By Samantha Maciag

Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region says Circle Project wasn’t keeping up contract obligation

Apr 28, 2011 | 7:38 AM

The Circle Project says it's shocked and frustrated that they're funding was cut, but the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region says the agency was adequately warned that their KidsFirst funding could be dropped.

Heidi Fisher-Phillips is the program manager for KidsFirst Regina with RQHR. She says the decision was a difficult one but the agency wasn't meeting the obligations of their service contract for a number of years.

“This is not a cost-cutting venture in any way. We will be moving those resources to another agency in this community,” she said.

She says the problem was that Circle Project didn't keep up part of their contract for a number of years. There were a number of discussions between the health region and the provider about those issues but Fisher-Philips wouldn't elaborate on them, calling those details “private.”

She insists that the 30-some families affected will not be abandoned.

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“We have a transition plan in place for the families, we offered to assist with movement of staff from the agency, so we are confident that families will continue to receive service and be taken care of,” Fisher-Phillips said, adding that the programming will be ready by Friday.

The families will be split among four other Regina agencies that offer KidsFirst programming — Aboriginal Family Service Centre, Regina Early Learning Centre, Rainbow Youth Centre and the Regina Open Door Society.

KidsFirst is dedicated to helping vulnerable families with a focus on early childhood development in their own home. Many of the people who use the service live in the North Central and Core areas of the city.

The Circle Project found out their funding would be terminated for KidsFirst as of April 30 in a letter on April 13.

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