We Heard You Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Canucks Autism Network

Jan 31, 2019

At Canucks Autism Network (CAN), we take great pride in creating an inclusive environment for participants of all abilities to thrive in our programs. Our staff are equipped with the training and tools necessary to employ the best possible strategies to support children, youth and young adults with autism.

In order to best understand how to motivate and engage with participants, we encourage staff to collaborate with parents, guardians and youth and young adults with autism. There are a number of ways that parents, guardians and youth and young adult participants can help us ensure that all CAN members are thriving to the best of their ability in our programs:

1. Update participant online profiles
  CAN membership accounts include information about participant likes/dislikes, triggers, communication abilities, recommended supports, level of independence and more. This information is shared with our Support Team who work with our staff and volunteers to best interact with and support participants.We encourage parents, guardians and youth and young adult participants to update this information at least once a year by 1) logging in to canucksautismprograms.ca, 2) clicking “My Account” in the top navigational banner and 3) clicking “Edit” by the name of the participant.
2. Red Cross Report Cards
  For those in our swim program, if you are in possession of a Red Cross report card from previous swimming lessons, please give it to the swim coach on the first day of the program. Our swim coaches are trained to review the notes from previous coaches/instructors so that they can better prepare individualized lesson plans for each participant.
3. Discuss with the Support Team
  Our Support Team are the on-site program supervisors, identifiable by their black CAN t-shirts. Do not hesitate to approach the Support Team to collaborate on support strategies. Our Support Team welcomes your feedback and collaboration!In the rare occasion that we do not have a Support Team member assigned to your program, please email feedback@canucksautism.ca. A member of our program team in the office will connect with you to collaborate on support strategies.
4. Program Questions
  When you are registering for a program, you may be prompted with additional questions pertaining to recommended support strategies. This information will be shared with the Support Team to ensure the appropriate supports are provided for each participant, as needed.

By collaborating with our staff, we can accelerate the process of building rapport and supporting the success of each participant in our programs!

We Heard You Archives

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Jan 5, 2019

We are so proud that our staff, volunteers and overall program experience receive consistently positive feedback in our quarterly parent and participant surveys.

However, we recognize the importance of parents and participants being able to communicate program concerns in a timely manner when they do arise. A few examples of feedback that we’ve received in end-of-season surveys are:

“The volunteers in the program seemed disengaged.”
“The person in the black shirt (Support Team) never engaged with me. I would have liked to tell them some strategies for working with my child.”
“My child has had a different support worker each session, which is less than ideal.”

These are important issues to be brought to our attention. We would like to address these in a timely manner, preferably while the program is still in session rather than the end of the season.

Support Team members supervise CAN programs on-site and can be identified by their black CAN t-shirts.

In order to efficiently address concerns, we have developed a simple process for you to connect with supervisory staff regarding program-related issues.

Speak directly with the Support Team member.
These supervisory staff members (identifiable by their black CAN t-shirts at programs) are prepared to receive program concerns from CAN members and the general public. They have been trained to address the concerns, implement solutions, and identify when to involve office staff.
If the Support Team member isn’t available, please email feedback@canucksautism.ca.
Often times, CAN programs are very busy and a Support Team member may not be available to speak to you privately. Or you may be uncomfortable addressing an issue with the Support Team member. If this is the case, please email feedback@canucksautism.ca with your concern. This email will be directed to an office staff within our Program Department and will be answered within 3-5 business days.

If we can address feedback in a timely manner, we are confident that our trained staff and volunteers will be able to satisfy parent and participant concerns. Additionally, your feedback can be added to our staff’s ongoing training and our volunteer orientations.

At CAN, your input is valued and important. It is a privilege to work with both parents and participants to ensure that we continue to deliver the highest-possible program experience.

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“WE HEARD YOU” ARCHIVE:
Staff and volunteer roles | Who gets into programs? | Why aren’t swim programs longer? | Why are programs offered at less than ideal times of the week?

Dec 4, 2018

There are so many dedicated and passionate individuals that go into the success of each of our programs. Each year, we employ over 250 program staff and benefit from over 600 volunteers.

While reviewing your comments from recent parent and participant surveys, we have recognized that the program roles of our staff and volunteers may be unclear to all of our members. At the majority of CAN programs, there are four roles:

Support Team (Black shirt): CAN Support Team are paid staff who oversee the behaviour support provided to each participant. They work closely with participants, caregivers, staff and volunteers to ensure that each participant grows towards achieve their own definition of success.

Support Team are responsible for writing behaviour support plans in collaboration with participants and caregivers, and training Support Workers to implement these plans. In addition, the Support Team is the primary communication liaison with both the CAN office and any non-CAN facility staff.

Coach (Blue shirt): CAN Coaches are paid staff who are responsible for implementing the CAN curriculum for each program and creating lesson plans that are customized for each group. CAN Coaches are skilled in the activity they lead and provide guidance to Support Workers about appropriate skill progressions to help each participant reach their full potential and gain new skills.

Support Worker (Blue shirt): CAN Support Workers are paid staff whose primary responsibility is to make sure each participant achieves their own definition of success. Support Workers support participants under the direction of Coaches and Support Team alongside volunteers. Support Workers may be assigned to support multiple participants.

