CANADIAN ASSOCIATION FOR SPIRITUAL CARE SOUTHWEST ONTARIO REGION
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
“The Importance of Being Earnest: Re-Discovering the Values That Inform Our Practice”
Quality Inn, Woodstock, Ontario Friday, November 4, 2016
PERSON(s) ATTENDING: ______
______
Email Address:______
Care Setting:______
RECEIPT ISSUED TO: ______
SELECT ONE (include numbers if multiple registrations):
Early Bird Discount (If received by Friday October 21 ):
Early Bird Registration:_____ $40.00(includes buffet luncheon)
Early Bird Student: _____ $40.00(includes buffet luncheon)
Regular Registration:______$50.00 (includes buffet luncheon)
Regular Student Registration: _____ $50.00 (includes buffet luncheon)
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
Mail this registration form and cheque payable to CASCSWONT to the address below.
Claire Gosselin
c/o Hamilton Health Sciences,
Hamilton General Hospital,
Spiritual Care Dept., Residence, Level 1 Room 6
237 Barton Street East,
Hamilton, Ontario L8L 2X2
CASCSWONT 2016Annual General Meeting
Friday, November 4, 2016
Quality InnWoodstock
580 Bruin Blvd.Woodstock ON N4V 1E5 (519) 537-5585
AGENDA:
8:15: Advanced Consultation Session with Alida van Dijk
Sperling Church Supply Book Table – Tom Sperling (until the end of lunch)
8:30: Registration (CRPO receipt – 6 hours)
9:00: Welcome from Chris Baron, Chair
Morning Reflection with Florence Juma and GRH CPE Unit
9:30: Keynote Address with Rev. Dr. Kristine Lund
“The Importance of Being Earnest”: Re-Discovering the Values That Inform our Practice.
10:30: Morning Break
11:00: AGM Business:
- Professional Practice Committee – David Jones, Chair
- Regional Admitting Committee – Alida van Dijk, Chair
- Ethics Committee – Kristine Lund, Chair
- Treasurer – Claire Gosselin, Treasurer
- 2017 Budget – Claire Gosselin, Treasurer
- CASC ON – Chris Baron, Chair
- CASC Educators – Mike Chow
- CASC Conference 2015 Book - Tom O’Connor and Angela Schmidt
- Marketing Promotions & Advocacy – Lucinda Landau
12:15: Call for Nominations – Florence Juma
12:30: Lunch Break
1:30: Election
1:45: Keynote and Breakout Sessions led by Kristine Lund
2:45: Evaluation
3:00: Keynote Wrap Up
Passing of the Chair from Chris Baron to Florence Juma
Announcement: Networking Day: June 7, 2017 at Loyola House
3:15: Adjournment
CASCSWONT 2015 AGM DRAFT MINUTES
Quality Inn, Woodstock
October 30, 2015 - 10:00 a.m.
- Opening
The meeting was called to order by Chris Baron, Chair of the CASCSWONT executive.
- Acceptance of the Agenda
An update on regional advocacy developments was added to the agenda.
David Jones moved that the agenda be accepted as amended.
Ciaran McKenna seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- Acceptance of the Minutes from 2014 CASCSWONT AGM
Bob Bond moved the minutes from the 2014 CASCSWONT AGM be accepted as circulated.
Janet Young seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- Reports
- Professional Practice Chair’s Report
The Profession Practice Chair report was circulated prior to the meeting.
Discussion:
- Changes have been made to the peer review process, and members were encouraged to provide feedback on this new process to the Professional Practice Chair
- The National Marketing, Advocacy and Promotion Committee provided a report at the Pickering meetings
◦If appropriate, a member from the CASCSWONT region will be appointed to this committee by this regions executive
- A Scope of Practice document was circulated to all CASC members, and members were reminded that feedback related to this document is to be sent by the end of November to the Professional Practice Chair
◦Of note, terminology within this document reflect current nomenclature of CASC, and will be updated should nomenclature changes occur in the future
- Peer Review Update:
◦Thanks were extended to those who participated in peer review processes this year
◦To date, all but one individual has been assigned a peer review consultant
David Jones moved the acceptance of the Professional Practice Chair report as circulated.
