There are inherent safety risks involved in the very nature of child protection work. Therefore, we strive to maintain a continual focus on the individual health and safety of staff, clients, foster families and volunteers. Here are a number of measures we've taken to improve safety:

 

Crisis Prevention Training for Staff

Keeping children safe requires us to ensure workers are safe so they can deliver services. In our ongoing efforts to ensure worker safety, the Society has supported Crisis Prevention Training for all staff. All staff are participating in a full day of training on how to be prepared for crisis situations. This training is being delivered by our own workers who have been trained in the program at the Crisis Prevention Institute.

 

Emergency Readiness

The Society, through the Joint Health and Safety Committee, has reviewed and updated our emergency code procedures. This is part of a comprehensive plan to address a recent

amendment to the Occupational Health and Safety Act, which requires workplaces to assess and reduce risks of violence. Training on the emergency code system is being delivered to all staff.

 

Working Towards a Healthy Workplace

In support of our efforts to achieve the National Quality Institute Level I, Quality and Healthy Workplace a Healthy Workplace committee has been formed.

 

Susan Redhead, Manager of Human Resources

Tania Nanni, Access Coordinator

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan Conrad

Director of Accountability & Management Services

From the beginning, Hugh wasted no time engaging staff, foster parents and volunteers about how we could work together to provide high quality, client-focused service.  

 

Anyone that was working at that Society at the time will remember a constant mantra from Hugh: "This is a March not a Ballet." We immediately began to understand that Hugh was a leader with a big vision and he was not keen on letting the grass grow under his feet while waiting for changes to occur.

 

Since Hugh has joined the Society, he has lead us through many changes. In his role as the Executive Director, we have grown in size and increased our provincial impact.

 

Relationships with our foster parents and volunteers are very important in Hugh's vision for excellent service for children and he has actively promoted the development of partnership relationships. Hugh is also passionate about seeking permanent families for children, and he has been a great supporter of innovative and child-focused approaches that fully engage our local partners.

 

Hugh believes in a common touch and anyone who has had the chance to drop by his office or to meet him throughout his work day will know that he does not require a plush office or the latest fashion to demonstrate that he is a man at the helm of the organization. His unique style has endeared him to many of our families and community partners who respond well to his welcoming approach and interest in their stories.  

 

He is always developing new ideas to make our work better and he does not let old patterns or traditional ways of doing things limit his imagination.

 

Hugh has made extensive efforts to work with our First Nations communities and he has encouraged and nurtured our long-term relationships with Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations. The importance of a child's heritage is of utmost importance, and he has challenged us all to respect these ties and to reach out in meaningful ways to embrace children and families' cultural traditions.

 

Hugh enjoys telling his own stories about his sons who are very important to him and a source of great pride. He can be seen from time to time running out the door or riding his bike out of the parking lot at great speed, trying to get home on time for a date with his wife, Carolyn.

 

We wish Hugh great success in his retirement and know he will be able to fully enjoy his other great passion; sailing the waters with few limits on how far he can travel. Good luck and may the wind always lift your sails!  

Joan Conrad

Director of Accountability & Management Services

 

To this end, KHCAS is working with the YWCA, the John Howard Society and the Community Counseling Resource Centre to develop and offer training to better understand and intervene in partner violence.   

Lori Stanley

Director of Services

The participation of two dozen participants marks a significant rise in demand for Parent Resources for Information, Development and Education (PRIDE), a pre-service training program for potential foster and adoptive families.

 

PRIDE training focuses on six key competencies:

• Protecting and nurturing children
• Meeting children's developmental needs and addressing developmental delays
• Supporting relationships between children and their families
• Connecting children to safe, nurturing relationships intended to last a lifetime
• Participating as a member of a professional team and
• Reinforcing a child's heritage and cultural identity

Increased outreach via regional media and local events has played a part in the greater interest, says Tania Nanni, Access Coordinator.

Anyone interested in learning more about opportunities to foster, adopt or volunteer with children in the care of the Society can call 705.743.9751 or email Tania Nanni.  

Tania Nanni

Coordinator of Volunteer Services