We are dedicated

Individual Pursuits was founded in 1993 by a group of dedicated Individuals with a goal to operate a highly individualized day program for adults with a developmental disability. We have now grown to serve twelve Individuals in both our specialized day program and one highly individualized group home.

Individual Pursuits Program Ltd. is a privately owned and operated organization that is dedicated to supporting adults with developmental disabilities.  This support is offered through two programs:

  1. A specialized, Individual-centered, day program.

  2. A residential support program, Rosco group home.

Our programs differ from many other similar programs in a few key ways:

  1. Individual Pursuits typically serves individuals who may not fit well into other organizations’ service models.  Many of the persons we serve have come to us as a result of previous placement breakdown.  We serve many persons with serious functional and behavioural challenges through a one-to-one staffing model with a focus on communication as the key to positive change.  We have been very successful with this service delivery model and are continually examining ways to improve the service received by the Individuals we serve.

  2. We believe a sense of comfort and familiarization is a key aspect of opening constructive communication.  We have many years of experience in determining the appropriate staff-ratio for each of the Individuals we serve, balancing the need for consistency to foster strong, positive relationships vs. staff turnover and ‘burnout’.  To achieve this balance, we have a unique client-based seniority system, which results in small teams of support workers for each client.  A typical team would consist of a key-worker (team lead), a back-up key-worker and 2 - 3 front-line community service workers that receive full training with the individual served.  The team members are introduced gradually over a time period appropriate to the comfort and needs of the individual served and their stakeholders.  See the Staff Qualifications and Training section for more information.

  3. Our Individualized Service Delivery Model allows us to tailor programs to the specific needs and goals of the individual we serve, in alignment with the stakeholders’ expectations.  Our service delivery model incorporates a team-based approach, involving all stakeholders.

Our Values

Throughout all of our practices, we are guided by a set of values.  These values define the nature of the way we service the Individuals in our care as well as the way we interact with each other, the community, and all of our stakeholders.

Human Rights

All Individuals share the same basic human rights and freedoms.

Dignity and Respect

All Individuals deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. At Individual Pursuits, we adhere to this philosophy when interacting with the individuals we serve, our staff, members of the community in which we live and all other stakeholders.

Freedom of Choice

In conjunction with their rights and freedoms, all Individuals will be supported to make informed choices about their life. At Individual Pursuits, we support individual choice by involving the Individuals we serve in the design of their own individualized program plan. We will help the Individuals we serve understand the information they need to make positive choices.

A Valued Place in Society

All Individuals benefit from a feeling of belonging in society. By providing programs that support Individual’s integration into the community where they live we foster individual advocacy, organizational advocacy and community awareness.

Opportunity to Develop and Grow

We recognize that supporting positive change in Individual’s lives will allow them to achieve personal growth. We adhere to this philosophy by designing individual program plans for the individuals we serve and providing ongoing training and development opportunities for our staff.

Individual Recognition

All Individuals have unique goals, strengths, abilities, needs and challenges. We recognize this by providing all the Individuals we serve with custom-tailored Individual service plans.

Stakeholder Involvement

We believe the best service we can offer to an Individual is one that is designed with input from all stakeholders: the Individual served, their friends, family, caregivers, and other professionals such as nurses, doctors, communication specialists and behavioural specialists as well as our staff. After the program is designed, we continue to work with all stakeholders to continually improve the service we offer.

Continuous Improvement

Positive change is achieved through continually evaluating what we do and seeking ways to improve. This is evidenced by many of our processes that are designed to be cyclical, with continuous quality improvement as a goal. Examples include outcomes management and individualized program planning.

Our History

Individual Pursuits was created in 1993 to provide a highly personalized recreational-based day program for five Individuals.  We accepted the challenge to find new and creative ways for Individuals to communicate their needs and achieve their goals.

In 1996, at the request of the both the Ministry of Children and Families and an Individual served, we created an extremely personalized residence known as Rosco group home.  This home currently uses a small group of staff to provide a one-to-one or sometimes two-to-one staff to client ratio to support the two Individuals living at the home.

The relatively small size of our organization has lead to a close-knit staff that currently serves 11 clients.  We are very proud to have helped so many individuals overcome the many challenges life can bring and look forward to continuing both accomplished programs.

For more information view our consumer handbook