support team Archives - 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