Statement from HSA President Sarah Kooner on increased funding for families of children and youth with support needs

“As the union representing health science and community social service professionals who work directly with children and youth with support needs across BC, we welcome today’s announcement of increased investments in family support programs.

HSA members, which include child development consultants, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, and many other dedicated and trained professionals, work in child development centres across the province to provide team-based early intervention care for vulnerable children. For years, they’ve been underfunded and overstretched. The $80 million in new funding to improve service delivery of child development centres is a vital step towards improving access to care and reducing wait times.  

We welcome the government’s decision to focus on providing delivery of these services through established and trusted community agencies. HSA has been a strong advocate for investing in what works, and we look forward to continued discussions with the government on building a system that puts children’s needs first.