Intensive Child and Family Intervention (ICFI)
Who Can Use This Service?
This service is primarily aimed at helping parents develop parenting knowledge and skills to strengthen and improve their parenting. Families are eligible for this service if,
- The identified child is between the ages of 0 and 17 years.
- The child and family are currently receiving service from the Children’s Centre and have an assigned case manager.
- Parents are receptive to participating in “hands-on” coaching and support by a qualified professional within the family home.
In special situations, this service can be modified to provide some intensive support to the child within the school setting
What Is Offered?
This service provides parents and their children who are experiencing significant social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, with intensive and flexible mental health support and treatment in their homes, schools and communities. Specific parenting and child-focused goals are developed in collaboration with the assigned workers and identified case manager.
This service involves having the worker go into the family home or school at a designated pre-negotiated time, usually during the most difficult/stressful time of the day.
The worker will assist the parent, teachers or other caregivers with education, support, guidance and coaching using a strength-based perspective. The primary purpose is for developing effective strategies in addressing family or school struggles.
For home-based services, visits to the family home are usually in two hour intervals and can be as much as six hours per week, if needed. The worker can also assist in advocating for the family in accessing needed community resources.
How Will This Service Help?
This intensive family-based service aims to
- Provide in-home hands-on support, education, coaching and mentoring to parents so that they are better able to meet the needs of the children
- Strengthen parenting through education and skill development
- Support the parents and family by establishing developmentally appropriate structure, rules and routines within the family home
- Improve child-parent relationships
- Support the child or children in their treatment goals
How Can You Find Out More Or Access The Service?
This service is available to families currently receiving service at the Children's Centre Thunder Bay. If you are interested in this service, please speak with your case manager or current agency worker about accessing this service and to determine whether or not it fits your family’s needs.
