Bluewater District School Board

Bluewater's Education and Community Partnership Programs page

Education and Community Partnership Programs

We currently have two Education and Community Partnership Programs (ECPPs) operating in Bluewater:

Keystone Live-In Treatment Program (LIT) – 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.

Bluewater Youth Centre
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.

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, and/or rehabilitation services in order to be successful. ECPP classes provide this additional support:

Care
When necessary for safety or to maintain the well-being of a child, a Bruce Grey Child & Family Services (former 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 an ECPP program.

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 ECPP programs available to support children with mental health issues. 

Information about ECPP Programs in Bluewater
The ECPP 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 maximum enrollment 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 Learning Services Administrator responsible for Special Education and an agency supervisor/director also support the classes.

Each child in an ECPP 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 discharge from each ECPP 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 ECPP 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 Learning Services Administrator responsible for Special Education. Agency resources can be accessed by the agency case manager assigned to the child.

Students in a ECPP program are not considered to be pupils of the board. Instead, they are registered on a separate roll and reported on a Ministry of Education attendance register.

Bluewater Partners in Education and Community Partnerships Programs

Bluewater District School Board would like to thank their community partners in delivering necessary care and/or treatment services to children in need. Our ECPP partners include:

Bluewater Youth and Adult Services

Keystone Child, Youth and Family Services

Ministry of Education

The Ministry of Education has set the Guidelines for Approval and Provision of an Education and Community Partnership Program (ECPP) 2023-24.

The guiding principles for every ECPP 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 Education responsible for Special Education is responsible for the overall supervision of the ECPP programs in Bluewater. However, the teachers are directly supervised by the Learning Services Administrator.

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 ECPP program regularly to ensure compliance with their Essential Elements and that data submitted with the board application for ECPP programs is accurate.

Funding for ECPP Classes

The Superintendent of Education responsible for Special Education must apply to the Ministry of Education on an annual basis for funding to operate each ECPP 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 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 ECPP facilities are listed in the Legislative Grants Regulation.

Contact Information
For additional information on ECPP programs in Bluewater, please contact Colleen Maguire, Learning Services Administrator at 519-362-2014.

Bluewater District School Board is located on the traditional land of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, which is represented by the communities of Saugeen First Nation and Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation.
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