June 2017
HANRAHAN HERALD
“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.”
- A.A. Milne
Employee of the Month
As Directors of Hanrahan Youth Services, Brian Barron and Bob Hanrahan are very honoured to announce that the Employee of the Month for May 2017 is our Operations Manager, Erin Hurley.
Erin hails from Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and is a proud graduate of Cape Breton University with a Bachelor of Science degree where she Majored in Psychology.
She has been employed in an administrative role with Hanrahan Youth Services since 2008. Throughout this time, she has demonstrated a high degree of organizational ability, a commitment to excellence and she takes an enormous pride in the quality of her work. She is the face (and the voice) of HYS.
Erin has the respect and admiration of her colleagues here at HYS and also from the placing agencies with whom she liaises on a daily basis. Throughout her employment, we have received an abundance of glowing comments from Children's Aid Society workers, Ministry personnel, and placement teams about her responsiveness, professionalism and overall pleasant manner.
As Directors, we value her honesty and her integrity, but most importantly, her loyalty. She has a vested interest in ensuring that Hanrahan Youth Services’ level of care is of the highest quality. Erin cares deeply about all aspects of our agency, the residents that we service, HYS Staff and Foster Parents, and our overall reputation in the field of residential treatment services.
Erin resides in Milton with her husband Chad, and her 2 beautiful children, Braeden and Kieva (although her heart resides in Cape Breton). Congratulations Erin! We truly appreciate all your efforts and acknowledge that you are an integral part of our management team.
Budworth Children’s Residence
As many of you know, our Budworth children’s residence has been closed since mid-December for home improvements and restructuring. Renovations have been completed and the program is up and running once again.
Hanrahan Youth Services would like to thank Gamin Teague, Program Manager, and any staff who assisted in ensuring that everything was up to Ministry and HYS standards. A shout out to the maintenance team as well for all of your hard work!
World Environment Day – June 5
Canada is excited and honoured to host World Environment Day 2017, on June 5! World Environment Day reminds us to take action to conserve and protect our natural environment. This year, the theme is “Connecting People to Nature.”
Citizens everywhere are encouraged to discover their natural environment and to appreciate the benefits of clean air and water and healthy ecosystems.
Some ways to get involved are:
Visiting one of Canada’s national parks, national marine conservation areas, or national historic sites. As part of Canada 150 celebrations, admission is free in 2017.
Green your daily routine! Say no to plastic bags when you shop. Use cloth bags instead.
Conserve energy! Turn off the lights to brighten our environment.
Use rainwater for your indoor plants – they love it, and you’ll save water at the same time.
Don’t keep the water running while brushing your teeth. You will save as much as 11 litres every time!
('World Environment Day 2017')
First Day of Summer – Summer Solstice – June 21
Summer is finally here! It’s most people's favorite time of the year. School is out, the weather is warm and it's time to relax and recharge.
It is a fantastic time for families to reconnect and unplug together. Make an 'unplug pact' and see if you can all take a break from all electronics together at least once a day. Kids need to break away from the computer/electronics during the summer and to participate in other activities.
What will you do to celebrate the changing of seasons and longest day of the year?
Here are some ideas to get you started:
Write a Summertime Activity List Have each person write down activities they would like to do over the summer on index cards, draw one each day or every time they say "I'm bored!"
Spoon Up Some Ice Cream One of the quintessential summer symbols is ice cream. Make the first day of summer even better by stopping by your favorite ice cream place or setting up a make-your-own sundae bar for dessert.
Freshen Up Your Home Perhaps spring cleaning got away from you. Let the official change of seasons be your cue to freshen up the look of everyone’s room.
Have a Picnic Celebrate the first night of summer with a dinnertime picnic.
Play Ball Set a trend for an active summer and organize a softball game with family and friends.
Camp Out Kick off summer with a night under the stars. Go camping or hang out in your backyard. Do traditional fun camping things like grilling hot dogs and telling ghost stories.
