GROUP HOME - Individualized Service Agreement Program (ISA)

This program provides individualized, client-centered residential placement for Transitional Age (male) Youth and Adults who have been diagnosed as having an intellectual disability, are identified as being on the autism spectrum, and may identify as having other possible mental health, FASD and or dual diagnosed needs. The home is located on Swennen Drive in Brampton, Ontario and strives to provide a caring, loving and enriched environment with private bedrooms for up to three moderate to high needs clients.

Goals of the program include the following:

  To provide a safe secure home for clients with complex support needs who require a higher level of staffing support. To provide, treatment, supports and supervision for clients who have or may struggle in other environments and who would benefit from a group home with a one to one staffing model. To work with internal and external supports in order to build client centered, individualized support and treatment plans when required. To provide a program and an environment that works closely with the client and their families, placement agencies and community based support networks in order to build capacity, improves self-esteem, promote success and positive outcomes.

All clients in our Group Home Programs have access to the following internal and community based services:

 

• • • Initial Needs Assessment

 

• • • Psycho Vocational Assessment, Academic Assessment, Psychological Educational, Cognitive, and Adaptive Functioning Assessments, all completed by a Registered Psychologist to assist in determining cognitive abilities, recognize the presence of an impaired cognitive functioning, identify academic ranges and learning profiles, as well as measure personal and social skills needed for everyday living in order to develop and support educational/vocational and treatment plans.

 

• • • Individual Counselling, Art Therapy, Sexuality Counselling, Psychosexual Risk Counselling, Psychiatric Services, Anger Management, Skill building workshops, Social Groups, Therapeutic community and in home activities etc.

 

At Cornerstone we pride ourselves on providing nurturing, stable, professional and family-based, child-centered, person centered, long term placements that stop the cycle of placement breakdown for difficult, hard to serve children and youth, as well as adults. We have committed, trained and well supported Foster Parents that understand the value of collaboration to ensure placement stability. Cornerstone strives to build the capacity and skills of individuals, families and caregivers to improve the quality of life for the individuals we care for. In our Specialized Foster Homes care is based on the developmental and adaptive functioning of the individual. Through a strength based, ability based approach, our children and youth experience competency and success in situations that they have often failed in other settings. Our Foster Parents are client focused and draw on a wide variety of experiences and have the ability to provide homes to children and youth who present with a variety of challenges and abilities.

All residents in our Specialized Foster Homes have access to the following clinical services:

 

• • • Initial Assessment

 

• • • Assessments completed by a Registered Psychologist to assist in determining cognitive abilities, recognize the presence of an impaired cognitive functioning, identify academic ranges and learning profiles, as well as measure personal and social skills needed for everyday living in order to develop and support educational and treatment plans. Types of assessments conducted are determined by the treatment team. Examples are: Academic Assessment, Psychological Educational, Cognitive, and Adaptive Functioning Assessments.

 

• • • Individual Counselling, Art Therapy, Sexuality Counselling, Psychosexual Risk Counselling, Psychiatric Services, Anger Management, Skill building workshops, Social Groups, Therapeutic community and in home activities etc.

We offer our services to Children’s Aid Societies and TAY Organizations located throughout the Province of Ontario, and work with children ages 11 and up. We are licensed by the Ministry of Community and Social Services of Ontario under the guidelines of the Child and Family Services act.  

PHILOSOPHY OF CARE

We believe in the value of normalizing experiences for healthy personal development of troubled youth. We believe in a continuance of care and applicable service to children. We believe in the principle of flexible, individualized and specialized programming underlies the philosophy of care and treatment. We believe that joint decision making, family involvement and personal counseling facilitate growth and change. We believe in the clinical value of expertise both in direct service provision and consultation. We believe in individualized and client centered plan of cares.

Cornerstones Intensive Supported Living Programs are designed to care for youth and adults who require more intensive services in a safe, caring and an individualized homes.

Goals and planning for the individuals in our programs are determined through Person Centered Planning, as well as collaboration with all stakeholders.

Our programs are designed to establish placement stability while building capacity to move towards living in a less intrusive adult living environment

The clients living in our Intensive Supported Living Programs have been typically described as “hard to serve”, "complex" and "challenging”. They often have a variety of emotional and mental health problems that have been unsuccessfully accommodated in more traditional residential placements. Residents have likely had a history of multiple failed placements and require one-on-one care to manage behaviour and daily routines.

Our Intensive Supported Living Programs have a high success rate of placement stability by establishing competency in skills, congruent with the individual’s developmental and functional abilities. This approach allows the individual to achieve success, as well as learn and master functional skills which results in forming positive relationships and higher levels of compliance and socially adaptive behaviour.

Our staff are professional, trained and skilled at ensuring that the individuals who reside in our homes meet primary goals that prevent the cycle of placement breakdown that they have experienced in the past.

We strive to provide Safety for clients, staff and the community at large. We guide and support our clients to prevent involvement in the criminal justice system.

We aim to provide our clients with positive experiences to establish roots in their community as a function of stability and a feeling of belonging.

All clients in our Intensive Supported Living Programs have access to the following internal and community based clinical services:

• • Initial Needs Assessment


• • Psycho Vocational Assessment, Academic Assessment, Psychological Educational, Cognitive, and Adaptive Functioning Assessments, all completed by a Registered Psychologist to assist in determining cognitive abilities, recognize the presence of an impaired cognitive functioning, identify academic ranges and learning profiles, as well as measure personal and social skills needed for everyday living in order to develop and support educational/vocational and treatment plans.


• • Individual Counselling, Art Therapy, Sexuality Counselling, Psychosexual Risk Counselling, Psychiatric Services, Anger Management, Skill building workshops, Social Groups, Therapeutic community and in home activities etc.