The Family Advisory Council (FAC) is made up of parents or caregivers to Grandview Kids. These dedicated and passionate volunteers provide advice and guidance from a client and family perspective to improve the planning and delivery of programs and services at Grandview Kids and across the broader paediatric health system.
The FAC meets quarterly to discuss systems-level topics – problems that all Grandview Kids families may encounter. The group pulls from their lived experiences to provide recommendations to Grandview Kids, participating in the design and decision-making processes for governance, programming, quality improvement and strategic planning.
Advisors apply and are selected to participate on the Council for at least two years. In some cases, FAC members share their stories and solutions on committees external to Grandview Kids, offering opportunities for broader impact. This diverse group of individuals helps Grandview Kids understand what matters most to the clients and caregivers we serve.
2026-27 FAC members
- Megan Carter
- Tayler Colson-Cassidy
- Allison Doris
- Natricia Drummond
- Michael Kottis
- Sam Micieli
- Sabrina Pacheco
- Paul Sahota
- Tanya Salmon-Anglin
- Janitha Shanmugarajan
- Kristin Steger
- Christina Strilchuk
Previous FAC topics and highlights
Since the FAC was re-established in 2021, the group has discussed a broad range of topics, providing meaningful, impactful feedback to Grandview Kids.
Topics have included:
- How to embed the family voice across Grandview Kids
- Client and Caregiver Rights and Responsibilities
- FAC Terms of Reference
- Key transitions in the paediatric journey (school, adult care)
- Connecting Grandview Kids families into the community
- How to connect with all providers in a child’s circle of care
- Technical and digital resources
- Beginning the Grandview Kids journey
- How to shift from advocates to advisors
- Branding for the FAC
- Customer experience at Grandview Kids
- Family voice at the governance level
- Broadening the network of Grandview Kids partnerships
- Defining a “Centre of Excellence”
- Improving the client experience for families on the waitlist
Valuable insights from the FAC have been used by Grandview Kids to:
- Update the Client and Caregiver Bill of Rights and FAC Terms of Reference.
- Set priorities in the Powering Potential Strategic Plan.
- Inform the design of a new Client and Family Portal.
- Map School-Based Rehabilitation Services (SBRS) pathways and improve preschool to school transitions.
- Develop a new client and family welcome package.
- Establish a pilot project where Board members with lived experience observe FAC meetings to influence decisions at the governance level.
- Generate topics for the Gather newsletter.
- Identify accessible features to be included in Grandview Kids’ Ajax headquarters, the Jerry Coughlan Building.
- Participate in 6F training and workshops.
- Improve website searchability for blogs and other resources.
- Enhance access to Family Engagement offerings, right from intake and across geographies.
- Reflect on Caregiver Experience Survey results and provide recommendations.
For more information on the FAC, or to get involved, please email familyengagement@grandviewkids.ca.
