The Lynwood Charlton Centre Orientation Guide is designed to provide an overview of essential information about accessing services at the Centre.

Content in the Orientation Guide includes:

• Principles of Service Statements

• Information about Lynwood Charlton Centre

• Your Rights

• Supporting Inclusion

• Engaging Children, Youth and Families

• Evidence-Informed Practice and Clinical Philosophy

• Consultation and Collaboration Model

• Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation

• Assessments

• Sanctuary Environment

• Emergency Procedures

• Smoke-Free Work Environments

• Privacy and Confidentiality

• Communicating through Technology

• Complaints Process

• Role of the Office of the Ombudsman

• Click to view the Orientation Guide

The following statements are Lynwood Charlton Centre’s Principles of Service based on the value statements developed by the Board of Directors. These Principles of Service are the standards which guide the professional activity and interactions of the staff in their work with children, youth, and their families:

• All interactions and activities will be recognized and valued for their importance in influencing and fostering positive and reciprocal relationships with children, youth, and families.

• Lynwood Charlton Centre is committed to engaging children, youth and families in an invitational way that promotes and maintains significant relationships for them.

• Families, children, and youth are entitled to services that support them in taking charge of their lives and which provide hope and opportunities for change by enabling them to use the knowledge and skills that they already possess.

• Children, youth, and families have individual needs, circumstances, and experiences. They are entitled to have these issues recognized and addressed in a compassionate, caring and understanding manner within the service provided.

• Lynwood Charlton Centre will be sensitive to the impact on children, youth, and families of being involved with service providers.

• Lynwood Charlton Centre is sensitive to the issues of culture, gender and financial status and will endeavor to treat others with the utmost respect and to address these types of issues within the parameters and the resources available to the programs.

• Lynwood Charlton Centre acknowledges the rights of others to determine what is in their own best interest including how, when and where they wish to access service within the parameters and the resources available to the programs.

• Lynwood Charlton Centre expects an active demonstration of this respect in our discussions with and reporting about our clients.

• Interactions between and amongst board members, professional staff, children, youth and families and others outside the organization will be guided by the principles of good stewardship; which we recognize to include trust, fairness, honesty, and integrity.

• All work and actions will be based on our value for excellence and productivity; supported through an environment which promotes professional development and organizational wellness.

• Provision of service at both the agency and community level must be based on a cooperative and coordinated effort in collaboration with our external partners.

• Lynwood Charlton Centre must remain sensitive to the changing characteristics and needs of the community and will be committed to the promotion of mental health and the development of innovative service approaches, based on evidence-based practices, as the environment and current needs change.

Here at Lynwood Charlton Centre, we are committed to supporting all children, youth, and families who are engaged in our services.

Please let us know anything that you feel may help your full participation in the Centre’s services, such as strengths and needs related to your race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, family diversity, disability, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, culture, or language.

If you are First Nations, Inuit, or Métis we will consider information about your culture(s), heritage, traditions, your connection to community and your extended family.

If there is someone that you think could guide us in understanding how to be helpful to you (a Resource Person), please let us know. The Resource Person could be a friend, relative, or member of your community.

At Lynwood Charlton Centre we strive to make our facilities as inclusive and accessible as possible. Our staff will aim to support your successful participation in our programs with a strengths-based approach that celebrates diversity and recognizes that individual differences are a source of resiliency.

For example, where possible, the staff will assist all children and youth in understanding and celebrating differences, to live together with respect and kindness by:

• Using preferred pronouns and ensure access to washroom of the child or youth’s self-identified gender;

• Supporting communication - such as making translators and sign language interpreters available;

• Supporting barrier-reduced access for individuals of all ability levels;

• Respecting and supporting cultural and religious celebrations and practices (such as religious diets or fasting) at the request of the child, youth and/or family;

• Supporting links to culturally relevant services and activities;

• Supporting links to culturally relevant supports, services and activities for children, youth, and families of indigenous heritage.

Here at Lynwood Charlton Centre we strive to provide our services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities.

