Values - Learn More
Guiding Principles - Learn More

Coordinated Access responsibilities:

Facilitating the Case Resolution Committees (scheduling meetings, ensuring records of meetings, following through on decisions taken at meetings, providing briefings and background information to support decision-making)

    • Intake and triage
    • Fostering open communication and collaboration between agencies involved in Case Resolution
    • Outreaching to organizations working with children and youth facing complex situations to provide them with orientation to using Coordinated Access
    • Developing and recommending improvements to policy, procedure and protocol
    • Maintaining records
    • Ensuring follow through and monitoring of all cases
    • Providing quarterly and annual reports to Steering committee
    • Resolving and trouble-shooting situations that impede agencies from working together in the interests of children and youth with complex needs
    • Be the communication link between all committees and across sectors
    • Identify gaps in services and  highlight those to the Steering Committee
    • To promote flexibility and the exchange of services

The mechanism was established by the members for the following reasons:

    • To enable organizations to share the responsibility for those clients who are most in need
    • To improve ease and length of waiting time to access services if the situation warrants it
    • to promote flexibility and the exchange of services
    • To have a formal mechanism to do Case Resolution for those in most need
    • The mechanism gives the opportunity to
    • Allow most in need clients to access services more rapidly
    • Open doors/resources that would not otherwise be available
    • Assist the client population that is presently difficult for one agency to serve
    • Bring various services together to formulate better recommendations or plans of action