Download Annual Report June 2014 “By encouraging healthy patterns of living

Annual Report
June 2014
“By encouraging healthy patterns of living, Pacific Centre Family Services enhances and
promotes the quality and dignity of life of individuals and families within our diverse
community.”
Encouraging possibilities
Introduction
“[My counsellor] was / is very compassionate. A great listener and was able to help me work
through a very painful situation. Really liked her. Felt very comfortable being raw and
vulnerable. An excellent counsellor!”
“I'm still a work in progress, but I really look forward to my appointments with [my counsellor].
She is helping me tremendously.”
PCFSA is at the heart of our community and we serve families with our professional programs
across the lifespan and across a range of issues. Now in our 46th year we continue to consolidate
and also enhance our programming. The level of need in our community continues to grow and
we respond with investing in our portfolio of programs to bring needed resources and added
value across our service continuum. This year we have invested in our community counselling
program as well as Skookum Café youth program. We have created a new position of a full time
duty worker that supports all programs and enables our programs to increase service capacity and
reduce time between referral and allocation of a counsellor. We were also successful in being
allocated the Better at Home contract to build programming for seniors in West Shore to live
longer and with dignity at home. This report is available to all stakeholders and summarises
outputs and outcomes for our programs.
PCFSA is an award-winning organisation, delivering high quality, good value services. PCFSA
received the West Shore Chamber Award for Non Profit Organisation in 2013 and 2008 and the
Victoria Foundation Award of Excellence for Community Social Service in 2012.
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Environmental Context
Again the Canada Census report (2011, reported February 2012) highlights the rapid growth in
the communities we serve. Compared to a national average of 5.9% population growth, our
communities include 30.1% for Langford, 17.9% for Sooke and 9.6% for Colwood. So it is not
surprising that we continue to experience significant pressure on our community services, which
have not increased in capacity. The projections are that this growth trend will continue. The
West Shore and Sooke regions are two areas in the Capital Regional District whose population
growth continues with a forecasted 92% increase by 2026, throughout the Western Communities
(Colwood, Langford, View Royal, Highlands, Metchosin and Sooke). “While the CRD would
expect to grow by 31 percent, the West Shore is projected to grow by 88 percent, as 57,000 new
residents move into the area by 2038. This pattern of growth would see the West Shore increase
its share of regional population from 18 percent in 2008 to 26 percent by 2038” (Urban & City,
2009). “Youth represent 18% of the WestShore population, and if these trends continue,
WestShore Youth population will be about 20,000 in 2026. Youth between the ages of 15-19
will account for 46% of the WestShore population by 2026” (Elliott Urban Planning, 2012).
Key issues facing young people in the West Shore communities include:

A reduction in provision of services for youth in West Shore communities over the past
several years;

Limited community resources or healthy options for disadvantaged youth;

Barriers to opportunities due to transit issues, including safety issues;

Childhood exposure to domestic violence;

Sexual exploitation, and associated violence, drug use and abuse;

Substance abuse and misuse, and a higher than the provincial average prevalence of
marijuana and alcohol use among youth (McCreary Centre Society, 2009);

Unstable housing/shelter (Elliott Urban Planning, 2012).
These data reinforce the perspective that there is a need for building community-based child,
youth and family service capacity in West Shore. It will be essential to respond to increasing and
projected levels of demand, already evident, while current service levels consistently operate at
maximum capacity. We will highlight how PCFSA has developed programming over the past
year to respond to these patterns and demands. Nevertheless, due to the continued reduction in
services relative to population and community need, we continue to face demands for more
service, responding to more complex needs and requiring longer intervention.
Governance
Our Board of Directors is highly functional and we benefit from their diversity and expertise.
Our community and organisation are served exceptionally well by this group of generous
volunteers. Our Board has been at optimal capacity with 12 members who actively and
respectfully engage in Board meetings and Committees. We are also fortunate to have several
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members of community participate in our Committees. This year we created a new ad hoc
committee to move forward our strategic objectives related to future space needs.
