Familyhome
Program Policies and Procedures
The following is an almagamation of policies
and procedures that may be used and also adapted
to each individual agency.
Click here for the Familyhome
Program Policies and Procedures
Section A
A-1 GOALS OF THE
FAMILY HOME PROGRAM
POLICY
The Familyhome Program goals are to provide a safe and secure place to
live in a Familyhome setting, to promote a high quality of life and to
support and promote community inclusion. The program provides a family
setting for those individuals who may require supervision, prefer living
with a family and who need the additional support that a family environment
can provide. Children and adults with a range of functional abilities
including those who have physical, behavioural and /or medical complications
may be served in the Familyhome program.
The objectives of this policy manual are
to provide clear direction, consistency, an accountability framework and
ensure quality support for both the Homesharer and Familyhome Provider.
Section B
B-1 SELECTION CRITERIA
FOR FAMILYHOME PROVIDERS
B-1 POLICY
Familyhome Providers are persons over the age of 18 who
are willing to welcome an adult with a disability as part of their family
and who are capable both physically and emotionally, of providing the
support an individual requires. Desirable characteristics are patience,
adaptability, warmth, understanding, open mindedness, acceptance, maturity,
commitment, integrity, cooperativeness and flexibility.
B-1 PROCEDURE
In screening prospective Familyhome Providers, the following
criteria is important:
1. Satisfaction with their present lives:
-content with current life
-optimistic about family, work, social/community involvement
-stability within their family situation and confidence in the ability
to share their
family and lives with another person.
2. Motivation For Involvement:
- people with realistic reasons for being a Familyhome Provider in order
to
encourage success when met with difficult or discouraging times
- interest in helping the Homesharer become a part of the community and
to
participate in the community
- the opportunity to share their lifestyle and family life with another
person
- to earn extra income by supporting a person in their own home.
3. Availability:
The daily schedule of the Familyhome Provider should be sufficiently flexible
so that they are able to attend to the needs of the Homesharer, participate
in the Life Planning meetings and other aspects of the Homesharer’s
life. The Familyhome Provider must live in the home in which services
are to be provided.
4. Past Relevant Experience:
Previous experience is not necessarily required as people have acquired
skills in being a part of a family, raising a family, in their job, and
other life experiences which would be considered an asset as a Familyhome
Provider.
5. Positive Family Dynamics:
The family should function within a stable and comfortable atmosphere
with evidence of good interpersonal relationships, respect, openness,
understanding and acceptance.
6. Accommodation:
Whether the Familyhome Provider rents or owns their home is not a priority.
The home must include a private bedroom for the Homesharer, with the expectation
that the Homesharer will have free access to use all common family areas
of the home as would any other family member.
7. Accessibility to Community:
Familyhome Providers should ensure that the Homesharer is able to access
recreational facilities and other local community services of interest.
8. Selection vs. Matching:
The following characteristics should not be considered relevant in the
selection of a Familyhome Provider although they may be relevant in matching
a Homesharer with a Familyhome Provider:
-religious affiliation
-age
-cultural background
-occupation
-race
-family composition
-type of housing
B-2: MATCHING FAMILYHOME PROVIDERS WITH A HOMESHARER
B-2 POLICY
The agency will follow a matching process which takes into account the
Homesharer’s needs, preferences, personality and situational factors
along with those of a prospective Familyhome Provider.
B-2 PROCEDURE
1. Advertising on behalf of an interested person may be provided by the
agency.
2. Prospective Familyhome Providers make an initial inquiry.
3. An application form is provided to the prospective Familyhome Provider.
4. Application forms are completed.
5. Application forms are reviewed by the agency, person and/or their family/advocate.
6. Initial interviews with the prospective Familyhome Provider are conducted
by the agency.
7. The prospective Familyhome Providers home is inspected by the agency
by way of a Home Study to ensure Health & Safety requirements are/can
be met.
8. A Fire Inspection is completed by a representative of the local Fire
Department.
9. Anyone living in the prospective Familyhome Provider’s home over
the age of 18 must consent to a Criminal Reference Check and provide the
agency with a completed Criminal Reference Check.
