PROVINCIAL ASSOCIATION OF RESIDENTIAL AND COMMUNITY AGENCIES (PARCA)
Board of Directors Meeting
1:00 PM – 5:00 PMMAY 17, 2010
Abbotsford Coast Hotel
Minutes
- Present: Paul Barnett (chair), Gord Irving, Darryl Goll, Tim Veresh, George Curran
Inder Madok, Wendy Richardson, Bob Ens andShelley Cookand Marla Chandler-Soanes
Regrets:Tim Agg,Shawn Bayes, Yvonne Rigsby-Jones, Dave Johnson,Dawn Hrycun and Dave Trepanier
Call To Order 1:05 pm
- Adoption of Agenda
- Minutes of last meeting
Moved by George, Seconded by Bob and carried.
- Financial Report
No questions
Discussion of the Pressing of Conference
Moved by Wendy, Seconded by Shelley and carried.
- Membership Report
Missing ARC and CampTrapping
.
- B C Halfway
Discussion on Funding Formula to be reviewed by The Minister who is positive around addressing this.
This is a National Initiative.
BC Yukon asking for 100% increase in Funding.
Raised eyes of CSC
Treasury Board would not allow this increase.
93% - 94% to break even. Should be around 70%.
3% - 5% would be what they could cover for.
Other monies would have to come out of Operations.
Brian Lang is not retiring in the near future.
Funding increases will be looked at and released in November 2010.Discussion on Level 1 Offender and will look at Funding per Houses and not through Global Funding.
All Houses are at capacity.
Budget this year was 1.5% increase across the board.
Discussion on 2 for 1 and where it is at.
Discussion on placements of individuals in Homeless Shelters rather than being in Half-way Houses.
Osoyoos Indian Band close to opening up a 5 bed facility.
Inder talked about the differences between male and female populations.
Discussions on Swing Beds and the safety issues that are happening.
A great deal of these operations are Ma and Pa shops or dangerous individuals in Homeless Shelters.
CAWRO – Canadian Association of Woman Residential Organization. Shawn has established it as an off shoot of the Halfway House Association.
Looking at fostering women’s issues in the system and the overall challenges that they are faced with, by women in the system.
Gender specific issues and will look at youth also.
Discussion of the CSC Practice of putting male and female offenders in the same facilities.
Discussion on Homeless Shelters and the “ticking time bomb” that could possibly happen mixing the homeless population with offenders.
The Hostel Bed Counts are with specific agencies.
Discussion of how housing these offenders, increases overall operation dollars.
Discussion on the hidden homeless and the lack of representation of females in homeless counts.
CSSEA
Bargaining is continuing and are talking again.
No rolling over of Agreements.
BCCJA
Tim not available. No Report.
Co-op
-Dave Johnson not available for meeting. No Report.
B C Corrections
Acting Administrator Brent Merchant.
Continues to be triple bunking.
Very small budget increase of 0.5%.
No word on Federal Government proposal on new legislation.
Tension between inmates and guards is unbelievable and morale is at an all time low.
Will be interesting to see who they put into the Administration. Position.
Dave Johnson or Paul will ask if they can join us at next meeting.
Adult Forensics
Not much to report.
Possibility of a RFP going out for North Island Contract next year.
7.Regional Reports
Prince George
-Snow is gone as of last week.
-Camp Trapping Contract is fine.
-Darryl talked about September cuts and how they formed a committee to look at these cuts.
-The Ministry did not look at anything the Group came up with. Shredded it and did what they wanted.
-$900,000 cut from Residential. The remaining $1.6 from Non-residential.
-CampTrapping was passed by due to being a Provincial Resource.
-Intersect had Camp is over subscribed. Three session waitlist.
-Lots of data due to master students.
-Many more youth with prescription addictions being seen at camp.
-Discussions on how youth are coming up with these drugs.
-Rampant issues with youth exiting custody on greater amounts of medications.
-A discussion on IRCS Youth and their entitlements.
-Children in Care and learned behaviour that comes with them and more entitlement.
-Could be something to address in Residential Review.
-Discussion of how the Prosecutor has swung to a very closed door at Prince George Corrections.
-Corrections staff not happy about the Accreditation process and how it has affected the culture.
-Discussion of Contract review and Contract template.
South Vancouver Island
-Contract review process with MCFD will wrap in July.
-Mark Armitage will meet with Youth Justice Agencies.
-All Programs at high capacity.
-Severity rating has increased.
-Looking at how to deal with these Youth as it is putting a huge strain on the system.
-A great deal of Youth have been shipped into Victoria.
-A discussion on splitting Victoria region into smaller regions. Kids pass back and forth from all South Island communities.
-A discussion on Pension piece and how non-union Agencies are not involved in the process.
Okanagan
-JH C.O. managed to grow in a difficult time of cuts.
-Employment Training Programs have grown and are an excellent service.
-Energy Efficiency Program with power.
-Social Enterprise/Coffee Shop is close to opening very soon.
-Last Friday announcement of a 49 unit apartment in Rutland.
-A discussion on what JH would have done differently in building and operating Cardington House. Open since September 2008.
-Would have changed partnership with Health and contract only with them.
-The Model has changed where JH is now doing it all.
-Building is of award winning design.
Bob
Contract only with the Federal System.
Moving out of Kelowna House and relocating the facility.
In negotiation with CSC around changing the Model.