Strategy
As with previous years we have been successful in completing our strategic goals while also
being adaptive to new opportunities, maintaining high operational standards and fulfilling
ambitious development plans.
We have significantly addressed our space needs both through a collaborative opportunity as
well as pro-actively pursuing long term solutions.
PCFSA continues to reinforce its position as an agency of choice for donors, partners, students,
staff as well as service participants.
We continue to routinely and regularly complete reviews of key strategic components, such as,
our communications and resource development plan, our IT and database systems, our diversity
plan, our Occupational Health and Safety committee, our risk management plan, volunteer plan,
youth engagement plan, our Business and Operations plan, succession plans and our funders’ and
stakeholders table.
Program and community developments
PCFSA continues to demonstrate its commitment to community developments and collaborative
activities. PCFSA continues to chair the West Shore Family Strategy Committee, and continues
to work with colleagues to enhance our collaborative approach to serving families. We also chair
the Advisory Board for the University of Victoria Centre for Youth and Society. We continue to
chair the Sooke Cooperative Association of Service Agencies, with the intention of seeing
through the process to the new structure in partnership with Sooke Region Community Health
Initiative. We continue to attend the regional Violence Against Women In relationships
committee. We continue to chair the South Island Training Initiative and as a result in
partnership with the other Society members we held a successful two-day conference in
November 2013. In partnership with Mary Manning Centre we hosted a day and a half
conference for administrative support staff working in our sector, which was very successful.
PCFSA was a beneficiary of the Victoria Golf Club charity gala in July 2013, Links to Change.
This was a highly successful event and we look forward to working in partnership with Victoria
Women’s Transition House as well as the Golf Club. We continue to be a member of the
GoodLife Fitness Marathon Charity Pledge Program.
Quality Assurance
We prepared our services for our CARF accreditation survey in February 2012. This was our
fourth survey and we were successful in achieving the full three years accreditation. The
reviewers were very complimentary of our services.
“Staff members are spirited, motivated, and youth and family centred. They all have the needs of
persons served at the forefront of the services they provide.
Persons served are treated with dignity and respect. They know their goals and rights.
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Persons served are appreciative of the services they are provided through Pacific Centre Family
Services Association. They spoke highly of the staff and expressed their deep gratitude for the
dramatic, positive impact the organization has made in their lives.
Consistently across the youth programs, families and persons served reported they feel
respected, welcomed, and cared for. “ (CARF survey report, 2012).
We continue to identify quality improvements for programs through analysis of the performance
of each program in our quarterly reports. We review targets for performance regularly and have
identified specific action plans as a result. For example, there are improvements that need to be
made to our database to capture the data we require for our reporting. We are also exploring an
alternative database provider to improve our reporting on outcomes. We will receive our next
CARF survey in the early months of 2015.
We reviewed our structure again in January 2014 and replaced the Executive Co-ordinator
position with another program manager. We held a very successful and effective management
retreat in February 2014 and have successfully transitioned to a potent, clinical, supportive and
innovative team. We have implemented enhanced supervisory systems and are actively building
a coaching culture. The Board of PCFSA supported the ED to enrol in the Executive Coaching
course at Royal Roads University thus building these skills within the organisation and offering
learning of advanced tools. As a result we will have the expertise to explore the implementation
of feedback systems that are independent of performance management. As with previous years
we have had very low staff turnover, most activity of staff changes has been due to: staff moving
into developmental opportunities, seasonal employment in REACH, maternity leaves and
internal promotion.
Training and professional development
We held our regular SITI training conference in November of 2013. The keynote speakers Dr
Neufeld and Kim Barthel were very well received. All of PCFSA’s clinical staff attended and
selected workshops through the two days to enhance their professional skillset. In addition
several staff attended a neural and brain development conference in Vancouver. A couple of
staff undertook some motivational interviewing training and a youth counsellor attended the
ASIST suicide prevention two-day session. Our admin staff attended a support staff conference
of a day and a half, which we planned with another organisation. The provincial Ending
Violence Association hosted some training in Vancouver, which relevant PCFSA staff attended.
