While the wait list for access to children’s treatment services has decreased, the number of kids who need support from Five Counties Children’s Centre is on the rise, according to a report from the charitable organization.
The children’s treatment centre, which serves kids and youth in Peterborough, Haliburton, and Northumberland counties and in the City of Kawartha Lakes, has released its annual report for 2023/2024.
In 2023/24, Five Counties saw its wait list for services drop year-over-year by 11.1 per cent to 2,309 kids/youth — the lowest level since the pandemic.
The annual report was released at Five Counties’ 49th annual meeting held on June 25 in Peterborough.
“There were many pleasant surprises in 2023/24, including seeing our wait list for treatment services go down and getting more support from our donors and supporters as well as an increase in provincial government funding,” Scott Pepin, CEO of Five Counties Children’s Centre, told kawarthaNOW.
“Going forward, I think the greater support we’ve received will allow Five Counties to invest in more staff and services. This, in turn, will help us to further reduce wait times in the coming year — ensuring kids get the care they need when they need it.”
The CEO said the drop in wait times is a credit to staff, who support children in many different ways and places and through various means. Even as the centre served a near-record number of clients last year — just more than 6,100 kids — and provided almost 53,100 visits for families, Five Counties was also the first children’s treatment centre in Ontario to switch to a new client information system.
“Being first to switch meant there was a steep learning curve, so I’m extremely grateful to our employees for their work and dedication throughout the transition,” Pepin said in a media release.
In 2023/24, Five Counties also introduced new initiatives aimed at improving access to care for kids and families. For example, Five Counties implemented tiered intervention for students receiving occupational therapy in schools. The goal is to shift more school-based and in-centre services to this model, allowing for more kids to be seen with better outcomes, the centre noted.
Also in 2023, the centre launched the “SmartStart Hub,” which is designed to make it easier for families with concerns about their child’s development to get help. Using an online request form, families are matched up to the right services their child needs at Five Counties or another community agency.
The past year also yielded record results when it came to investments.
The Ontario government announced in 2023 a historic investment in pediatric services that included a $2.025 million annual funding increase for Five Counties. The money was used to invest in staff and services, helping to reduce wait times for kids and families, the centre noted.
When it came to fundraising, Five Counties raised a record total of $1.216 million – the most in its history – that goes directly to support kids’ treatment services. “Fundraising efforts in 2023/24 were punctuated by a $250,000 donation from a retired Peterborough-area couple, Dr. James and Sheila Ryan,” Five Counties said.
“At a time when demand for services and programs is on the rise, we’re extremely grateful for the record-setting support that helps Five Counties fill the gaps that can’t always be covered by government funding,” noted Lyn Giles, the centre’s director of fund development.
At the end of 2023, fundraising efforts for the Northumberland Backyard Project in Cobourg also successfully wound down. In 2024, this means that work is now underway to transform the backyard space at the Northumberland site into a safe, fully-accessible outdoor area that provides more space and options for treatment, recreation, cultural awareness, and outdoor education activities.
Five Counties highlighted these other findings in the annual report:
- Of the approximately 6,100 kids/clients served by Five Counties last year, almost half were seen in Peterborough, 26 per cent were seen in Northumberland, 22 per cent were seen in the City of Kawartha Lakes, and four per cent were seen in Haliburton County.
- Two-thirds of all kids supported by Five Counties were ages five to 12 years, with 22 per cent being age four and younger. The remaining 12 per cent of clients were between the ages of 13 and 21.
- For the third straight year, referrals to Five Counties topped the 3,000 mark — in this case, being 3,067 kids/youth referred in 2023/24.
- Just more than 3,900 students received treatment services in local schools, the vast majority being for either occupational therapy or speech therapy.
- One-third of kids/clients seen at Five Counties received two or more services.
Five Counties Children’s Centre provides therapy services that assist children who are delayed in their development to build the skills they need in everyday life such as walking, talking, and activities of daily living. For more information, visit www.fivecounties.on.ca.
