Family Supports for Children with Disabilities is a voluntary program that provides social work support and financial resources to families to assist with the care and support required to meet the special developmental needs of their child with disability. Services are intended to strengthen families and support parents in caring for their children.
Eligibility for the program looks beyond the child’s disability to examine all relevant factors that affect the child’s ability to participate in society. In order to be eligible for the program, a family must have identified unmet needs as a result of raising a child with a disability. The child with a disability must: - have a severe disability that is life long and significantly limits a child’s ability to function in normal daily living. This includes children with medically complex conditions, physical disabilities, and/or intellectual impairment who may or may not have behavioural and/or emotional difficulties. - have a letter of support from a professional that is a member of a licensing body that speaks to the child’s limited ability to function in normal daily living. (For the purpose of this program, examples of professional who may verify a child’s limited ability to function in normal daily living include: physician/surgeon/nurse practitioner, optometrist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist, school psychologist, and/or speech language pathologist and social worker.) - be a resident of New Brunswick for the past three months. - have a valid New Brunswick Medicare card - be under 19 years of age. A parent/guardian must: - be a resident of New Brunswick for the past three months with valid Medicare cards. - participate in an assessment of strengths and unmet needs to determine case plan including providing the documentation and additional family information and sign all related forms required. - financially participate in the case plan based on the Family Financial Contribution toward Services Scale, when applicable.