Enjoy a Summer-themed Feast What's your favorite summertime treat? Maybe it's BBQ ribs, burgers, s'mores or fresh fruits and veggies. Combine them in a meal that's a toast to the season.
(‘11 Ways to Celebrate the First Day of Summer’)
Canadian Multiculturalism Day – June 27
Canadian Multiculturalism Day is an opportunity to celebrate our diversity and our commitment to democracy, equality and mutual respect and to appreciate the contributions of the various multicultural groups and communities to Canadian society.
This year, to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, Canadian Multiculturalism Day will be even more spectacular! There will be celebrations and festivities in many communities/cities. Live performances showcasing well-known artists from various Canadian cultural communities are on the program.
Take part in the celebrations and discover the wealth of the many cultures that bring our country to life.
For details on some of the events taking place, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/celebrate-canada-days/multiculturalism-day/activities.html.
You can also look up local events that may be taking place in your area.
(‘Canadian Multiculturalism Day - Celebrate Canada days 2017’)
Canada Day – 150 Years! - July 1
This is an opportunity to gather in our communities, from coast to coast to coast, and to proudly celebrate all we have in common. It is an opportunity to celebrate our achievements, which were born in the audacious vision and shared values of our ancestors, and which are voiced in nearly all of the languages of the world through the contribution of New Canadians.
Canada Day is a time to celebrate the heritage passed down to us through the works of our authors, poets, artists and performers. It is a time to rejoice in the discoveries of our scientific researchers, in the success of our entrepreneurs, and to commemorate our history – a history in which each new chapter reveals itself to be more touching, more fascinating than the last.
In this momentous year marking the 150th anniversary of Confederation, our Canada Day celebrations will be bigger than ever!
As we look ahead, we have every reason to show our pride in being Canadian and to face the future with confidence and enthusiasm.
Details on some events happening in Ontario can be found at:
Brampton
Chinguacousy Park in Brampton will have festivities taking place between 12pm – 10pm, including a concert and fireworks. For details visit:
and
Toronto
There are many events taking place around Toronto on different days to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday as well, including celebrations, commemorations, exhibitions, etc. For details visit:
(‘Canada Day - Celebrate Canada days 2017’)
(‘Brampton Celebrates Canada 150’)
(‘TO Canada With Love’)
Statement from the OACYC (Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care)
Taken directly from the OACYC website:
“Recent Deaths in Residential Care: Statement of The Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care
The Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care represents Child and Youth Care Practitioners across Ontario. Our members are educated professionals, committed to a code of ethics and providing quality Child and Youth Care services to young people and their families. The recent article in the news about the fire at a Kawartha Lakes Foster Home raises numerous concerns. Regulations in residential care facilities should be about safe environments that create the best possible circumstances to provide care to our provinces children. However, some of the recent situations have left us questioning the safety of some of these environments for young people and for Child and Youth Care staff. We want to be clear, before we move forward to raise concerns about the system, that we recognize the many professionals, service providers, program operators, ministry staff members and many others who work very hard with integrity and ethics to care for the children and youth of Ontario. We are not interested in blaming. We would like to raise concerns for discussion and collaboration, in the hopes that system changes will be identified to improve this situation for all and ensure the safety of our young people. Residential care is part of the large, complex, child welfare system. In the past group homes were operated by ‘workers’ serving the most at risk children in the system; while foster homes provided family based care to children with less risk and more stability. However, what is now being described in the media is a mixed modality home that has been developed outside of these norms: some residential facilities, serving the highest risk and most vulnerable youth in our province, are being operated in accordance with foster care standards and regulations while they are functioning as ‘staffed’ programs. Given the severity and complexity of the needs being presented by these vulnerable youth, within a high risk milieu, this shift in standards is highly concerning. The residential care being provided by the Ministry, regardless of the context, must be a safe place to live. From a Child and Youth Care perspective, sound crisis management planning or intervention involves knowledge of the strengths and needs of all of the young people, the resources available, and the relationships of those in the environment who will be providing