In 2013 – 14 one of our SAIP therapists attended 6 days of training in Somatic approaches to
relational trauma. The other therapist attended a 5-day conference on neurobiological
implications for working with trauma and both therapists attended the South Island Training
Initiative two-day professional training conference where Dr. Gordon Neufeld was a keynote
speaker.
PCFSA has continued to invest in clinical supervision for all counselling staff provided by an
external registered clinical psychologist.
In April 2013 daycare staff members attended the one-day ‘Making Tomorrow’ Conference,
offered by the cooperative pre-school Association. In October 2013 Layla Cochrane offered staff
members a half day training in ‘Baby Sign’, designed specifically for the REACH daycare.
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Finance
The volume of financial processing has never been so high within PCFSA as it is now. With our
new programs, increased range of revenues and cash flow through our social enterprises the
demands on our finance department have escalated exponentially. We have continued to review
detailed and accurate reports on a monthly basis and made adjustments in a timely way through
the year as the operations and financial balance vary through the year. We experienced some
unexpected costs as well as received some unsolicited donations. The comprehensive annual
financial report will be presented at our AGM.
Program Highlights
Annual reports are prepared for all programs. In this report we will present a summary across our
programs. We are noticing a significant increase in complexity of need among individuals and
families referred, this is also resulting in a trend of requiring longer service provision and
therefore a reduction in numbers of individuals able to access service. This is largely due to the
lack of increase in services (and closures of others) for our booming population in West Shore.
The majority of our services are free, with the affordable counselling and men’s safer families
counselling being fee-based. The funding sources and support for each program is different and
more details are available on request. While many of our programs target West Shore and Sooke
communities (our locations are based in West Shore and Sooke) we serve families and
individuals across Greater Victoria. There are different proportions of residents in each program.
The ranges for example are:
Langford 38% - 50%
Colwood 18% - 37%
Victoria 11% - 15%
Sooke 8% - 15% - 23%
More details are available to the public and stakeholders on request and throughout the year.
Sexual Abuse Intervention Program (SAIP)
The Sexual Abuse Intervention Program (SAIP) at PCFSA is a community-based program
providing specialized assessment and treatment services to children and adolescents up to age 19,
including those with global disabilities, who have been sexually abused, and to children under 12
with sexual behaviour problems. The child/youth participates fully in service planning and goal
setting. Parent(s) are involved in goal setting and transition planning to a level appropriate to the
child / youth’s age and ability. The neuro-sequential model of therapy, as developed by Bruce
Perry (Perry & Hambrick, 2008), has significantly informed service delivery in recent years.
Services are delivered utilising a range of modalities including verbal counselling, psychoeducation, somatically informed approaches, play therapy and art therapy.
SAIP provided service to a total of 61 children and youth, in the period from April 1, 2013 –
March 31, 2014 with 33 being new referrals and 31 individuals discharged. Participants by
gender remain similar, 69% female this reporting period, compared to 67% during the 2012 – 13
reporting period.
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As with all our counselling programs goals are identified with the individuals.
In the SAIP program the trends are summarised in the table below:
Goal Types
Number of
Goals
16
17 %
To build ego strength and develop healthy coping skills
12
12 %
Improved emotional regulation (Anger/Anxiety, etc.)