Alida van Dijk seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- Regional Admitting Chair’s Report
The Regional Admitting Chair report was circulated prior to the meeting.
Discussion:
- In addition to those listed in the report, Cambridge Memorial Hospital (April 29/15-July 9/15), Grey Bruce Health Services – Owen Sound (September 2014-March 2015), and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (September 2014-April 2015) have also completed CPE units this year.
- In addition to those listed in the report, McMaster Divinity College is also currently offering an extended PCE unit (September 2015-April 2016)
- In addition to those listed in the report, Kelvin Mutter received certification as Associate Teaching Supervisor (PCE) on April 1, 2015
Alida van Dijk moved the acceptance of the Regional Admitting Chair report as amended.
Ciaran McKenna seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- Regional Ethics Chair’s Report
The Regional Ethics Chair’s report was circulated prior to the meeting.
Discussion:
- The National Ethics Committee is in process of changing its name to the National Ethics Commission to better reflect the work being done by this group of individuals
- Bob Tees is concluding his second term as Regional Ethics Chair at the conclusion of this meeting..
Bob Tees moved the acceptance of the Regional Ethics Chair report as circulated.
Mary Jackson seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer’s report was presented by Claire Gosselin
Account Balance: $36,190.93
Balance includes $2,213.15 for regional transfers
Balance includes $3,663.28 in Book Fund
Balance includes $20,998.43 from 2015 National Conference Profits
CASCSWONT balance $4,316.07
Two term investments in the amounts of:
$3,429.27
$5,557.53
14 Bursaries, each in the amount of $300, were distributed this spring
CASCSWONT has no outstanding debts
Discussion:
- A $5000 donation has been made by the Sisters of St. Joseph in memory of Sister Colleen Lashmar. These funds are to be administered at $1000 per year for the next five years.
- Tom O’Connor thanked the executive for rising to the challenge to distribute the book fund
Claire Gosselin moved the acceptance of the treasurer’s report as presented.
Lillian Curtis seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- 2015-2016 Budget
Claire Gosselin presented the proposed 2015-2016 budget
Claire Gosselin moved the acceptance of the proposed 2015-2016 budget as presented.
Lillian Porter seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
Bursaries were awarded to:
Trish Heidebrecht-Archibald
Mark DeVos
Kimberly Heinl
Jack VanderVeer
- Updates
- Bylaws Document
In light of the direction received from the CASC National Office and following the adoption of the new CASC Bylaws approved at the 2015 CASC National AGM, CASCSWONT was required to rewrite our Constitution and Bylaws document in the form of a single Bylaws document. This was an opportunity once again to reflect upon the content of our regional Bylaws and ensure they accurately reflect practice. A proposed CASCSWONT Bylaws document was circulated prior to the meeting. Significant changes proposed within the circulated document included: the shift to a single bylaws document in place of the constitution and bylaws documents; the addition of the Regional Ethics Chair as a member of the CASCSWONT executive; and the roles of other elected and appointed members (including the peer review coordinator and the CASC Ontario Council Representatives) are now outlined
Amendments included:
- Changing Article II 1.d. to read “Promoting Supervised Pastoral Education within the region according to the Education Standards of CASC/ACSS.
- Changing Article VI 4. To read “other members elected into regional duties, but not sitting on the executive committee, will include the Peer Review Coordinator and two CASC Ontario Council Representatives.”
- The hyphen is to be removed where ever Peer-Review appeared
Discussion:
- For future consideration, should a member from our region be appointed to a National Advocacy Committee, this may also be noted within the bylaws.
- The possibility of expanding the executive committee to include two members at large (one representing CPE and one representing PCE) was presented.
Heather Vanderstelt moved the acceptance of the CASCSWONT Bylaws document in place of the former CASCSWONT Constitution & Bylaws documents.