supervision and support in these critical moments. Providing life space intervention requires a specialized skill set. Subsequently, those hired to work with young people in residential programs, should have pre-service qualifications in Child and Youth Care. Further, they should receive ongoing supervision and professional development opportunities that recognize this expertise. Remuneration of this standard of work must also be improved to ensure earnings are greater than a living wage. It is time to invest in this workforce and to regulate Child and Youth Care. These tragedies have made this discussion more urgent. Together we need to have open dialogue about how we are safeguarding children and youth in terms of: placement matching, staffing ratios, regulated pre-service qualifications, supervision models, crisis management, regulations and investigations, professional development, models of residential care and funding. It is time to examine our assumptions about the system and the young people who depend on it. We must discover and discuss what is truly happening and make a commitment to make changes for the safety of the most vulnerable and high risk young people in Ontario. This will take courage and solution focused minds. This will also require the financial investment to properly fund these programs. We can do better on all levels from Ministry, to service providers, and to front line CYC's. We cannot emphasize enough the need for safeguards for all children and youth in Ontario. They are our young people and we need to do better now. The Ontario Association for Child and Youth Care joins the Ontario Provincial Advocate's office and the OACAS in support of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation’s (NAN), urgent request that the Office of the Chief Coroner call a discretionary inquest into the deaths of the two young people in residential care settings. Furthermore, we also support that an inquest be called anytime a child dies or a staff person dies performing the duties of their job in a residential care setting in the Province of Ontario. We ask the Ministry of Children and Youth Services:
To clearly set out definitions and expectations for foster care and staffed group homes including specific attention to the media identified mixed modality homes to clearly identify the regulations and safe guards.
To assemble teams of experienced and educated Child and Youth Care Practitioners to provide immediate itinerant services to staffed group homes (including the mixed modality homes) across the province to support and improve the quality of care
To immediately invest in residential care to ensure that the needs of young people are met, that staff are hired and retained with CYC qualifications, that supervision is available to all front line staff, and that staff have the equipment necessary to provide an enriched living environment for young people in care.
To immediately fund the provision of Child and Youth Care services, within the natural life space of rural and remote Indigenous youth considered high risk, to maintain family and cultural connection and support during the process of healing.
The OACYC Board of Directors”
(‘Recent Deaths in Residential Care: Statement of The Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care’)
BBQ Season – Safety, Benefits and Maintenance
It’s been a long winter, but BBQ season is finally here! There is nothing better in summer than the sweet smell of food cooking on an outdoor grill.
Grilling can be great for the whole family as it gets you outdoors. Try setting up some patio furniture nearby and have your youth join you outside. Bring out some lemonade, have a good chat, try tossing a frisbee or kicking a ball around.
Maybe teach your youth how to BBQ as a life-skill, just be sure to teach them safety while grilling and do not allow them to do so unsupervised.
Grilling also comes with added health benefits versus cooking on the stove or in an oven. Some of those benefits include:
You Eat Less Fat
When you grill, you eat less fat because the excess drips off the grates. Think about cooking a burger on the grill versus in a pan on your stove-top. On the grill, the fat cooks off. In a pan on the cooktop, the fat has nowhere to go, so it pools and is eventually re-absorbed by the meat.
Vegetables on the Grill are Better for You
Most people don’t realize that vegetables retain more of their vitamins and minerals when they’re grilled. This is especially true with veggies that have a low water content.
Plus, vegetables that you toss on the grill are usually fresh and in season, which are a step above the canned versions. Wrapping in tin foil or just placing on top of your grill, cooking your veggies in this manner is nutritionally advantageous than boiling or frying.
Meat Retains Nutrients
When you toss a slab of meat over the fire, it actually preserves more riboflavin and thiamine. Both of these nutrients play a vital role in a healthy diet, as well as have many health benefits associated with each of them.
You Use Less Butter
If you’re a master griller and not overcooking your food, you’ll have juicy cuts of meat and tasty veggies. Because the grill locks in more moisture, you’ll be less inclined to reach for the butter or other condiments to jazz up your food. Not only does that means you eat fewer calories, but you put less unhealthy stuff in your body.