10. Three references are required on behalf of the prospective Familyhome
Provider.
11. An interview is conducted by the agency with all members of the prospective
Familyhome.
12. The Homesharer will spend time in the home before they make their
decision to live with the prospective Familyhome Provider.
13. Upon acceptance as a Familyhome Provider a six month trial agreement
between the Homesharer, the Familyhome Provider and the agency will be
developed and signed by all parties. At the end of the six month period,
if all parties are in agreement, the Familyhome Provider will be officially
approved by the agency and all parties will sign the letter of agreement.
B-3 LETTER OF AGREEMENT
B-3 POLICY
A Letter of Agreement between the Provider and the agency specifying the
responsibilities of each party is agreed to and signed by those involved.
B-3 PROCEDURE
The agency will develop a Letter of Agreement that identifies the responsibilities
and expectations of all of the involved parties. This agreement will be
reviewed and signed by all parties prior to the commencement of a Familyhome
arrangement.
The agency will then re-approve the Familyhome
annually if:
1. The annual written review, as completed by the Agency indicates that
all requirements of the Ministry are being met.
2. Local Municipal Fire and Safety regulations are being met.
3. A written recommendation for re-approval indicates that the Familyhome
Provider has demonstrated supervision and /or training competency to the
satisfaction of the agency.
B-4 TERMINATION OF A FAMILYHOME AGREEMENT
B-4 POLICY
The Familyhome Agreement may be terminated at any time, without cause
or reasons, by the Homesharer, Agency or the Familyhome Provider, on 60
days written notice. The Agency may terminate immediately. For example:
where a homesharer has been abused or in the case of the Familyhome Provider’s
non-compliance with policies and procedures.
Section C
C-1 PROVISION OF SUPPORT
C-1 POLICY
The Familyhome Provider will provide support and care and the opportunity
for further development of the Homesharer residing in their home
C-1 PROCEDURE
1. Provide room and board on a continuous basis;
2. Ensure regular visits to the Homesharer’s physician, dentist,
and/or other specialist(s);
3. Administer medications as prescribed;
4. Provide a well furnished room with adequate space;
5. Offer the Homesharer the opportunity for privacy;
6. Provide a home atmosphere which will encourage the Homesharer to participate
in day to day activities in the home and to function as an accepted, valued
family member in that environment;
7. Maintain and encourage contact with natural family and significant
others;
8. Provide training, guidance, and direction which will encourage the
Homesharer to become involved in the local community;
9. Encourage the Homesharer to attend school, work, recreation and spiritual
activities outside of the home environment;
10. Advise appropriate persons if the Homesharer is unable to participate
in a service or activity due to illness or other reason;
11. Transport the Homesharer to appointments and extracurricular activities
as required.
12. Arrange appropriate supervision for the Homesharer when the Familyhome
Provider is away and notify agency of this activity.
C-2 AGENCY SUPERVISION OF FAMILYHOME
PROVIDER
C-2 POLICY
Agency assumes responsibility for the supervision of each Familyhome Provider
by a Familyhome Program Coordinator and to assist the Providers and ensure
that adequate support is provided to the Homesharer.
C-2 PROCEDURE
1. The Familyhome Provider shall work cooperatively with the Coordinator
by: notice of the intention to terminate.
2. If there was just cause for the Familyhome Providers contract to be
terminated, The Agency will immediately ensure the Homesharers safety
and security and begin to secure an alternative placement.
3. Familyhome approval may be terminated by MCSS after completion of an
4. investigation of any complaint.
C-3 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE FAMILYHOME PROVIDER
C-3 POLICY
Upon agreement to welcome a Homesharer into the Familyhome, the Coordinator
will discuss in detail the responsibilities with the Familyhome Provider.
The responsibilities will be reviewed on an annual basis or when necessary.
Included are the following:
C-3 PROCEDURE
The following are responsibilities that are typically expected of every
Familyhome Provider and will be modified based on individual situations:
1. Keeping scheduled appointments.
2. Advising of any conferences or appointments for the Homesharer which
are not routine or regularly scheduled.
