News Release Archive
NEWS RELEASE (CNS856) -->> COMMUNITY SERVICES--INTERIM STANDARDS RELEASED COMMUNITY SERVICES--INTERIM STANDARDS RELEASED ----------------------------------------------------------------- Community Services Minister John MacEachern today released interim standards for the operation of community based homes in Nova Scotia. Community based options include accommodation for people who are mentally challenged or mentally disabled who are able to live in the community with some support or supervision. They range from family homes to fully staffed small facilities that are able to provide a high degree of care. The standards address both the physical accommodation and the practices within the homes, including such things as assessment for placement, individual programs, and nutrition. The standards were developed by the Department of Community Services following consultation with a broad range of service providers, interest groups, families, and residents of small options. A report on the stakeholder input was released in March, and the department has developed standards that reflect the insights and priorities identified by the community, as well as the best of the existing standards in the system, and basic standards from the Homes for Special Care Act. Mr. MacEachern said that the standards will continue to be reviewed, and further consultation carried out, as the province moves toward regulation governing these facilities. This will include the broad spectrum of needs, including those services that now fall within the jurisdiction of the Department of Health. The development of community based options is a response to the need of individuals to have an opportunity to live in a home, with the normal flow and rhythm of community that other citizens experience. Mr. MacEachern said, "Obviously, independence is not an absolute, and the small options network must reflect the broad range of needs for care and supervision. Our challenge as we develop these standards is to ensure the greatest degree of autonomy and independence, with the greatest measure of support and protection. That is a matter of balance, not of simple formulas. The standards that I am tabling today will evolve as we continue to monitor and develop the system to meet the needs of individuals." Currently, there are approximately 700 people living in 400 community based option settings in the province. -30- Contact: Donna McCready 902-424-4326 trp Nov. 26, 1996 - 12:48 p.m.