Section 23 Classes in Bluewater
We currently have eight section 23 programs operating in Bluewater:
Keystone Residence Program – Owen Sound
The residence provides youth in emotional distress the opportunity to work through individual crisis while living away from their familial home.
When space allows, some community day treatment students will be admitted to the program.
Keystone Community Day Treatment – Walkerton
Keystone Community Day Treatment – Walkerton
Keystone Community Day Treatment - Saugeen
The community day treatment program provides youth with emotional difficulties the opportunity to work through individual issues while attending a day treatment program that includes an educational component.
Hincks-Dellcrest – Heathcote
This twenty-bed residential, treatment facility is located on a farm in the Beaver Valley area. Treatment in a farm setting has many advantages for programming for youth, but the fundamental agent of change is the group and the group culture. Building and maintaining a healthy group culture with well-articulated group values is the goal of the program. There are two classrooms located at this site.
The Children’s Aid Society of Owen Sound and the County of Grey– Owen Sound
This program supports children in care who require additional therapeutic and educational supports. The focus of this program is to evaluate and address the skills necessary for youth in care to achieve their academic potential. This will be achieved within the Section 23 classroom by assessment and delivery of service which will enhance their opportunity to achieve their individual goals. A primary goal of the program is to assist with the transition of youth back to the regular school system where they will complete their educational achievements with their peers in preparation for their future. Where this is not possible, transition plans are developed which allow the youth the opportunity to experience success within vocational experiences apart from mainstream academics.
Pine Hill Youth Residences– Chesley Area
This residential program provides therapeutic and educational supports for children in detention or open custody.
Although a majority of students in Bluewater are able to benefit from attendance at a local school, there are a few students who require additional care, treatment, or custody supports in order to be successful. Section 23 classes provide this additional support:
Care
When necessary for safety or to maintain the well-being of a child, a Children’s Aid Society may intervene and remove a child from his/her family home. For assessment purposes, to maintain educational success, or to support a transition to a community school, it may be necessary for a child in care to access a section 23 program.
Examples of section 23 programs in Bluewater that offer support for children in care would be The Children’s Aid Society of Owen Sound and the County of Grey.
Treatment
Statistics from the Canadian Mental Health Association show that “It is estimated that 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder - the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide”. In Bluewater, there are residential and community day treatment section 23 programs available to support children with mental health issues.
Examples of residential section 23 programs in Bluewater that support the treatment needs of children and youth include:
Keystone Residence – Owen Sound
Hincks-Dellcrest – Heathcote
Examples of community day treatment programs in Bluewater that support the treatment needs of children and youth include:
Keystone Community Day Treatment – Walkerton
Keystone Community Day Treatment – Saugeen
Custody
Youth in detention and open custody facilities have a mandatory educational component to their program. Information about Youth Justice can be found at the Ministry of Children and Youth Services.
An example of detention and open custody section 23 program in Bluewater would be Pine Hill Youth Residence.
Information about Section 23 Programs in Bluewater
The section 23 programs in Bluewater meet the needs of children age 12 to 18. Each program is designed to meet therapeutic and educational needs of individual students. The average enrolment for each class is eight students. Each class will have a designated teacher responsible for the development and evaluation of the educational program. In addition, the partner agency will assign a Child and Youth Worker or Family Resource Worker to the classroom to support the student’s achievement of his/her therapeutic goals. The vice-principal of student services and an agency supervisor/director also support the classes.
Each child in a section 23 program will have an education plan which describes his/her specific, individualized educational goals. The education plan will be part of the overall service or treatment plan for the child. The service/treatment plan will outline the therapeutic goals for the child.
Admission and demission from each section 23 program is unique. The only consistent guideline is that this process is governed and regulated by the agency partnering with Bluewater.
Students, parents, teachers and staff associated with a section 23 program have the ability to access a wide-variety of supports depending on the child’s needs. Bluewater resources can be accessed by the classroom teacher in consultation with the vice-principal of student services. Agency resources can be accessed by the agency case manager assigned to the child.
Section 23 programs in Bluewater are located in various locations. Examples of locations include: a church basement, an elementary school, a secondary school, a farm and a residential home.
Students in a section 23 program are not considered to be pupils of the board. Instead, they are registered on a separate roll and reported on the agency attendance register.
Bluewater Partners in Section 23
The Bluewater District School Board would like to thank their community partners in delivering necessary care, treatment and detention/custody services to children in need.
Our section 23 partners include:
Ministry of Education
The Ministry of Education has set the Guidelines for Approval of Educational Programs for Pupils in Government Approved Care and/or Treatment, Custody and Correctional Facilities (2005-06).
The guiding principles for every section 23 class are outlined in the Essential Elements document released by the Ministry of Education in February 2009.
Additional information and publications for students, parents, teachers and administrators about the initiatives of the Ministry of Education can be found on their website.
Accountability
The Superintendent of Student Services is responsible for the overall supervision of the section 23 programs in Bluewater. However, the teachers are directly supervised by the Vice-Principal of Student Services.
The teachers are bound by their professional duties and standards as a member of the Ontario College of Teachers. Staffing guidelines and articles outlined in the teachers’ collective agreements are applied.
The Ministry of Education audits each section 23 program regularly to ensure compliance with their Essential Elements and that data submitted with the board application for section 23 programs is accurate.
Funding for Section 23 Classes
The Superintendent of Student Services must apply to the Ministry of Education on an annual basis for funding to operate each section 23 program. The Ministry of Education requires that a signed written agreement with each agency be submitted as part of the application process. The board can apply for funding to cover the cost of teacher salaries and benefits, a portion of an administrator salary, and an additional amount per teacher for administrative/consultative services and instructional supplies. Additional costs such as rental of space, day to day operational costs and support staffing and their supervision are not covered by the Ministry of Education.
Eligible government-approved care and/or treatment facilities are listed in the Legislative Grants Regulation.
Interesting Fact…
Section 23 refers to a section of the Legislative Grants Regulation. Over the years, the number of this section has changed. The programs have also been known as section 19 and section 21 programs.
Contact Information
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