3. Informing the agency as soon as possible of any medical emergency,
or of any circumstances which would necessitate a major change in support
or service, treatment, or care of the Homesharer.
4. Allowing private contact with the Homesharer by the Coordinator at
any time.
5. Seeking approval from the Coordinator prior to making any changes in
the Homesharer’s use of any room in the home or with respect to
any change of address.
6. Not entering into any other agreements with any other agency that would
involve the placement of any other child or adult into the Familyhome
without informing the Coordinator.
7. Having a dependable means of transportation for the Homesharer and
ensuring that the amount of vehicle insurance is adequate.
C-4 HOUSEHOLD
REQUIREMENTS/HOME STUDY
C-4 POLICY
Prior to the involvement of a Homesharer with a Familyhome Provider, the
agency will do an initial home study to ensure the home meets certain
criteria relative to the physical structure (of the home) and specific
Health and Safety requirements. The Coordinator, through regular visits
to the home, will ensure that these standards and criteria are maintained.
C-4 PROCEDURE
1. The Familyhome is constructed, arranged and maintained
as to provide adequately for the health and safety and well-being of all
occupants.
2. Housekeeping standards are such that a Familyhome presents a comfortable,
clean and orderly appearance.
3. Each adult should have his/her own room but in any case, no more that
two persons share a bedroom, providing each person has agreed to do so.
Each person, however, in all cases will have their own bed.
4. No Homesharer will sleep in an unfinished basement or in a detached
building, or on the third floor of the home if there is no exterior fire
escape.
5. Floor space for the bedrooms shall be sufficient to accommodate properly
at least one single bed, dresser chair and provide sufficient space for
personal effects. Each bedroom will have at least one outside window,
that may be opened for fresh air.
6. The atmosphere and routine of a Familyhome should be such that a Homesharer
may comfortably spend the majority of his non-sleeping hours outside of
his bedroom.
7. A Familyhome will provide for the laundering of the Homesharer’s
clothing.
8. The Homesharer shall have access to a telephone, television, radio
and newspaper.
9. Every Familyhome is equipped with functional smoke detection devices
and fire extinguishers.
10. The Familyhome provider has a plan for evacuating the home in case
of fire and will teach the Homesharer what to do in case of fire and review
this process at least twice a year.
11. Medications, poisonous and hazardous substances are to be stored in
inaccessible location.
12. Where there are animals in the home, the Familyhome Provider must
have them properly protected against rabies and other diseases that may
be spread to humans.
13. All weapons, including firearms, air rifles, bows and hunting equipment
must be made inoperable and inaccessible to the Homesharer.
14. If there is a swimming pool, rules and regulations are established
and the Homesharer is properly supervised when using the pool.
15. All Familyhome Providers will carry liability insurance on their home
and proof of such insurance must be made available to the Coordinator
at the time of the initial Home Study and annually thereafter.
C-5 RECORDING
C-5 POLICY
Familyhome Providers are expected to maintain records and the Coordinator
is responsible for ensuring all documentation is put into the Homesharer’s
file.
C-5 PROCEDURE
1. Familyhome Providers will be briefed by the Coordinator regarding the
expected recording requirements.
2. The responsibility for keeping the Homesharers file current is that
of the Coordinator.
C-6 REPORTING EMERGENCIES
C-6 POLICY
The agency must be contacted in the event of any emergency which may arise
while the Familyhome Provider is supporting the Homesharer. The Coordinator
may be reached at the agency. Outside of office hours there is an Emergency
On Call number which may be called to report an incident or accident.
C-6 PROCEDURES
C-6a: Call in Procedure
1. During office hours Monday to Friday, call: agency phone
2. After hours or weekends, call: agency on call phone
C-6b: Medical Emergencies
1. The Familyhome Provider should contact a doctor or hospital immediately.
2. The Homesharer medical information should be taken to the hospital
as well.
3. During medical treatments, the Familyhome Provider should be available
in case additional action or information is required.
