Do you have a child who lives with a disability and you need help caring for them?
The Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) Program provides financial support to parents and guardians to help pay for the extraordinary costs of caring for a child with a disability. Some examples of these supports include:
- medical equipment,
- medical transportation,
- incontinence supplies,
- costs that exceed typical child care such as day-care or after-school program aids,
- relief care,
- home support services,
- family support workers for social inclusion activities and skill-building,
- support for therapeutic-based recreation activities, and
- a health card (for families without health insurance.)
The FSCD Program is voluntary and families are expected to work with a social worker. There is a family financial contribution towards services for families who have the means.
Families who are eligible for the FSCD Program, have two options for case management:
- Social Worker Managed: the FSCD social worker will be available for ongoing support and arrange services for your family.
- Family Managed: your family will coordinate and manage the services identified in the Family Support Plan, which outlines the unmet needs of your child and the services that will meet those needs. You will receive the funds directly from the Department of Social Development to arrange and manage/direct the services.
If you are interested in learning more about these options through FSCD, talk with your social worker.
To qualify for the FSCD Program, a child/young person must:
- live in NB and have a valid New Brunswick Medicare card or evidence that application has been made for this,
- be younger than 19 years of age,
- have a disability (including developmental, cognitive, social, communication, behavioural and/or physical) that significantly limits their ability to participate in activities of daily living, and
- have a written letter of support/assessment from a professional that indicates the nature and impact of their disability.
A parent or guardian must:
- live in New Brunswick,
- cover all costs typically associated with caring for a child (child care, shelter, clothing, recreation, school supplies, etc.),
- participate in the application process to determine child’s eligibility for the program and provide required documentation,
- agree to have a FSCD social worker involved with the family,
- financially contribute to the Family Support Plan services when applicable,
- agree to a full accounting of funding provided to the family under FSCD as required, and
- participate in planning and coordination of FSCD supports and services.
The letter of support/assessment from a professional must indicate the nature of the child/youth’s disability and the impact it has on daily living activities. The letter can be from a physician, nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, psychologist, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist, FACE (Family and Child Education) worker or social worker.
You can access the FSCD Program in two ways: call the Department of Social Development at 1-833-733-7835 and make a self-referral for your family or ask a professional working with your child to call the department on your behalf to make a third-party referral. The screener who answers the call will ask some basic questions, including your and your child’s name, contact information, the nature of your child’s disability and how their daily life is impacted.
A FSCD Program social worker will follow up with you by telephone. They will ask more in-depth questions about your child, their disability, its impact and the current unmet needs. They will also schedule a home visit.
A social worker will come to your home to meet with your family. During this visit, you will need to provide the letter of support/assessment from a professional that explains your child’s disability and its impact on their daily life. The social worker will ask questions to complete the Determination of Needs Assessment, which will help determine their eligibility for FSCD. The social worker will provide a form called the Statement of Family Income for you to complete and also confirm your family’s income.
The social worker may ask permission to contact other professionals involved in your child’s life, which may include their school, physician or physiotherapist, to help complete the Determination of Needs Assessment. Once the assessment has been completed, the social worker will reach out to let you know whether your child qualifies for the FSCD program.
If your child is eligible, the social worker will make an appointment with you to create a Family Support Plan, which outlines the unmet needs of your child and the services that will meet those needs. The plan also includes the cost of the services provided, the family’s FSCD budget. You will need to indicate whether you prefer to have the family-managed or social worker-managed option.
A social worker will continue to support and work with your family. The social worker will complete annual reviews to obtain updates on your child’s progress and needs, and will adjust the Family Support Plan accordingly.
names and birth dates of everyone living in your household,
address and phone number,
Medicare number for the child, and
information about the disability and impact on your child.
Human Services Careers
If you love helping people, a career in human services may be right for you. A new voluntary occupational certification has been created for human service counsellors and personal support workers - visit GetCertifiedNB.ca to learn more.
The demand is high for social workers, resident attendants, personal support workers, human service counsellors and more. Visit our careers page to learn how you can support New Brunswicker's of all ages live better, healthier lives.