Grilling Goes With Outside Activities
As mentioned above, this is a good time to have the family join in some outdoor fun while cooking.
For foster parents/group home staff who require access to a barbeque, please contact your resource worker/manager.
For those of you who already have one, it's important to show your grill a little tender love and care before you start grilling away.
Here are some tips:
Give it a good scrub With last year's remnants hanging on to your grill for dear life, it's due time to give it a good scrub with a strong bristle brush and some mild soap and warm water. If your grill is in bad shape and hasn't been replaced in a while, consider investing in a new one. Fixed-sized grills and expandable ones are easy to find at any hardware store. If you have cast iron cooking grids, be sure to season them will oil. The oil will help protect the porcelain coating, decrease sticking, and protect damaged or worn grids from rusting.
Maintain your grill Take apart as much of your barbecue as you can and give the inside (and outside) of your barbecue oven a good scrub, paying extra attention to those spots with lots of grease. For those really tough spots, use a strong degreaser. Note: Never use oven cleaner on your barbecue, as it's corrosive and will cause damage. Don’t forget to check your grease tray. Make sure it’s in place and has been cleaned out.
Look closely Take a close look at your burners to ensure there aren’t any holes. If you spot any, it's time for a replacement. Original replacement burners are available for most newer models, as are universal ones for an older barbecue. Also examine your venturi tubes to make sure they're clear, as spiders love to nestle in these over a barbecue's off season.
Last but not least Do an overall inspection of your barbecue. Look for leaks and cracks in your gas hose, and note the condition of your control knobs, thermometers and handles. Replacing any loose or broken parts is a great, cost-effective way to keep your grill in good shape and reduce minor annoyances.
HAPPY GRILLING!
(‘10 Healthy Tips & Benefits of Grilling’)
(‘4 Great Ways to Get Your Barbecue Ready for Grilling Season’)
Free Scarborough Based Tween/Teen Summer Program –
Get Off The Streets Program
For the 10th year, Regesh Family and Child Services will be operating the GOTS program (Get Off The Streets) for youth. This is the only youth developed and youth led mentorship program of its kind in Scarborough.
GOTS is a free program for students from grade 6 through grade 12, and no prior registration is required.
Students from grades 6-8 will have the opportunity to spread their wings and ease into the transition of secondary school. While students from grades 9-12, will have the opportunity to develop and run programs to obtain their volunteer hours while mentoring younger youth.
The program opens July 5th and runs from Monday-Friday for seven weeks between the hours of 10:00am – 3:00pm. The location is at the Woburn Collegiate Institute – 2222 Ellesmere Road in Scarborough.
Students may come as frequent as they please with no penalty for missed days.
The program is based around the 'Reconnecting Youth program' which focuses on 5 major components:
Group Dynamics
Self Esteem Enhancement
Decision Making
Personal Control
Interpersonal Communication
Students will experience fun filled days including numerous trips throughout the GTA, guest speakers, fun and games, art, sports and much more. The GOTS program is always supervised by experienced staff.
If you are interested in this program, please contact Lindsey Tomlinson, Program Coordinator, at 647-962-6537 or lck.tomlinson@gmail.com .
ROM Passes
We are pleased to announce that ROM passes are being offered through Kids Up Front again this year. Although there will be no hard copy passes distributed, we are still able to attend by making reservations.
Should you be interested in attending with your youth, please contact Erin Hurley at the head office to make reservations. She will require the date and time in which you plan to visit, the name of the staff member/foster parent who will be attending and the number of attendees in total.
Please note that we do require two weeks’ notice.
Wonderland
As in previous years, HYS will be providing each youth with a day pass and staff/foster parents can attend to supervise under a complimentary support staff pass.
Things to remember:
The youth are NOT to attend unsupervised. It is in our contract that they be accompanied.
Should any youth wish to attend the park more than once, they can take their ticket to Guest Services and upgrade it to a Season Pass by paying the difference.
Staff/foster parents must attend Guest Services and notify them that you are attending as a support staff. You will need to present the tickets of your youth which will have Hanrahan Youth Services printed on them.