12
12 %
Improved family relationships
12
12 %
9
9%
Improved ability to make safe choices
7
7%
To increase knowledge of personal safety issues
6
6%
To develop more socially appropriate behaviours
4
4%
Improved communication skills
4
4%
To connect emotion, thought and behaviour
4
4%
Movement along the stages of change
4
4%
Improved social skills
2
2%
Improved Safety
2
2%
Builds relationships with others
1
1%
Increase coping skills
1
1%
Assessment
To increase ability to self-regulate
Percentage
Regional Youth Gang Prevention Program - Crime Reduction and Education Program
(CRED)
The CRED program was established by Pacific Centre Family Services Association (PCFSA) in
August 2012 with funding from the BC Ministry of Justice. The overall goal of the program is to
prevent youth involvement in gang activity in the Capital Regional District (CRD) by providing
targeted intervention and support to youth at high risk of gang involvement, youth displaying
gang-related behaviours, and youth who are gang-entrenched. Core strategies of the program
include: one-on-one support plans and assessment; providing information, resources and prosocial opportunities and choices for youth participants, including a boys’ group; providing
support, resources and information to families and communities; coordinating and collaborating
with other youth-serving agencies and actors in the community; and engaging in ongoing
information-gathering through online media, walking the streets, and networking.
During this one year reporting period, the CRED program has engaged 29 youth (27 males and 2
females) aged 9-21 who were actively engaged in gangs, exhibiting gang-related behaviour or
demonstrating risk of gang-involvement. An additional 4 male youth are currently in the referral
process.
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The youth who were served by the program were distributed throughout the capital region as
highlighted below, with a small percentage served who relocated to the lower mainland as part of
their gang exiting plan.
# of Individuals by Municipality
Percentage
Langford
27 %
Victoria
18 %
Colwood
14 %
Saanich
14 %
Burnaby
5%
Highlands
5%
Saanich/Peninsula
5%
Sooke
5%
Surrey
5%
View Royal
5%
Total
100 %
The self-reported ethnicity of program participants are as charted below.
# of Individuals by Ethnicity
Percentage
Canada
55 %
Aboriginal Canadian
18 %
Metis
5%
Not Specified
5%
Mexico
5%
Jamaica
5%
African Canadian
5%
Japan
5%
An additional 4 male youth are currently in the referral process. In addition to gang involvement,
CRED youth participants have had a range of police contacts and involvements with the justice
system, including: Robbery; Obstruction; Assault with a deadly weapon; Break and entry;
Assault causing bodily harm; Mischief; Possession; Robbery with a deadly weapon; Extortion;
Shoplifting; Trafficking; Uttering threats; Breaches of parole.
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During this reporting period, 5 cases (3 males and 2 females) have been successfully closed. All
3 of the males were leaders or high-ranking gang members who successfully exited their gangs
as a direct result of their participation in the program. The average length of time in the program
by those who successfully exited is 10 and a-half months.
In collaboration with PCFSA’s Youth Services Program, the CRED program offered a drop in
boys group for youth who are attending Pacific Secondary School. The group provides a space
for vulnerable boys to come together, learn and talk about a range of issues related to risk and
safety, and engage in pro-social activities. The group continued to have a steady attendance by 714 boys, with 7 “regular” attendees.
Community Outreach Prevention and Education (COPE)
PCFSA’s COPE program is funded by West Shore municipalities (in particular Langford and
Colwood) and has the following three overall aims:
1. To provide individual and group counselling to youth, who are living in the Westshore,
and their families.
2. To offer outreach services to youth in the community.
3. To refer youth to other services, as appropriate to their needs.
COPE Youth and Family Counsellors conduct the following services, within the above mandate:
o Supportive counselling for youth (individual and group);
o Community outreach and education;
o Work with families, offering support, information, and facilitating healthy
conflict;
o Referrals and liaison with other community services and programs;
o Service coordination and collaboration with other involved professionals, such as
schools, social workers, and other youth workers;
o Youthtalk email counselling (reported separately below); and
o Advocacy.
These services are critical for youth and their families in West Shore.
PCFSA served 70 youth individually and invested independent funds and other donations into
this program to improve well-being among this population. During this period, 61% of the youth
served were girls, with 39% being boys. This is typical of the ratio we have observed in the past,
with slightly more boys being seen than the last reporting period.
Our counsellors are noticing that the level of need is increasing and youth are requiring longer
service to address these. In addition we continue to support and offer the Youthtalk email
counselling service.
