Please join us for our second Attendant Service Quality Committee (ASQC) meeting.

When? Sunday, November 15, 2009

1:00 pm - Come early to troubleshoot technology
1:30 pm - Committee business begins

Where? IDEAL Conference Centre, Room 10.  (This is an on-line meeting)

Who can attend? 

Anyone who receives this e-mail and people you know who care about Direct Funding (feel free to forward this message).

AGENDA

1. Welcome and introductions
2. Review our "Action Strategy"
3. Updates related to tasks assigned last time
   
4. Confirm next steps and who will do what
5. Conclude by 3 pm
   

What happened last time?

The Attendant Service Quality Committee (ASQC) held an online meeting October 25, 2009 to discuss issues related to the Self-Managed Attendant Services Program.  A small group of people attended.
 
We discussed:

·        low attendant wages (maximum $14.65/hour)
·        health benefits for attendants
·        limited hours allowed under direct funding (6 hours maximum per day)
·        problems finding good attendants, and,
·        waiting lists for attendant services (identified after the meeting) 
 
It was agreed that our Action Strategy would first focus on Pay Equity -- the difference between the maximum wage we can pay our attendants under Direct Funding compared to what other programs are able to pay.  This wage inequity creates difficulty finding and retaining qualified attendants.
 
Our Action Strategy includes researching attendants' wages in other settings and comparing the costs of providing attendant services in various programs e.g., Outreach, Support Service Living Units (SSLU), group homes, chronic care facilities, etc.  Other steps will be considered as we progress through our plan and as more people get involved.

We agreed to meet again November 15th.  PLEASE JOIN US!
 
How to Participate

To join in, go to http://www.ideal-group.org/cwdo/. 

Follow the steps to download the latest version of the free conference utility. 

• Option 1 is for a PC. 
• Option 2 is for a MAC. 

After you finish downloading, scroll down until Room 10 appears. 
Sign in with your name and city e.g. Tracy Odell in Scarborough.
Leave the password area blank.
Click login and you are in!

If you are new to IDEAL, book a free tutorial with Pat Seed at pat.seed@tbaytel.net.  Pat will cheerfully and patiently guide you step by step.  We were all new at this once!  Or come early at 1 pm for extra help.

Thank you, and hope to see you at the meeting.

 

Sincerely,