To get passes for your youth and to learn more about the support staff passes/parking passes, please contact Erin Hurley at our head office.
Free 2017 Parks Canada Discovery Pass
Parks Canada is inviting Canadians and visitors from around the world to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary at its national treasures from coast to coast to coast.
To mark this special year, they are offering free admission to all Parks Canada locations. With the 2017 Discovery Pass, you will have unlimited opportunities to enjoy national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites across the country that are managed by Parks Canada.
To obtain your pass, visit:
or participating CIBC branches.
Foster Parent Time-Off and Scheduling Relief
We understand how hard it can be to work around the clock. We also know how important it is to take time off whether it be for running errands, taking a break, visiting family and friends, or just taking care of business. With summer fast approaching, we appreciate that many of you may be looking to take some time off to relax and enjoy the warmer weather.
Hanrahan has a growing list of relief staff to utilize for the time you need, however, there is a process that needs to be followed in order to do so. It is essential that you communicate your request with your resource worker by submitting a TIME OFF REQUEST FORM. He or she will get this time approved, and then provide you with the relief staff list or book the relief for you. It is imperative that you keep them well informed of the time you take off, as well as ensure that your relief staff are documenting their hours and signing signature sheets when necessary.
Please note that any changes in dates or time need to first be approved by your resource worker.
Prom/End of the Year Dances
With the year end fast approaching, prom and end of year dances may be on the priority list of your residents. It is important that you support them in all ways necessary to ensure that this is a positive experience for them.
Find out well enough in advance exactly what they are going to need so that you have time to shop around and make the purchases that are required. If they need to purchase tickets, order corsages/boutonnieres, etc., it is best to do it ahead of time. Talk to your manager/resource worker about funding for such items.
Also, please be sure to make arrangements for your youth to be transported to and from their events safely.
Academic/School Reward Program
Just a reminder that Hanrahan Youth Services has a School Reward Program in effect!
We are always looking for ways to keep our youth motivated to attend school and to succeed to their fullest potential. As an incentive, we have decided to award those youth in our care who make a real effort to attend their classes and to try their best at achieving their academic goals.
Please be sure to tell all of your youth about this opportunity and should you know of a youth who deserves to be awarded, don’t hesitate to notify your resource worker/manager.
Summertime Plans - Youth Employment/Camps
It is up to our foster parents and staff to find ways to motivate our youth to use their summer holidays as constructively as possible. If appropriate, and if outlined in our youths’ plans of care, then employment should be an obvious option. Summer is now here, opportunities for summer employment have been in play for a few months at this point so there is no time to lose.
One excellent source of information is the www.ontario.ca/summerjobs website. Another local agency is Job Skills in Brampton which can be accessed at www.jobskills.org. Tropicana Community Services also provide advice and guidance to youth seeking summer employment. The main office is located in Scarborough but they do have a variety of job opportunities within the GTA and Peel region. Their website is http://tropicanacommunity.org/ .
YouthRap is a resource that would be worth checking out. Services available include resume and interview success workshops. Information on YouthRap can be found at www.youthRap.ca.
Summer camps are also an option. Should this be what your youth plan on doing, please start looking into what camps they would be interested in attending. Registration usually starts sooner than people expect and spots can quickly become unavailable. Once they have decided on one, please speak to your resource worker/manager about registration/funding.
Reminder of the Expectations of Lawn Maintenance
We want to remind all of our foster parents and staff that lawn maintenance, weeding, and planting flowers are imperative and an expectation. We continue to receive complaints from neighbours about the condition of certain properties. There is no need for this, and as such, it will not be tolerated.
This is also a great life skill for our youth. Make it fun, or worth their while to help out by making it a paid chore. This is a good way to instil a sense of pride in the aesthetics and condition of their home. Please just ensure that they are taught how to properly and safely use a lawn mower and gardening tools prior to starting.
Should you require access to a lawn mower or funding for your outdoor projects or if you have any questions on ‘how to’s’, please contact your manager or resource worker.
