The Residential Program at The Darling Home for Kids has been operating since 2007, providing long term care to children with significant medical complexities.  With per diem funding through Complex Special Needs (MCCSS), Children’s Aid Societies, and other funding sources, children from across the province have benefited from long term residential placement at The Darling Home for Kids.

Eligibility

To access our residential program children must require ongoing nursing interventions and monitoring on a frequent basis for survival.  Medical care requirements include but are not limited to tracheostomy care, administration of gastrostomy or jejunostomy tube feeds, ostomy care, mechanical ventilation and complex seizure management. 

With a focus on paediatric care, children in our program are between infancy and age 18, and they must transition out of the program within their 18th year. 

Given the fragility of our population, children cannot demonstrate aggressive or self-injurious behaviours which pose a risk to themselves and/or other children in care, or that which requires significant behavioural support.

Staffing

The residential program is supported by a registered practical nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  In addition to nursing care, personal support workers provide care to our residential clients by assisting them with activities of daily living and personal care.   The program is overseen by a Director of Clinical Services (registered nurse), Client Care Coordinators (registered nurses) with support from a Medical Director (physician).  This specially trained team of healthcare providers are able to provide comprehensive care for children who are medically fragile and depend on technology for daily living.  

Licensing

The Darling Home for Kids is licensed annually by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services as a group home.  Operating as a Transfer Payment Agency, funding is received for out-of-home respite.  In addition, The Darling Home for Kids receives funding from the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care to provide hospice palliative care.

Our Home

The Home is located in rural Milton on the 15th Side Road and provides a homelike environment with a large family room and gathering area, kitchen, multi-purpose room, hydrotherapy room, Snoezelen room and 7 bedrooms that can accommodate 16 children for overnight care.   Nestled on 77 acres of woodland, the Home provides a tranquil and peaceful setting for our children and their families.

About The Darling Home for Kids

The Darling Home for Kids provides care and support to children through three core programs.  We offer a six-bed respite program for children who are medically fragile and/or technology dependent, a two-bed hospice program that includes respite and end-of-life support for children who have a life limiting or life-threatening illness, and a four-bed long term residential program.   Since opening its doors in 2004, The Darling Home for Kids has been a vital resource for families across the province and is recognized as a centre of excellence for paediatric care in the community.