4. If possible, the Homesharer should sign any necessary consent forms.
If they are not able to do so, the family/substitute decision maker should
be contacted and asked to sign.
5. As soon as medical help is arranged, the Familyhome Provider must call
an agency representative to advise of the problem and the action taken.
6. The agency or the Familyhome Provider will be responsible for alerting
the next-of-kin of the emergency situation. An agency representative will
then remain available to the Homesharer and the Familyhome Provider.
7. In the case of death of a Homesharer, an agency representative should
be contacted immediately, and will assume full responsibility for handling
all procedures and arrangements.
C-6c: Missing Homesharers
If a Homesharer is discovered missing:
1. The Familyhome Provider will make a thorough search of his/her home
and property.
2. When it has been verified that the Homesharer is missing from the premises,
the Familyhome Provider shall make a search of the neighbourhood and surrounding
area as well as contact, if appropriate, person(s) with whom the Homesharer
has contact.
3. If the Homesharer is not found, the Familyhome Provider will contact
an agency representative to determine the course of action that should
be taken.
4. If the Homesharer continues to be missing, the agency representative
and/or the Familyhome Provider will contact the local police. Both the
Familyhome Provider and the agency representative should be available
to give all necessary information to the police.
5. The agency will, if appropriate, notify the natural family that the
Homesharer is missing and ask for their cooperation and assistance, if
necessary.
6. When the Homesharer is found, the Familyhome Provider shall ensure
that his/her initial needs are met and if necessary, arrange for a physical
check-up if there is concern around the physical state of the Homesharer.
7. The agency and/or Familyhome Provider will notify all parties who were
initially contacted that the Homesharer has been found.
8. The Familyhome Provider will document the incident as soon as possible.
9. The agency will complete a Serious Occurrence Report following agency
policy.
C-6d Death of a Homesharer
In the unfortunate case of a death of a Homesharer, the agency will be
responsible for handling all procedures.
1. If having reason to believe that a Homesharer has died,
the Familyhome Provider will call an ambulance, and not move the person
or alter the area where the Homesharer is.
2. The Familyhome Provider will contact the agency immediately.
3. The agency, upon being notified of the death, will go to the Familyhome.
4. The family/substitute decision maker will be notified of the Homesharer’s
death by the agency in person, where time and distance allow If the natural
family is willing and able to arrange and pay for burial they may take
over arrangements at this point.
5. If there are no relatives, or if the natural family is unable to assume
responsibility, the agency will make the arrangements for burial, taking
into consideration the Familyhome Provider’s and natural family’s
preferences where possible.
6. The agency will notify other persons of the death (eg. other services,
friends, advocate, etc.)
7. The agency will arrange for supportive counseling for members of the
Familyhome, if needed.
8. The agency will complete and investigation and immediately report the
Homesharers death to the Ministry of Community and Social Services as
per policy re: Serious Occurrences.
C-6e Emergency Accomodations
1. If an emergency situation arises where there is a need to immediately
seek alternative short term accommodation for the Homesharer, the Familyhome
Provider must contact the agency immediately.
2. The agency will ensure that alternative short term accommodation is
arranged as soon as possible upon being contacted by the Familyhome Provider.
C-6f Additional Reporting
In addition to the previously detailed possible emergency events, an occurrence
of any of the following events must also be reported to the agency as
soon as possible after the occurrence.
1. Commission of an offense by the Homesharer or apprehension by Police.
2. Abuse or mistreatment.
3. Alcohol or drug abuse.
4. Major renovations to the Familyhome Providers home.
5. Overnight trip with the Homesharer.
6. Move of an additional person into Familyhome.
7. Major illness in Familyhome Providers Home.
8. Apprehension by Police of any person living in the home.
C-7 QUALITY ASSURANCE
C-7 POLICY
The agency will ensures that the Homesharers receiving support through
the
Familyhome Service receive the best quality support while they are
living with the Familyhome Provider. This section of the Policy and
Procedure Manual includes information for the Familyhome Providers
to ensure that each Homesharer they are responsible for receives the best
possible support.