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005), our agency’s policies, plans, training, and capital improvements aim to ensure that persons with disabilities have an equal opportunity to access services.

When required, we will integrate the provision of services into our practices and procedures to ensure that persons with disabilities obtain use of and benefit from the services in the same or similar way as other customers/clients.

We will do our best to ensure our services allow persons with disabilities to do things on their own without unnecessary help or interference from others in all appropriate circumstances.

We encourage open communication with persons with disabilities, to the extent that any required and feasible, alternative methods of communication for persons with disabilities will be made available.

In Ontario, the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 outlines your rights as a child or young person receiving services related to foster homes, group homes, youth justice, secure treatment facilities, mental health, developmental and/or physical disabilities. This includes counselling services and many more.

If you have questions about the Child, Youth and Family Services Act or to find out about the laws that protect you, click here or visit ontario.ca/RightsResource.

At Lynwood Charlton Centre we collect personal information about our clients and participants and inform you of how and why this information will be used. Since personal information can help to identify a person, we treat this information with the utmost care. All Lynwood Charlton Centre employees, students, and volunteers must sign an oath of confidentiality prior to their involvement with the agency and are expected to uphold this agreement.

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients/participants in accordance with the Canadian Centre for Accreditation (CAA) standards, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), and The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Unless required by law, personal information is not disclosed without client consent.

E-communication, which includes the use of cell phones, e-mail, video call, social media outlets, etc., may be used for the purpose of programming and communication with Lynwood Charlton Centre programs and staff.

Lynwood Charlton Centre clients should understand that if they choose to communicate by email/text/video call, we cannot guarantee complete confidentiality. Examples of how security may be breached include, but are not limited to:

• Use of public computer, sharing your computer and/or cellular phone;

• Leaving or storing confidential material on a computer screen and/or a cellular phone for others to see;

• Loss of computer and/or cellular phone;

• Computer or communication service being hacked or use of monitoring software.

If you have any concerns regarding privacy or a breach of privacy/confidentiality, please contact us at info@lynwoodcharlton.ca

Sharing Client Personal Information

We document all inquiries for information that is in the client record. If at any time Lynwood Charlton Centre receives a request for information, we will contact the client/participant to let them know about the request. Where appropriate, we will ask for consent to disclose the information that has been requested.

At Lynwood Charlton Centre, we are committed to meeting the highest standards regarding maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of your information. Ways in which we work to maintain this are:

• Only asking you for information that will help us provide the best service possible;

• Always asking for consent prior to sharing any information (exceptions noted below);

• Ensuring staff members, consultants, and contractors are signing Lynwood Charlton Centre’s Oath of Confidentiality;

• Ensuring up-to-date policies and practices about how we collect, store, and destroy your information, including:

  • Multi-factor authentication, passwords, firewalls, and safeguards in place for electronic files

  • Careful storage (double locked) and restricted access to paper files

  • Ensuring that if your privacy is breached (stolen, lost, shared, or accessed by an unauthorized person), we will notify you at the first reasonable opportunity

Consent may be withdrawn, withheld, or limited by youth and/or families during service and this will not prevent the continued offer of treatment. The decision to withhold consent may impact the service that we can provide.

Information collected is only used for assessment, treatment planning, and service provision. It is shared with clinical and administrative staff at Lynwood Charlton Centre involved in your care, and whoever you have consented to share information with.  Information will also be disclosed, where necessary, in the following circumstances:

• Where it is required by law (i.e.: subpoena);

• In circumstances of imminent risk, including identified harm to self or others which may trigger a Violent Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA) Protocol;

• In cases where clients are at risk of being physically, sexually, and/or emotionally harmed or there is an imminent danger to self, others, or property, Lynwood Charlton Centre has a legal obligation to break confidentiality;

• Lynwood Charlton Centre staff, students, and volunteers are required by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act to report to the appropriate authorities any instance of a child or youth who is in need of protection;

• **Adults with developmental diagnosis;

• Reporting instances of suspected animal cruelty or neglect;

• Ministry personnel (program funder and licenser, and for instances of Serious Occurrence reporting – see further details below);

• Accreditation Site Review Team (ensures we are meeting high service standards);

• Lead Agency (Lynwood Charlton Centre) for system planning;

• For program evaluation and quality improvement purposes.

