The Case Manager/advocate Role Assignment

The agency I chose to speak about is Skylark, it started off as a children’s and youth centre but now has expanded to children’s, youth and families, which has made is more inclusive towards everyone and more welcoming to adults. When you think of Skylark you’re probably wondering why they chose the name or what they actually do. To begin with Eurasian Skylarks are actually birds that are capable of flying up to 100 meters while singing a very unique kind of song which makes it very different from other ground nesting birds that being said a lot of writers speak about this bird because of its amazing strengths and skills. Which also ties into this agency because they are determined to help the youth and children along side their families through this organization.

This agency work with children, youth and families with their mental health and/or developmental needs in order for them to succeed in life and reach their highest potentials for their wellbeing (Skylark Youth, 2018). They also focus on parents of LGBTQ+ youth where they welcome the parent(s) to come in with their child to go to the walk in clinics that offer counselling services with no charge. These walk-in clinics are available to anyone in the moment you need it as its an urgent care. You don’t need a health card or a an appointment to go into these counselling sessions.

They state they have 5 values in their agency which is Integrity, Evidence-Informed, Collaborations and Partnerships, Youth and Family Engagements and Diversity. They have 2 locations, Downtown Toronto (Church and Wellseley) and North Toronto (Yonge and Eglinton). They also deliver programs and service to clients in “underserved” neighbourhoods such as Regent Park and St. James Town. They have walk-in clinics for counselling services as mentioned before but you need to arrive two hours before they close in order to get your paperwork started and are eligible to speak to a counsellor for one hour and as its a first come first serve basis a spot is not always promised the same day. Skylark welcomes all youth and families from all sexual orientations, gender identities, and racial communities. They also try to accommodate to different languages, cultural and communication needs.

Regarding your rights in this agency as a client you have the right to be treated with respect and it is free from discrimination or harassment as well as your information is to be handled in a confidential manner and will not be shared without the permission of the client. Skylark also explains as to why they need the information and how they’ll use it unless it is required by law they will not disclose personal information without the permission of the client or consent. They will also share the information of the client with the client when asked as well as answer any questions the client may have in the planning of choosing a service best for them. Also as a client there are some responsibilities the agency expects like the client participate in the planning for the service at Skylark, to treat the staff with the same respect they expect back and to attend meetings or services or to let the agency know in advance that you will not be attending.

The pros of this agency is that they are open to give their help to anyone who needs it regardless of who they are. They are willing to help the community as well as anyone who goes to their locations. It is a very welcoming environment which not only focuses on the kids it also focuses on their family around them which is very useful when the child needs a support system to help them fight their battle. They also provide specific needs to each family they look into working with the client to find what agency works best for not just them but their family as well. Even though their main focus is mostly Youth and Kids and their families they don’t forget about how the family takes a big part in helping the children/youth. Another thing the agency provides is that it is very welcoming to youths, that being said there is a whole page dedicated on their website that helps you if you’re living with a sibling who has a mental illness as well if you have a friend who has a mental illness, that being shown on the website encourages other siblings/friends to talk about their feelings with a counsellor whether they have a mental illness or not. That opens up the idea more that you do not need to have a mental illness to talk to someone like a counsellor when you need help. For siblings they welcome them to go to the walk-in clinic as well as call a number provided in order to get more information on how they can not only help their sibling get better but help themselves as well. That being said the website states “You don’t have to tackle it alone. Taking care of yourself is one of the best things you can do when trying to take care of someone else. Rather than trying to have all the answers, seek support from professionals who are around to help you.” (Skylark Youth, 2018) I think thats very important to remember because fighting a battle alone may not always be the best option for someone and like the quote says you need to take care of yourself in order tot take care of your sibling or friend as well. They also have on their sight a place where they give you options if your friend is the one that needs the assistance, they focus a lot on teens and how they can help each other become better for themselves. They welcome the friends of the person that needs help to go to the walk-in clinic and if its a urgent manner to call 911, they also encourage the friend to speak to a adult they trust as well as kids help phone and they provide them with links where they can read about the help that can be taken if its not an urgent manner. Also besides the walk-in clinic the other programs and counselling services they offer are counselling services which you access by making an appointment, day treatment and programs which tailors services to best meet the needs of the student they serve in a day program at a high school to help them learn in small, focused classes that are capped at six to eight students per one TDSB teacher.(Skylark Youth, 2018) , drug education where they educate students on the use of drugs and how they can affect their lives drastically through workshops where they use music, art and literature to create a safe space (Skylark Youth, 2018) , Maple Leaf Sports and entertainment (MLSE) LaunchPad which is a counselling service that provides kids with not just mental help education but a helping them learn about living a heathy lifestyle, Residential Program is where youths live in a home which are referred by a Case Worker, Therapist or health care professional through C.A.R.S for youths who need a place to live , Wraparound is an innovative approach that mobilizes the community to help children, youth and families with complex needs, find solutions that will improve the quality of their lives (Skylark Youth, 2018), and, Youth Outreach Worker (YOW) which is part of a multi-agency outreach initiative for marginalized youth in underserved neighbourhoods, and special populations in East Toronto, the YOW at Skylark works with LGBTQ+ youth ages 12 to 24 and their families. YOWs provide supportive counselling and referrals (Skylark Youth, 2018).

The cons I see are that the locations aren’t very convenient to most it, they state that it is very to commute to but having to commute an hour or 2 everyday may not always be easy unless you live around the areas which is primarily downtown Toronto, as their walk in clinics are open until 2,6, and 8 and you have to be there 2 hours before they close which may not always be convenient for those families or youths that have to work, as well as the client may go to the walk in clinic seeking immediate help or just to talk to someone which is what it is for but the client may not even see the counsellor the day of which is when they’ll reschedule and that being said its a first come first serve basis which means the client may not always get the help they’re is seeking for. The age requirement is also 12-25 so as an adult going to speak for their child/family member / friend the times to speak to a counsellor may vary as it is not sited on the website as well. Another issue is the language barrier that may be there due to their staff not having a translator, the website state that they’ll try their best to accommodate to the different languages but it is not promised that they will understand the client which kind of pulls from the all cultures all invited idea since they cant have someone understand the client to begin with.