C-7 PROCEDURES
C-7a: Confidentiality
All Homesharer information and records must be kept in strictest confidence.
No information about a Homesharer, written or verbal, will be given to
others unless a signed release (written consent) from the Homesharer or
his/her family/substitute decision maker accompanies a request for information.
It is permissible and may be required however, to share pertinent and
related information about the Homesharer with the following persons: agency
staff, relief providers, natural family, advocates, health and other professionals.
The Familyhome Provider may not discuss a Homesharer’s personal
life (eg. the Homesharer’s past and present relationships, sexuality,
emotional problems, medical conditions/problems) without a signed release
of information.
Familyhome Providers are required to sign a confidentiality statement,
when they are engaged in providing services to a Homesharer.
C-7b Homesharer Rights
The following list of rights applies as a minimum standard to all Homesharers:
Homesharers have:
-the right to a humane, physical and psychological environment which recognizes
their individual human dignity. Homesharers will not be subject to physical,
mental or emotional abuse. Harsh communications by words, tone of voice,
gestures or other deeds shall not be inflicted upon Homesharers except
as part of an approved agency treatment plan and then only within humane
and reasonable limits. Homesharers have the right to be treated with respect
and dignity.
-the right to reasonable privacy for personal hygiene and sleeping.
-the right to receive uncensored correspondence and unmonitored telephone
calls, unless such censorship has been directed by a court or is provided
in their Life plan.
-the right to regular physical exercise and to be outdoors several times
a week, if they so wish.
-the right to opportunities for social interaction, relationships and
friendships.
-the right to spend time alone with natural family members, agency staff,
advocates and friends.
-the right to opportunities for learning and development.
-the right to care for themselves as fully as they can, and to have assistance
to develop all aspects of daily living skills as they may wish.
-the right to be free from unnecessary or excessive medication.
-the right to exercise all civil rights, such as the right to vote, to
marry, to sue or be sued, to retain licenses established by law, to manage
or dispose of property, to execute instruments such as wills, to enter
contractual relationships unless specially limited by a certificate or
incompetence, or legislation or regulations of the Provincial Government.
-the right to whatever assistance they need from the agency in arranging
for suitable conditions for living, employment, recreation, clothing and
financial management.
-the right to confidentiality. Their presence in the Familyhome Service
and information about them will not be released except to authorized persons
or agencies.
-the right to share in the life and activities of the community. The right
to practice freely the religion they choose.
-the right to participate in their individual planning process and to
include whomever they wish in the planning.
-the right to as much participation in decision-making regarding financial
and other aspects of their lives as they are capable of and desire.
C-7c Medical and Dental Care
Agency staff, with input from the Homesharer, will assist the Homesharer
to become the patient of a local, community based physician, dentist and
specialist(s) as needed.
The Familyhome Provider will receive detailed information
and instructions with respect to any specific physical or medical needs
of the individual (eg: epilepsy, hepatitis, medications). Should the Familyhome
Provider require additional instruction in the care or treatment of the
Homesharer’s specific medical needs, the agency will arrange for
appropriate training.
All Homesharers will have a complete physical examination
once a year, and a dental examination at least once a year. The Familyhome
Provider will keep a record of all medical occurrences and illnesses and
these will be maintained in the Homesharer’s file. The agency must
be informed of any surgery and/or optional dental work prior to it being
initiated.
The Familyhome Provider has primary responsibility for arranging the Homesharer’s
routine appointments and for accompanying him/her to these appointments.
In some instances, the agency may initiate a referral or coordinate the
appointment process. The Familyhome Provider will record all appointments
on appropriate forms to be contained in the Homesharer’s file.
C-7d: Medications
1. Prescription medications must be dispensed in accordance with the directions
given by the Homesharer’s physician. Under no circumstances can
the type, frequency, dosage, or time of dispensing be changed with out
the consent, in writing, of the Homesharer’s physician.
2. All changes in the Homesharer’s medication must be reported to
the agency and documented.
3. All medication should be administered to the Homesharer in accordance
with the agency.
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