Community Care Services

Choice in Supports for Independent Living (CSIL)

Choice in Supports for Independent Living (CSIL) is an alternative for eligible home support clients. CSIL was developed to give British Columbians with daily personal care needs more flexibility in managing their home support services.

CSIL is a "self-managed model of care". Clients receive funds directly for the purchase of home support services. They assume full responsibility for the management, co-ordination and financial accountability of their services, including recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling and supervising home support workers.

Who is Eligible for CSIL?

Eligible clients:

• require daily personal assistance;
• have the ability to direct all aspects of their care or have a client support group to do so; and
• have demonstrated the ability to manage care services.

Getting Help Managing CSIL Services

Seniors and people with disabilities who are unable, or not always able, to direct their own care can obtain CSIL funding through the formation of a client support group.

What is a Client Support Group?

A client support group consists of five people who have registered as a non-profit society for the purpose of managing support services on behalf of a CSIL client. Family members, friends, neighbors, an advocate, family physician or others may be members of the client support group.

The client support group takes on all the responsibilities of an employer. CSIL funds go directly to the group to purchase home support services on behalf of their client.

Choice in Supports for Independent Living Program Review: Synthesis Report

The British Columbia Ministry of Health Services (HSERV) initiated a review of the Choice in Supports for Independent Living program in 2006, in conjunction with a review of the Payment to Family Members Policy, which was amended in July 2007. The CSIL review was initiated to ensure the program is responsive to client needs and to confirm that policy and operational frameworks remain relevant.

In September 2007, HSERV retained a consultant to write a CSIL synthesis report based on the Ministry’s review of CSIL, as well as two other reviews undertaken by Vancouver Island Health Authority and the British Columbia Paraplegic Association (BCPA). At the same time, the Ministry established a CSIL Redesign Working Group made up of Ministry staff, the consultant, health authority representatives, and three CSIL consumers. The three CSIL consumers include a BCPA representative, an advocate from a home support action group and an individual who cared for her mother through a Client Support Group. Since October 2007, the CSIL Working Group has provided ongoing input to the report. 

Based upon the findings in the synthesis report, HSERV continues to work closely with the health authority and CSIL representatives to address action areas and to implement some changes brought forward by the report.

Payment to Family Members

CSIL clients have greater flexibility in their care options and may pay family members, except immediate family members (i.e. parent, child, or spouse), as care givers in accordance with Policy 8.H, Payment to Family Members. Health authorities may grant an exception for an immediate family member to be paid to provide care for a client if the criteria set out in Policy 8.H are met. Information is available through the local health authority.

See Policy 8.H, Payment to Family Members (PDF 27Kb) for more detail.

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