Youthtalk – youth email counselling
The Youthtalk email counseling program is growing as we continue to promote our agency and
this unique service. In addition to the 70 youth we served face to face, we responded to 561 from
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188 individual youth. This is a 350% increase from the same reporting period last year where
161 individual emails were responded to through this service. On average, 3-4 emails are
exchanged with each individual youth using this service, with some engaging in many more
exchanges with contact sometimes continuing for several months.
Common issues were bullying, sexual concerns, sexual identity, cutting, addiction, relationships,
conflict with parents, depression, anxiety, self-esteem and suicidal ideation. These individuals
were mostly youth, but included the occasional parent looking for support and resources for
youth in their care. Youth are referred, as appropriate, to other services such as community based
counselling, Child and Youth Mental Health, and emergency services.
It has been noted that the complexity of issues reported has increased with a growing number
youth dealing with trauma and significant mental health concerns. Many of the youth who are
engaged with this service have expressed suicidal ideation or plans. It appears that some youth
have an easier time expressing their issues through this media, as opposed to face to face,
indicating the high need to continue and perhaps expand upon this service.
West Shore Community Prevention and Youth Services
PCFSA holds the MCFD contract for community prevention and youth services for West Shore.
We sub-contract with Sooke Family Resource Society to deliver the early years services.
During this reporting period we used the following strategies and interventions to deliver our
services across the West Shore and from the West Shore Child, Youth and Family Centre:
▪ 1:1, group and family counselling
▪ coaching and family mediation
▪ crisis support
▪ outreach connection and engagement
▪ practical life skills development including safety planning referral and navigation to more
intensive or longer term support including child and youth mental health or drug and
alcohol treatment
▪ Support and education for parents
Through this MCFD contract, PCFSA served 70 youth this 12 month period, through individual
and/or group programming. Fifty-six of those youth receiving face to face service were new
referrals into the program and 30 youth were discharged. This is a comparable with the previous
12 month period, which is still a 32 percent decrease from 2 years ago, indicating the continued
level of complexity of referred cases, including significant mental health concerns,
homelessness, and suicidal behaviours, which require longer ongoing support.
The following chart indicates the average length of time that individuals spent in the program,
again reflecting the higher number of complex cases, involving significant mental health and
suicidality, we are seeing and thus ethically requiring longer involvement. This 12 month period,
61% of individuals were in the program for longer than 3 months. This is comparable to the same
time period last year.
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Time in Programs
Percentage
0-30 days
1%
31-90 days
27 %
91-120 days
12 %
120-365 days
51 %
365+ days
8%
Our counsellors develop goals with youth in the program, which are summarised by type below.
Goal Types
Percentage
Improved emotional regulation (Anger/Anxiety, etc.)
27 %
To increase ability to self-regulate
19 %
Improved family relationships
15 %
To build ego strength and develop healthy coping skills
9%
Improved social skills
6%
Assessment
6%
Improved ability to make safe choices
5%
Improved communication skills
4%
Improved Safety
2%
Actively participates in program activities
2%
Increase coping skills
2%
To develop more socially appropriate behaviours
1%
Girls Group
In collaboration with our Community Outreach Prevention and Education (COPE) Program, we
provided group counselling to 28 girls both through a drop in format and through a 12 week
closed group for 12-14 year old girls, focussing on self esteem, bullying, anger management, and
other issues. These groups remain very popular and attendance ranges from 6 - 16 girls attending
at any given time.
Boys Group
Our YST, in collaboration with our Crime Reduction and Education (CRED) program, offered a
drop in boys group for youth who are attending Pacific Secondary School. Thirteen boys have
been referred with 10 actually attending the group. Topics discussed in the group include
empathy, emotion management, identity, and choices.