Alida van Dijk seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
Action:
The CASCSWONT Bylaws document will be forwarded to CASC National for approval.
- CASC ON Update
Ciaran McKenna provided an update from CASC Ontario Council:
- Referred members to the regional professional practice chair’s report to seem much of the work the council has been engaging in
- Advocacy is becoming an area of attention provincially within the council
- CASC ON hosted its first networking day on October 2, 2015, modeled after the CASCSWONT Spring Networking Day
- Ciaran will be stepping down from the position of Chair on the CASC Ontario Council
- CASC 2015 Conference Update
Donna Hollands-Hurst and Ciaran McKenna provided an update regarding the conference:
- The Hamilton conference was record setting in terms of number of attendees, amount of sponsorship funds raised, profit, etc.
- Hope were for the conference to be a “kinder, gentler conference” were lived out
- A total of $42,000.00 were received in sponsorship monies
- Thanks were extended to all those who participated on the planning committee and made the conference happen.
- Nominations
Nominations were accepted for the executive positions of Vice-Chair, Regional Ethics Chair, and Communications Officer.
Nominations were also accepted for Peer-review Coordinator.
Bob tees moved the closing of all nominations.
Ciaran McKenna seconded the motion.
Motion was passed.
- Elections
Florence Juma will serve as Vice-Chair, by acclamation.
Kristine Lund will serve as Regional Ethics Chair, by acclamation.
Lillian Curtis will serve as Communications Officer, by acclamation.
Tracey Hand-Breckenridge will serve as Peer-Review Coordinator with support of Deb Crispin, by acclamation.
Chris Baron extended thanks to each of the members stepping off the executive for their service.
- Meeting Adjourned
Deb Crispin moved that the business portion of the days meeting be adjourned.
Professional Practice Chair’s Report
October 2016
Overview
Several months prior to the passing of Bill C-14 by the Federal government in June, the focus of Professional Practice within the South West region shifted somewhat from acknowledging establishment of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, a provincial regulatory body which was proclaimed in April 2015, to that of Medical Assistance in Dying, given its potential implications for practitioners of Spiritual Care. Designed to protect the public from unscrupulous, unethical or untrained practitioners of psychotherapy as defined according to the Psychotherapy Act of 2007, the College remains something of an anomaly, in that it regulates such diverse professions as music therapy, art therapy and family therapy. Together with its emphasis on the provision of an intervention long-considered the domain of clinical psycho-logists or social workers, the question of whether to join continues to exist among some chaplains within the South West Region who remain uncertain (or unconvinced) as to whether they should seek entry into the College via the “grandparenting” route currently available. It is hoped that clarification regarding what constitutes psychotherapy, expected to be issued by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care by the end of 2016, will resolve this dilemma for the majority of chaplains as yet non-affiliated.
CASC Ontario Council continues to function as a collaborative body of the three CASC regions within Ontario for the purpose of discussing Ontario wide issues that regions on their own cannot engage in effectively. The Council is comprised of ten members including the Professional Practice Chair from each region. Its recently revised terms of reference and other pertinent information may be found on the CASC website. Although the Council link is listed among the various regions of CASC, it is not a region as such, but rather provides oversight and coordination as well as delegating responsibilities re: Ontario wide agenda, including the manner in which CASC relates to the provincial government, especially as this pertains to the CRPO. As a reflection if its role in this respect the Council facilitated provision of a province-wide Networking Day in November last year, the focus of which was on the CRPO, its mandate and the how the content of our training permits CASC members to join.
- What is occurring that upholds and encourages the implementation of CASC standards of practice for spiritual care, counseling and education?