Some reaction from staff around the move to mobility issues and older population.
An architect drawing up plans for the facility.
Will not go to the rezoning process with the City.
George
ARC has been hit hard with the closing of 3 Group homes in Kelowna and Penticton
Other cuts to nonresidential Programs
Difficult on staff as have had to let go of some long term employees
North Vancouver Island
Small cuts only .4 of FTE for Sexually Intrusive Children.
Facing Residential Review for attendance
Looking at cutting $30,000.oo out of Forensics, PSCYC services must be included in the Contract.
Looking at potential Residential Resource in Port Hardy for MCFD,
Might look at including Courtenay and Campbell River.
Port Hard would be predominately 1st. Nations Youth, FASD of Effects.
Wendy has completed extensive research of Best Practice and provided a 15 page document on findings. This is so MCFD and JH are on the same page around philosophy and Practice/Model.
Looking at a camp model for staff and business in a staff team.
The youth who are from the community are in other facilities in the province at the moment.
Costing the Ministry significant $$$$. Wendy has priced it and the Ministry cannot afford what it is costing at the moment.
A discussion on why the Contract Review isn’t really happening on the NorthIsland.
#’s are the highest in years for FTAP
Some Programs cut with other Agencies and $$ going to Aboriginal Services.
CARF three year Accreditation.
Barnett House – 5 units for Youth.
Went through new contract writing tool and used JH Logic Model.
Vancouver
Chilliwack Amut program, no cuts.
Model upgraded having brought in Elders from Vancouver Island.
Lot of First Nations curriculum.
Elders have not been receiving Honorariums but have moved to gifts.
Some difficulty in retaining staff.
Co-ed facility. Six beds.
Rio hotel in Abbotsford has been purchased for housing. Will be for women and women with 1 -3 children.
A larger piece of property. Halfway house with high risk, extreme m/h and high needs woman
Excellent staff with high level of skills, doubled staff 24-7
Very interesting program and are seeing a lot of long-term supervision individuals.
This is a small community and most of the woman all know each other
The Youth Outreach in custody settings is doing very well. Lots of advocacy around providing groups for girls
Downtown community court is going excellent
E-fry has been lucky as they are very diversified with many funding sources
PLEA
Cuts of 10% across the Fraser region
Cuts of 6.42% in Vancouver Coastal
The Agency is growing and shrinking at the same time
-Lots of referrals from Yukon and Aboriginal Agency in Vancouver/Coastal due to them having very limited capacity, also some from regional 1st nations
-Discussion og adult services and medical fragile youth being another huge piece
-Discussion of restructuring in Fraser region
-YJ, lost curfew check monitoring- 2 FTE’s, checked 50 youth a night
-Lost % of FTE in ISSP and SEY
-Unionized caused issues around bumping & bumping up
-career path Program, dealing with gang members and getting them jobs and having a mentor on site. No school just straight into a position. Some excellent results with mentors taking leadership role with these youth
-Mixed race youth & referrals come from Gang PO’s
8.Old Business
-Paul distributes a Board Voice document
-Discussion of document is a great concept and looks like to be an excellent tool
-Cheers to the Fed for setting up “Board Voice”
HST
-Accountant at NIJH received a note & has taken it forward Agencies are obliged to collect 12% and then remit
-Ministry is telling them to bill back the whole 12% on whole contract
-Please check with Contract people and ask accountants what is happening.
Society Act Changes
-Carry over to next meeting
SS Roundtable
-Tim A, has been attending ongoing, Paul has attended one time.
-Tim Beachey & Doug Hayman are heading up
-Another good initiative
-Will again carry forward to the next meeting as Paul doesn’t have a lot to report.
Adjourned 4:55pm
10. Consultation
-Consultation with Alan Markwart, Senior executive Director MCFD and Jennifer Charlesworth, Federation of Community of SocialServices of BC
-Alan gave us all an overview of the residential redesign
-Looking at all residential services throughout the Province
-This will include all areas of Youth residential within MCFD (Residential, CYMH, YJ and CLBC)
-Discussion of CIHR, Kith and Kin, restricted Foster Care, Foster Care, Staffed Resources & Tertiary Care
-Series of consultation throughout the Province
-Partnership with the Fed in review process
-Along with targeted groups like PARCA
-Principal focus has been Foster Care and Staffed residential Care
-Timeline for focus groups is now unit, June, Interior in September
-Have the capacity for online access to the consultation and have had the opportunity to consult with 100 people so far.
-Results and captured material will be released in fall
-Leadership group will meet in Jan 2011 and then a 5 year plan will come of it.
-Discussion of the 5 year plan
-Report will be Public and will high profile
-Current economic climate will steer first 2 years
-Co-leads, both are committed in improving outcomes of young people, not a cost reduction exercise
- Separate conversations around Aboriginal Foster Care system
-Round table discussion with each Agency represented and the cuts that have occurred
-Discussion of Family Care beds $ Wrap around services and how it works far more effectively than the Level III
-Discussion of Wendy’s literature review
-Discussion of bridging to adult system, FASD, Justice related and the 18-20 year old range.
-Discussion of question; “The 1 thing you would change in a youth’s world to make things better”
-Round table on this question was excellent!
-Another great round table and special thanks to Al and Jennifer
Meeting adjourned 11:55
Next meeting in Kamloops October 6 & 7, 2010