Learn about 

child & youth services

Child & Youth services with
Surrey Association for Community Living

Child and Youth Services focuses on community inclusion.
We are available to provide overall support to all families
with inclusive opportunities in the community.

Respite Services

Respite is referral-based through the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) for children and Community Living BC (CLBC) for adults.

Respite Services enhances the lives of families by providing temporary relief from daily responsibilities while ensuring a safe, caring and fun environment for their family member. Respite Services is a voluntary service in which families choose to receive.

Respite supports families so they may continue to provide care in the home. Occasional relief can strengthen family stability and well-being.

The Respite Program is a unique service, in that it caters entirely to the needs of each individual family. Families may request that respite be provided from their own home, from the caregiver’s home, or out in the community. They schedule respite directly with the caregiver, and activities are particular to each child or adult.

The respite program for children and adults offers a variety of options including hourly (2.5-10 hours), daily respite, overnight (a maximum of 10 hours per 24-hour period, and extended respite (up to 14 days). Support services consist of social/recreational activities, companionship, or vacation services.

You will need to assess the best options, or a combination of options, for meeting your respite needs. Each family’s needs may vary as the individual ages or as family conditions change.

Respite Services will support you in accessing the most appropriate service.

STAR

STAR is an inclusive after-school program that provides youth ages 13-18 with recreational opportunities. The focus of this program is to support teens in an inclusive setting in leisure and social activities.

STAR includes measurable program goals in the following areas:

Community Integration
Maintain or increase participation with effective use of inclusive community settings, consistent with abilities and interests.

Life Skills
Maintain or increase life skills, such as independence, home skills, transportation, recreation, and leisure.

Self Enhancement
Maintain or increase physical, recreational, social, and educational experiences.
The program is part of the Respite contract and is operated from the City of Surrey’s Guildford Recreation Centre. The program operates for 4 hours per day, 4 days per week from September to June. It gives the participants a safe, healthy environment from the time between the end of the school day and the parents’ return from work. The staff ratio is 1:3.

BUILD

Building Upon Individual Learning and Development in consultation with School District #36

STEP

STEP is an acronym for Supporting Teens in the Employment Process.

STEP is a pre-employment and skills training program for youth with special needs. The program provides pre-employment and employment-related life skills to a group of 9 youths, ages 15 to 18, each youth must be able to work in groups of 1 staff to 3 participants. The program runs on Saturdays and has 2 sessions per year and each program session runs for a 5-month period.

Service access is determined by waitlists and referrals, which are managed by MCFD.

STEP includes measurable program goals in the following areas:

Transportation
o How to access schedules and locations
o Taking different forms of transportation such as the bus and handy-dart
o Money management when using transportation

Resume Building and Interview Skills
o Typing and computer skills
o Creating professional resumes and cover letters
o Interpersonal skills
o Identifying strengths, wants and needs
o Role-playing Interview skills
o Telephone skills

Job Exploration
o Referencing specific employment opportunities by using “Workplace observations”
o Learning how to access employment resources
o Researching jobs
o Distributing resumes to jobs of choice
o Learning the follow-up process with employers
o Taking professional development courses to enhance one’s skills to better their qualifications
o Learning language and Jargon related to specific jobs
o The difference between full- time, part-time, casual, and contracted
o Learning how to read a pay stub and understanding deductions

Work Experience
o The screening process to be identified as a volunteer
o Learning specific job-related skills
o Upgrading education and skills
o Understanding the orientation process
o Learning how to communicate needs at the workplace day to day or long term

Paid Employment
o Applying for Social Insurance Number
o Researching potential companies for employment
o Reviewing policy and procedures
o Reviewing job comprehension
o Reviewing duties and expectations
o Any skill development required for the positions

Spring Break and Summer Day Camps

Spring Break Camps and Summer Day Camps are community recreation programs that provide one-to-one support. The programs run in partnership with City of Surrey Day Camps and YMCA Day Camps.

The Spring Break program runs in March for 2 weeks. The Summer Day camps run in July and August for 7 weeks.

SACL provides staff support to allow children with special needs the same opportunity as others, to participate in an inclusive camp setting in their neighborhood.

This is an MCFD contracted program

Community Leisure

Community Leisure is a community recreation program in partnership with the City of Surrey, which offers inclusive supported programs in the community, including activities such as:

• Swim adapted – Children – 1 to 1 staffing ratio
• Swim adapted – Youth – 1 to 1 staffing ratio
• Skate – Adapted – 1-1 staffing ratio
• Fun For Kids – 1-2/3 staffing ratio

The program runs in three sessions each school calendar: September to December, January to March, and April to June. This is an MCFD contracted program

Holiday Options

Holiday Options is summer programming that provides youth options during their summer break. Holiday Options includes the following programs:

Teen Vacation

Teen Vacation is a five-day summer vacation in Whistler. The vacation provides both outdoor and community activities for youths aged 13 – 18 with a 1-3 staff ratio.

Staycations

Staycations is five days of summer day trips that provide outdoor activities throughout the lower mainland. Staycations was created in June 2020 when the Public Health order did not allow away camps.This is an MCFD contracted program

Address

17687 56A Ave
Surrey BC V3S 1G4

Phone

604-574-7481

Submit a Compliment, Feedback or Concern

Your compliment, feedback or concern will be directed in confidence to the Quality Assurance Coordinator and the Executive Director, Coreen Windbiel