Given the time-limited nature of the “grandparenting” route, all CASC members in Ontario are being encouraged to join the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario with the expectation and responsibility to identify and uphold association specific standards for training, certification and practice. This challenges CASC members to be conversant and clear about CASC standards for spiritual (pastoral) care, counselling and education and how these are consistent with the standards for entry into the CRPO. To this end, CASC Ontario Council in 2013 established a CASC Ontario Educational Standards Committee composed of a chair and several self-appointed clinical teaching supervisors, to compare and contrast educational standards of CASC and the CRPO, and to explore how CASC training programs might achieve “recognition” by the CRPO as an effective route in preparing individuals for membership. This committee (now known as the Faculty of Canadian Association of Spiritual Care Educators of Ontario) continues with its work, which is updated regularly on the CASC web-site under Regional Contacts / CASC Ontario – Supervisors. More recently, it has begin to contribute to the work of a National Educational Standards Committee, struck in 2015 after the National Conference, the purpose of which is to examine the educational and training needs for each region as these relate to the formation of spiritual care practitioners and counsellors.
- What is occurring that promotes and enhances the recruitment and retention of members and the development of the Association and the profession?
The Ontario South West Region meets twice yearly for the purposes of continuing education, information sharing, mutual support and relevant business. At our AGM in October last year, several new members were elected to the Regional Executive, who brought with them new perspectives, energy and creativity. During our annual Networking Day in June, we focused on the passing of Bill C-14 and its potential implications for practitioners of Spiritual Care. The day began with a clinical ethicist detailing the background and content of the legislation, followed by an afternoon presentation by the past president of CASC. The day was well-attended, generated considerable discussion, and indicated the extent to which members wish to understand how the legislation might affect their practice. Via our Communications Officer (formerly known as our Recording Secretary) the Executive emails a communique periodically which fosters support and connection among members by sharing recent news, initiatives and innovations, as well as acknowledging the work and research of specific individuals.
- What activities have occurred with employers, faith groups and government for the advocacy of the practice of spiritual care, counseling and education?
A description of advocacy for spiritual care, counselling and education in relation to the establishment of the CRPO is provided in the opening paragraphs above and in section 5 below. The emphasis is on ensuring the provincial government is aware of the sustained interest within CASC for College affiliation and the concomitant need for spiritual care and counselling to be understood as equally important as other disciplines in the provision of healthcare.
The Ontario Alliance of Mental Health Practitioners has put together a directory of professions represented within the OAMHP of which CASC/ACSS is one. The purpose of the directory is to assist people seeking the help of a registered psychotherapist to differentiate the kinds of services offered and choose one most appropriate. Published in late 2015 on their website, the directory includes a description of spiritual care and counselling as a distinct modality, and how to access a person providing this service.
- What has been accomplished to support and ensure professional affiliation, continuing education and research by members of CASC/ACSS?
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary continues to function as a significant centre for research in the South West Region. It also offers a Master of Arts program in Theology for students interested in pursing a career in spiritual care or counselling, and who intend to apply for entry into the CRPO subsequent to graduation. At our AGM scheduled for early November this year, a continuing educational component will be offered that examines how our understanding and provision of spiritual care is contingent upon awareness of the values that inform our practice. The keynote speaker for the day will be professor Dr. Kristine Lund, known to many members throughout the South West Region for her teaching in the area of professional ethics. In the afternoon opportunity will be provided for people to identify their own values and how these influence the manner in which they provide spiritual care or counselling.
Given that some of our members are struggling with the issue of Medical Assistance in Dying, the focus at our Networking Day in early June was “Entering a New World: Exploring the Territory of Physician Assisted Dying”. Feedback received afterwards indicated the offering was successful in clarifying the issue for many and provided a venue for those opposed to Medical Assistance in Dying to articulate their position. After the keynote address by our speaker in the morning, there was opportunity to hear our past president describe the position adopted by CASC in this regard, followed by large group deliberation on the topic.
5. Have there been new collaborations with other Associations?
Significant collaboration continues to occur through our connection with the Ontario Alliance of Mental Health Practitioners. CASC Ontario is one of ten member associations that comprise part of this advocacy group along with five associate member groups. Our CASC Ontario representative for present continues to be Bob Bond who functions as their chair of advocacy and, in addition to this, overall chair of the Alliance. The mandate of the organization is to engage the CRPO by way of lobbying its governing Council and the provincial Ministry of Health and Long Term Care regarding issues of College oversight.