If you have any concerns regarding privacy or a breach of privacy/confidentiality, please contact your primary worker, Program Manager or email us at info@lynwoodcharlton.ca

Destroying A Client Record

Clients requesting the destruction of their client file must wait until their 28th birthday (as per Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services guidelines) at which point they can request, in writing, that their file be destroyed.

Please email your request to us at: info@lynwoodcharlton.ca

You are welcome to communicate with staff, students, and volunteers at Lynwood Charlton Centre by email or text, as long as you understand the risks, limitations, conditions of use, and instructions for the use of electronic communication services.

Lynwood Charlton Centre staff cannot provide counselling via email/text, but we can schedule and cancel appointments and exchange generic information and resources. Emailing/texting with Lynwood Charlton Centre staff must respect professional guidelines within which the staff works. If staff have any concerns, they will speak with you directly.

If you decide to communicate with Lynwood Charlton Centre staff, students, and volunteers electronically, you are accepting all risks associated with the use of electronic communication.

Email/Text Conditions of Use

Please note that email and text messaging are not secure, so if you wish to use these communication methods with Lynwood Charlton Centre staff, students, and volunteers you must accept the following:

• Use of email/text to discuss sensitive information can increase the risk of such information being disclosed to third parties;

• Lynwood Charlton Centre staff, students, and volunteers will not use email or text to provide counselling or therapy services;

• Employers and online service providers may have a legal right to inspect and keep electronic communications that pass through their system;

• Electronic communications can introduce malware into a computer system, and potentially damage or disrupt the computer, network, or security settings;

• Email/text communications can be forwarded, intercepted, circulated, stored, or even changed without the knowledge of the sender or the recipient. Even after the sender and the recipient have deleted copies of emails and texts, backup copies may exist on a computer system;

• Electronic communications may be disclosed in accordance with a duty to report or a court order;

• Lynwood Charlton Centre staff, students, and volunteers cannot guarantee that all emails and text messages will be reviewed and responded to within any specific period of time;

• Email and text messaging should not be used for emergencies or time-sensitive matters;

• Clients, families, or caregivers shall not include Lynwood Charlton Centre staff, students, or volunteers on any email lists, group chats, or give the email address or phone number to anyone else. If this occurs, the client will be informed and electronic communication may be discontinued;

• To help protect your privacy, we recommend you password protect your email account, all devices used to access emails and texts, and keep your passwords secret.

Here at Lynwood Charlton Centre, we are committed to offering the best service possible.

Feedback

We believe that listening to concerns is a vital part of our commitment to accountability, learning, and continuous improvement. We welcome feedback from clients, families, community partners, and the public.

Online Feedback Form

Complaints

If you have an issue or concern about your service, please see our procedure for filing a complaint.

You also have a right to complain to the Information Privacy Commissioner if you think your rights have been violated.

Information and Privacy Commissioner
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Email: info@ipc.on.ca
Toronto Area: 416-326-3333
Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
Fax: 416-325-9195

Additionally, any client or member of the public may contact:

Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
483 Bay Street
10th floor, South Tower
Toronto, ON M5G 2C9

Toll-free (inside Ontario only): 1-800-263-1830
Outside Ontario: 416-586-3300
TTY (teletypewriter): 1-866-411-4211

Lynwood Charlton Centre collects information and tracks user patterns anonymously on its website by using a browser feature called a “cookie”, which is able to identify your browser—but not you—to our computers.

This information is used solely to enable us to provide you with a useful online experience and to find ways to improve our site.

Although cookies are widely used, it may be possible to disable cookies via the browser settings on your computer. However, doing so may affect the functioning of some websites.

We cannot use cookies by themselves to disclose the individual identity of any site user, and we never combine information gathered by a cookie with personally identifiable information like your name, telephone number, or even your e-mail address, without your consent.