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Parenting Group
This reporting period, PCFSA offered 2 separate Connect Parent Groups to 20 parents struggling
with issues related to parenting adolescent children. Connect is an attachment based 10 week
program to support parents of pre-teens and teens who struggle with issues that make it difficult
for them to do well at home, at school and in their community. Parents meet with two trained
group leaders for a one hour session each week. Each session provides parents with new
information about parent-teen relationships and adolescent development. The Connect Parent
Group takes a different approach than other parent group formats by encouraging parents and
caregivers to understand the attachment needs of their child to strengthen and support a healthy
relationship.
The SFRS early years program offered referral, mentoring, intervention and groups. Attending
the services were 188 families, with many others receiving information and responses to
inquiries.
REACH daycare
The vision of the REACH program is to assist young parents, particularly young mothers, to
personally develop and to complete their education by providing support and day care for babies
and toddlers aged 0 to 36 months. MCFD subsidizes the program and the contract requires that 9
of the 12 places be allocated to children of young, vulnerable parents while 3 places may be
allocated to community parents.
The objectives of the REACH program are:

To provide quality, inclusive childcare for infants and toddlers.

To provide resources and information about parenting and life skills development.

To provide advocacy to parents working within a variety of systems.

To encourage parents to pursue healthy lifestyles by making healthy choices.

To offer opportunities for parents to connect with other parents and form supportive
relationships.

To assist parents with parenting through modeling and mentoring.
Since taking over the REACH contract, PCFSA has invested in increased publicity and
partnering with other agencies in order to enhance access by the target population.
During the 12 month period ending in March 2014 a total of 15 children were enrolled in the
program. Two children exited in April/May 2013, and four more in June 2013. When the
program re-opened in September 2013, the registration was four children, increasing to six in
November 2013 and seven in January 2013.
We completed a review of the business model for REACH and the potential for a day care in the
new Neighbourhood learning centre at Belmont. WE concluded a viable model based upon
affordable operational overheads in the new space and the ongoing subsidy from MCFD.
Stopping the violence against women
Similarly to the previous annual reporting period this 12 month reporting period, the STV
program served 58 women through individual counselling. Women from across the region access
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this service, while the majority are from West Shore the target population. Seventy-nine percent
of the women self-identified as Canadian and three percent as Aboriginal Canadian, with the
remainder spanning a wide variety of nationalities, including European, South American,
Iranian, Jamaican and Russian.
Women’s Collaborative Drop-In Group
PCFSA continues to offer the only drop-in regional women’s group in Greater Victoria. This is
funded through our Safer Families program as well as STV program. We served over 60 women
through the course of the year with 22 new referrals. This service provides a more immediate
support for women who are not yet allocated a counsellor and offers an alternative method of
service for those who prefer group settings. Women who have graduated the counselling service
are also able to benefit from ongoing support through this group.
Safer Families Program
The Safer Families program delivers service across the CRD (and beyond depending on
contracts) with adult men (aged 19 years and above), outside of the criminal justice system, to
address their violent behaviours within intimate relationships. To enhance our assessments and
increase safety we also provide services for female partners. Women’s services aim to increase
safety through education on the dynamics of abuse and support for healthy choices. Women are
contacted as part of their partners’ assessment and may receive ongoing intervention. We deliver
individual and group interventions. Globally domestic violence is predominantly male violence
against women and this trend is reflected in referrals to our service. However, our counsellor is
also skilled to respond to women using violence and working with same sex partners.
The program enables men to understand the nature of domestic violence, to take responsibility
for their actions and about alternatives to abusive behaviour. This service is only available
through the funding from the United Way of Greater Victoria along with a contract from MCFD.
Men are expected to pay a fee towards the service.
PCFSA counsellors work from a trauma informed framework (Navijits, 2002), recognizing past
traumas as influencing current behaviour, while still maintaining accountability as primary in our
work with men. The men served are expected to take responsibility for their behaviour and,
through the Safer Families Program, participants learn tools for building healthy relationships.
The Safer Families Program served 84 individuals this 12 month period, including 36 female
partners, who received services beyond an assessment, as part of the accountable model of
intervention. Sixty-three of these were new referrals and 17 were exited from the program.
