Agency Profile

Nature of the Agency/Organization:

1. General description of your
agency (include size, description
of service…):
IDM Youth Services provides a
therapeutic group home for youth in
the care of the Ministry of Children
and Family Development. IDM is a
private agency that currently has 9
homes, and is constantly gaining
employees. As IDM’s website
perfectly states, they give exceptional
care by “using a hybrid of strength
based, trauma informed, therapeutic,
and restorative philosophies, IDM
staff support residents in various
domains- inclusive of behavioural
adaptation, health and hygiene,
recreation, social scaffolding, life
skills adaptation, legal support,
education, job and trades training and
much more.”
(http://idmyouthservices.ca/index.php)

2. General age of clients:

The general age of youth in the care
of IDM rages from 9-19. Currently the
youngest child in care is 9 years old,
and there is youth aging out around
the ages of 18-19.

3. How does the agency or

organization refer to those being
served: as clients, patients, youth,
or something other?
Most employees refer to those being
serves as youth.

4. Number of clients:
In IDM house, where I am currently
working, there is 4 youth.

5. Description of the
“average” client:
Obviously, every youth that comes
into care is different. However, the
“average” youth that comes into the
care of IDM has some kind of
behavioural and emotional
problems. Most of them have
experienced major trauma and
abuse in their lifetime, which causes
individualized responses from the
youth.

6. Does your placement

agency or organization have
emergency plans? Where are
these located?
Yes, all the houses have binders
labeled “emergencies” that have
specific instructions for staff to follow
in any emergency that may arise.
There is also policy binders that
have instructions for staff if there is
ever any policy questions or issues.

7. What reporting methods

are used by the agency? Can you
find the method for incident
reporting? Is there other reporting
that you will be expected to do
(such as updating a record of
medicine given)
IDM reports almost everything that
occurs in the house. There is daily
reports on each youth, weekly
reports on each youth, and incident
reports whenever needed. The
incident report is just the usual
paperwork explaining the incident
and if there was any damage to
people or property. As a practicum
student, I am not allowed to deal
with the medication that is to be
given to the youth, however, I may
write daily reports on the youth.

8. Are there rules and

regulations such as a dress code
at your organization or agency?
Why are these in place?
The dress code for staff is pretty
normal for most professional
agencies. There is the usual rules
such as:
-Shirts must cover chest up to
collarbones
-Skirts and dresses have to be past
fingertips, etc.
The dress code for the boys in my
house is very simple as well. When
they are in the common area they
always have to be wearing bottoms
and a top of some kind.
9. Is there a policy manual? If
yes, does the manual outline the
professional ethics expected of
employees?
Yes, there is a policy binder in every
house and they all outline the
agencies professional ethics for their
employees.

10. Does the agency or

organization keep confidentiality
or privacy guidelines?
Yes, IDM has very strict
confidentiality and privacy guidelines
in order to keep the youth and the
staff safe at all times.

11. If there are no written

codes of ethics or confidentiality
guidelines in place in your
practicum setting, where will you
find the ethics that will guide your
practice there?
There is code of ethics set in place
for the Child and Youth Care
professional working in British
Columbia. This is called the
CYCABC. As a Child and Youth
Care Practitioner, it is important to
always abide by the code of ethics
set out for any professional working
in the field.
Set Two

1. Is there a mission
statement? If yes, do you see CYC
perspectives and values (think
back to CYC100) reflected in the
mission?
“IDM Youth Services is a private
agency, fully funded by the Ministry
of Children and Family
Development. The overall goal of
IDM Youth Services is to support the
young person so that they may
increase social, mental, physical,
emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
We commit to standing by our clients
to enable, foster, and support their
growth through personal
empowerment. We strongly believe
that providing our clients with a
stable home and consistent
caregivers is an essential aspect of
why our service delivery has such
success.”
(http://idmyouthservices.ca/about-
us/mission-statement/)
The mission statement is very much
CYC based in values and
perspectives. They are striving to
stand alongside their clients and
support their personal needs in a
very therapeutic way, which is what
CYC practitioners do on a daily
basis. IDM also sees the value in
stability along with providing
consistent caregivers to youth,
which has been a very important
perspective seen by many CYC
professionals.

2. Is this organization
connected to a parent
organization? If so, which one?
As far as I am aware, IDM is not
connected to a parent organization.

3. Where does the

organization or agency receive its
funding from? Who governs the
organization or agency? Is it not-
for-profit, or is there a Board of
Directors, or is it a government
agency, or is the governance
composed of some combination
of these?
IDM is funded by the Ministry of
Children and Family Development.
IDM is a private agency which was
started by Todd Mcdonald and is
currently still run by him. The house
that I am working in is licensed by
the Vancouver Island Health
Authority, so it is the only house that
has to abide by certain regulations
under them. Because we are also
funded by the Ministry of Children
and Family Development, there is
certain regulations that the houses
must be careful to follow in cause of
any legal issues that may arise.

4. What licensing /
accreditation / legislation does
the organization operate under?
My specific house is the only one
licensed under the Vancouver Island
Health Authority at this time, and
has to operate under their
regulations.
The houses are accredited by
CARF.
The houses are receiving youth from
the Ministry of Children and Family
Development, and have to abide by
regulations under them as well.