Volunteer (Green shirt): CAN Volunteers are community members who donate their time to support CAN programs. Volunteers are often looking for additional experience in supporting individuals with autism and provide crucial help by assisting staff members to support participants, setting up and cleaning up equipment, and contributing positive energy to ensure that each CAN program feels fun, safe and supported.

See more articles like this:
Who gets into programs?
Why aren’t swim programs longer?
Why are programs offered at less than ideal times of the week?
Why I volunteer for CAN: Kyle Boyle

Originally Posted: November 5, 2018
Updated: February 9, 2023

Due to high demand, participants may not always receive their first choice of program. Our goal is to accommodate as many unique individuals on the spectrum as possible throughout the year.

In order to provide some insight as to how we achieve this, we have outlined the processes that guide registration below.

REGISTRATION PROCESS*
Registration for most CAN programs (weekly children’s programs and youth & adult rec programs) opens for one week (Monday at noon to Sunday at 11:59pm) on canucksautismprograms.ca through a process called “Pending Enrolment”.

CAN members submit program requests online during the registration period.
Registration is not first-come, first-served. Each program request immediately goes to “Pending” status.
Once registration closes, CAN staff review all submitted requests and update statuses to either “Confirmed” or “Waitlisted”.

*The exceptions to this process are a) family experience registrations that take place on a first-come, first-served basis through Eventbrite and b) youth & adult programs that do not require CAN membership (these take place through separate online forms).

SELECTION PROCESS*
In the event that program demand exceeds the number of available spots, the following criteria guides each enrolment decision:

Past registration history
If a participant has not previously taken part in a requested program, they will receive priority. Being on a waitlist for a program in the past will positively impact your chances of enrolment for future seasons.
Account standing
Participants with up-to-date accounts (ie. proof of diagnosis submitted, membership and program fees paid) and good attendance in previous CAN programs will receive priority.
Program ranking
Our registration system includes a ranking feature, allowing participants to indicate their order of preference for program requests. If we are unable to fulfill a participant’s first-ranked request, we aim to accommodate them into their second or third-ranked program request.

REGISTRATION REMINDERS*

Submit and rank registration requests for each program that you’re interested in. Submitting just one program request does NOT increase your chances of getting into that program. Participants are encouraged to request and rank all programs and locations of interest in order to help us better identify demand. This will help guide future programming decisions and highlight areas most in need of fundraising support.
Registration is not first-come, first-served. Do not feel obligated to register immediately as soon as the registration period opens.
Due to high demand, waitlists do occur. Don’t be discouraged. Being on a waitlist positively impacts your chances of enrolment for future seasons. If you are on a waitlist and a spot becomes available, we will contact you by email.
Registration status updates will be sent out within 1-2 weeks

We look forward to empowering participants to learn new skills, develop new friendships and create lifelong memories.

Questions? Email info@canucksautism.ca!

Sep 28, 2018

We Heard You is a new blog series that addresses some of the common questions and themes that arise from our seasonal parent and participant feedback surveys.

Today we are answering a frequently asked question about the timing of our programs.

Why are programs offered at less than ideal/times of the week?

We are proud and fortunate to partner with various community and municipal organizations across the province to deliver our programming. Some of the agreements provide us with reduced rates or even free space, however, the subsidized costs can also mean that we are limited by the days and times offered to us.

We recognize that some program days and times are less than ideal and will continue to work with our partners to secure the best times available. That said, recreation centres are under a lot of pressure from multiple other user groups looking for pool, ice and gym time and as a result they have limited availability, particularly when it comes to arena and pool time.

By delivering our programs in facilities that offer reduced rates or complimentary space, we are able to save costs and accommodate even more individuals with autism, which is our ultimate goal with registration.

The graph below depicts the level of member satisfaction with various elements of CAN programming including length, timing, location, and cost of the program.

See articles more like this:
What is each staff and volunteer’s roles in programs?
Why aren’t swim programs longer?
Who gets into programs?

Sep 7, 2018

We Heard You! We are introducing a new blog series that will address some of the frequently asked questions that we receive in seasonal parent and participant feedback surveys.

Today, we tackle a common question about our weekly swim programs. Stay tuned for more We Heard You posts this Fall!

Why aren’t Canucks Autism Network swim lessons longer?

In Spring 2017, we formalized a partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, a nationally-recognized organization renowned for quality swim and water safety programs. As standardized by the Canadian Red Cross, swim programs for ages 3-6 and 7-12 are 30 minutes, while those for ages 13+ are 45 minutes.

Like CAN, Red Cross Swim programs are designed in alignment with the Canada Sport for Life model. As such, the curriculum has been designed to emphasize a positive first experience to sports and rec in order to promote a lifetime of overall physical health and activity.

“To engage in sport and physical activity, individuals must be aware of what opportunities exist for them, and when they try an activity for the first time, it is critical that the experience is positive.”
–Canada Sport For Life – Awareness and First Involvement

Please visit our CAN Swim webpage for more program information.

See more articles like this:
What is each staff and volunteer’s roles in programs?
Who gets into programs?
Why are programs offered at less than ideal times of the week?
Why I volunteer for CAN: Kyle Boyle