This is a regional program serving families across Greater Victoria.
# of Individuals by Municipality
# of Individuals
Percentage
Saanich/Peninsula
11
21 %
Victoria
8
15 %
Colwood
7
13 %
Esquimalt
7
13 %
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Langford
7
13 %
Metchosin
5
10 %
Sidney
2
4%
Oak Bay
1
2%
Individual outcomes are measured in each case through an accountable and intensive proven
model. This involves a comprehensive assessment as well as ongoing contact with the female
partner. Information related to levels of risk is shared, as appropriate, with other professionals,
particularly where there are potential risks to children and women.
Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD)
The AOD program’s goal is to improve the health and functioning of individuals affected by
alcohol and drug use in the community, thereby enhancing well-being and public health and
reducing the impact on the health service. Commonly used terms such as “addiction” or
“substance use problems” are actually multi-dimensional, comprised of substance use
(frequency, quantity and variability), substance abuse (essentially negative consequences of use),
and substance dependence (Hasin et al., 2006; Rehm, 2008). It is also understood that heavy
substance use, abuse and/or dependence frequently co-occur with mental health problems,
physical illness and a range of psychosocial needs.
The AOD program served 186 individuals this reporting period. Of those individuals served, 126
were new to the agency and 12 were for our Seeking Safety Group. Referrals are received from
across the community with the majority being self-referrals.
Referral Source
Percentage
Self
64%
MCFD
23%
Probation
7%
Community Agency
4%
Physician
2%
Total
100 %
The mixed gender balance across PCFSA counselling staff continues to be highly valued, and
enables PCFSA to provide service participants a choice of counsellor according to gender.
During this period 55% of the participants were female, with 45% being male. This is consistent
with trends we typically see in the program.
During this reporting period, we have continued to see an increase in the complexity of
presenting issues. Thirty-three percent of the individuals served during this 12 month period
reported a diagnosed concurrent physical or mental health disorder. Many more individuals
suspected a mental health concern, though did not have a diagnosis. As there is no dedicated
community based mental health resource in the West Shore (the USTAT – urgent Short Term
Assessment and Treatment program was terminated December 2010), it has been noted that
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PCFSA’s AOD program receives many referrals from individuals with significant mental health
needs. These individuals often require intensive intervention that requires longer support. Since
the USTAT program was closed the number of incidents RCMP respond to where there is a
mental health concern has increased by 50%.
Seeking Safety
The AOD program offered 1 Seeking Safety groups during this 12 month period in Sooke. The
response has continued to be positive, with 12 participants being served. The group was adapted
from Lisa Najavits (2001), addressing substance abuse and trauma concurrently. The AOD
program is working collaboratively with other PCFSA programs to provide co-facilitation of the
group.
Community Counselling
Referrals are made to the Community Counselling program by multiple sources, including
Worklink Employment Services, physicians, MCFD social workers, probation officers,
employers, concerned family members, or by the individuals themselves. Initial requests for
service are responded to within 3 - 5 business days by our Clinical Coordinator. In this process,
an initial screening and assessment takes place over the telephone to assist with prioritization.
The Community Counselling Program provided counselling service to 230 individuals this 12
month period, as compared with 98 during the last reporting period. One hundred and seventyfive were new intakes, compared with 82 during the previous year. This growth is, in part, due to
the effective partnership and substantial increase in referrals from Worklink Employment
Services, as well as increased publicity and awareness of this valuable service. This service is
available across Capital Regional District, with access in the past year represented in the table
below.
# of Individuals by Municipality
Percentage
Langford
38 %
Colwood
18 %
Victoria
11 %
Metchosin
9%
Sooke
8%
Saanich/Peninsula
7%
Unknown
4%
Highlands
2%
View Royal
2%
Beecher Bay
1%
Esquimalt
1%
Shawnigan Lake
1%
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Total
100 %
Quality improvement planning
All quarterly reports include quality improvement plans. In addition we prepare a regular review
of our table of performance indicators. We create an annual quality improvement plan in our
business operational plan. Some headline plans include: creating the position of a dedicated
intake worker and consideration of transitioning to a new database both will enhance efficiency
and effectiveness. Our new reception location and the provision of a full time intake worker are
enhancing our accessibility to services.