5. Where is the organization

or agency located within the
larger CYC/social service
community? What
interrelationships are there with
this organization or agency and
others?
IDM is not affiliated with other social
service agencies, they are only
affiliated with:
-CARF
-VIHA
-Ministry of Children and Family
Development

6. What are some of the

traditions or history of the
organization or agency?
The history of this agency is largely
focused on Todd McDonald’s past
as a youth in the care of the
Ministry. He had a terrible
experience living in foster homes
and group home until his father (Ian
Dennis McDonald) contacted him
wanting to repair the relationship. As
Todd grew up he eventually pursued
his passion of working with youth in
crisis. After years of working in other
agencies, Todd moved to Vancouver
Island and started his first IDM home
in 2010. Since that time the agency
has changed and expanded rapidly!
It has been a huge success since
2010, and now has 9 houses on the
island.
Nature of the staff team:
The staff at IDM Youth Services are very committed to the youth in their care.
They seem to provide a very positive living environment for the youth, as well
as a positive work environment for their fellow co-workers. Communication
and self-care seem to be very important to the staff team at IDM. They stress
the importance of always being aware of your mental state in order to give
the best possible care to the youth. If a staff member is not having the best
day or need a break, they will let the other staff member on shift know, and
then focus on household tasks instead of working directly with the youth. The
team members are very good at switching up their roles when needed so that
they do not become mentally or physically exhausted. They seem to have a
very good sense of self, and communicate when needed with their other
team members. I find the nature of their team a very positive and healthy
one.
 SET
ONE

1. How many employees are there?

I was told that there was over 100 employees

currently, however, those numbers are
constantly changing.

2. What are the job titles or basic

roles and responsibilities of the people
who work there?
-Director
-Assistant to the Director
-General Manager
-Assistant General Manager
-Administrative Manager
-Facilities Manager
-Team Leaders
-Staff
Team leaders and staff working directly in
the house roles include running the
household (making supper, doing laundry,
cleaning, etc), taking youth to
school/appointments, doing recreational
activities with youth, and supporting the
youth in many different ways. The roles of
these staff are what I was educated on.

3. Where does the leadership in

this organization come from? If you
perceive there is no leadership present
in the organization or agency, where
will you go to get it?
The team leaders/managers of all the
specific houses are the ones who provide
leadership in those homes, and the director
(Todd McDonald) is the one who leads
everyone in the agency. If there was no
leadership in the agency, I would turn to a
trusted professor that I use to study under.
She often has very valuable advice that
would help me become a leader in the
house myself, and/or possibly report the
lack of leadership to the correct person or
agency.

4. What is the team structure? Is

the team organized hierarchically, or in
another fashion? Is there an
organization chart?
The agency is organized in hierarchical
system. Although it is ranked by authority,
all staff are treated very equally and there
does not seem to be any bitterness from
the system they have in place.

SET TWO

1. Are professional qualifications for

employment required for some of these
roles? (are some of the caregivers
required to be certified ECE instructors,
or licensed psychologists, for example?)
What is the range of professional
credentials represented in the
organization or agency? (For example, an
organization could have employees with a
BSW, or BA in CYC, or MEd, or another
with a Business.Administration degree.)
What professional values will those roles
bring to the organization?
Applicable credentials:
1. Clean criminal record check
2. A vehicle and a class 5 BC Drivers
License with Driver's Abstract
3. Valid first aid and Foodsafe
certification (or willing to get this
within 3 months upon hire)
4. Non-Violent Crisis Intervention
Training via Mandt System (or willing
to get this within 3 months upon hire -
internal training available)
Preferential experience includes
applicants who have:
-Experience working with at-risk youth
and/or people who have experienced
trauma, exhibit extreme behavior,
have cognitive delays, mental health
diagnosis, etc.
-Experience administering and
documenting daily medication
-Experience working with suicide
prevention and self-harm behavior
-Completed (or are in the process of
completing) a degree or diploma in an
applicable field (education,
psychology, child and youth care,
counselling, etc.)

2. What is the starting wage?

$202/ 24 hr; $125/half overnight; $17/ hr

3. Do the people working in your
organization or agency function
collaboratively or independently?
The staff members of IDM are very
collaborative in their practice. Although there
is 9 separate houses, all staff members are
always trying to communicate through emails
and other means. All houses have a sister
house (which is the house closest to them in
distance), and those two houses work closely
with each other. On top of that, staff are able
to pick up shifts in any IDM house, so
everyone is able to work together often. It is
very much a team environment, and
everyone works together to get the necessary
tasks done.

4. Given what you have seen so far,

what are some of the beliefs and values
that guide the practice of the team in
your organization or agency?)
One of IDM’s beliefs is to not incorporate
punitive punishment into their practice.
Instead of punishing the youth if there is bad
behaviour, they focus on figuring out what
caused that behaviour and working with the
youth to deal with the deeper problem. They
are there to provide a supportive and loving
environment for the youth, not one that is
based around punishment.