Satisfaction:
We have received positive feedback from a range of individuals through the past year. We
continually seek feedback from the individuals served through written surveys and are
continually assessing other ways to obtain participant feedback. Feedback is invaluable in
assessing our services and making positive improvements to the quality of care.
“[My counsellor] was / is very compassionate. A great listener and was able to help me work
through a very painful situation. Really liked her. Felt very comfortable being raw and
vulnerable. An excellent counsellor!”
“[My counsellor] has helped me see why I choose people in my life that are not suitable for me
and guided me through moving through it. I am feeling stronger and have clarity to make better
choices and create better relationships”
A man who received counselling in the safer families program took the time to write to PCFSA
to emphasise how much difference the service had made to his life.
“It is sad to say, but I never had a clue of how to live in a relationship respectfully before you
made me take responsibility for my actions in order to end the cycle of violence.
My passage in your clinic was an important event in my existence and one that is going to have
changed drastically my interactions with my loved one, permanently and for the better. I used to
live constantly at the edge of a precipice, ever wondering if my actions would make me an
unsafe person to stay close to and to love, worrying that I might at any time threaten or endanger
the person I cared the most for. I can now hope to make things better with my present partner
and endeavour to offer her the best side of myself: I know she deserves nothing less.
Thank for the change you allowed me to bring into my life” (edited).
Feedback was received from participants during the last day of the groups and all reported that it
was greatly helpful overall. Some comments that were received are as follows:
“Awesome! Very helpful helping me understand or unscramble my thoughts, feelings and
actions”
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“Thank you – A life changing experience”
Critical Incidents
Through 2013 there were a few minor critical incidents. We called 911 for one staff member due
to illness, another staff member had to attend a medical clinic for an injury and another staff
member displayed signs of allergy to an ingredient used in cooking. In each and every case
preventative action was taken and there were no lasting effects. We also had to have the van’s
rear window replaced due to an accident off-site. The worker was fine and the damage was
accidental and circumstantial.
Diversity
We routinely record the ethnic origin for individuals we serve. This information is used in
individual service planning and for us to strategically monitor accessibility of our services.
Approximately 10% of people we serve identify not as white Canadian. The % and range of
diversity varies across PCFSA’s programs.
As an organisation actively committed to promoting diversity we held a workshop to explore its
meaning to us individually and as an organisation. We concluded that our intention is to
promote inclusivity and we will take action steps and share ideas to achieve this. We arranged
for a training session to be facilitated by a local elder but unfortunately due to unforeseen
circumstances that was not completed in this past year.
Volunteers
We are very grateful for our volunteers who support PCFSA and the community in a range of
ways. Our volunteers are not only our Board of Directors, they are also responsible for example,
for the functioning of our Cobs free bread program, supporting our development of the SITI
conference, supporting our preparation for the Victoria Golf Club charity events and running the
community based Moms and Mentors program.
Friends and support
Thanks to our supportive funders:
* Ministry for Children and Family Development
* Vancouver Island Health Authority
* Ministry for Housing and Social Development
* Ministry for Public Safety and Solicitor General
* Ministry of Justice
* United Way of Greater Victoria
* The City of Langford
* The City of Colwood
* The District of Highlands
* The District of Metchosin
* Victoria Foundation
* The Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island
*Telus
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*The Brick
*The Victoria Foundation
* The Victoria Golf Club
* Island Savings Credit Union
* Decoda
* The CRD Family Court Youth Justice Committee
*Each and every individual donor, volunteer and member of PCFSA
Respectfully submitted,
Mitzi Dean
Executive Director, June 2014
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