Brain Teasers
Just for fun, try to solve the following brain teasers. The answers will be at the bottom of the newsletter. Good luck!
What is a seven letter word containing thousands of letters?
You will always find me in the past, I can be created in the present, but the future can never taint me. What am I?
What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do
David’s father has three sons: Snap, Crackle, and ?
If you go to the movies and you’re paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice, or two friends to the movies at the same time?
(“Riddles and Answers to Bend Your Brain”)
DID YOU KNOW?...
I am the center of the universe — and this universe is not good enough!
The hormone changes at puberty have huge affects on the brain, one of which is to spur the production of more receptors for oxytocin.
While oxytocin is often described as the "bonding hormone," increased sensitivity to its effects in the limbic system has also been linked to feeling self-consciousness, making an adolescent truly feel like everyone is watching him or her. These feelings peak around 15 years old.
While this may make a teen seem self-centered (and in their defense, they do have a lot going on), the changes in the teen brain may also spur some of the more idealistic efforts tackled by young people throughout history.
"It is the first time they are seeing themselves in the world", meaning their greater autonomy has opened their eyes to what lies beyond their families and schools. They are asking themselves for perhaps the first time: What kind of person do I want to be and what type of place do I want the world to be?
Until their brains develop enough to handle shades of grey, their answers to these questions can be quite one-sided, but the parents' job is to help them explore the questions, rather than give them answers.
Comforting or not: "Teenagers could do stupid things in response to a situation not because they are stupid, but because their brains are working differently".
(Nixon & Britt, 2016)
Kids Up Front and Rec Night
Foster parents and staff have probably seen numerous emails sent from the head office regarding tickets being offered through an organization called Kids Up Front. The Kids Up Front Foundation is a charitable organization that provides access to arts, culture, sport and recreation for children and youth who don’t normally get the opportunity to experience them. They receive donations of tickets to various events and offer them to agencies such as HYS. We have been very fortunate to have come in contact with this wonderful organization and have received a substantial amount of tickets from them for our youth over the past few years. Through these generous donations, we regularly send our youth to see sports games (Leafs/Raptors/Marlies/Toronto Rock, etc.), concerts, plays, the ROM, etc. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to take advantage of some of these opportunities for your youth. We always hear wonderful feedback from the youth and staff/foster parents who attend. Please keep in mind that when you commit to tickets, it is imperative that you use them. If there is an emergency situation that prevents you from attending the event, you need to contact the head office ASAP so that we are able to make alternate arrangements for the tickets. As the tickets are donated, it is important to Kids Up Front that the tickets get used. Should it become a reoccurring issue where you request tickets and don’t use them, you may lose the privilege of receiving tickets.
Don’t forget about REC NIGHT which takes place every Wednesday at 8:00pm at Century Gardens in Brampton. This is a great opportunity to get out of the house and get your kids to be active and mingling with the Hanrahan family. It is open to all foster parents and staff. Take your youth to play some basketball, volleyball, or whatever indoor sport has been organized for that evening. Don’t miss out!
Should you have any questions regarding rec night, please don’t hesitate to contact Jeff McGregor.
Strength Based Perspective
The Basics of Strength-Based Approach
Working from a strength-based perspective is a collaborative approach, whereby the person being supported by services is an active participant in the process of problem-solving issues they are experiencing. This allows the opportunity for the individual’s voice to be heard, and for the individual to be engaged in the decisions that affect their life. This is a chance to empower the client, but to also foster skills of self-advocacy. There is a significant focus on the quality of the relationship between the individual receiving support, and those that are providing the support. The relationship must be one of trust and transparency, in order for there to be real success.
A strength-based approach focuses on the inherent strengths of individuals, what their skills and abilities are, rather than on their deficits or problems. This also means investigating what resources are available, and how they can be used to accomplish what is needed. Although the goal is to promote the positive, this does not mean denying that issues or problems are affecting the client. Instead, it means combating situations based on the abilities and resources that exist, and utilizing these things in the most effective ways possible. The problems and concerns are not the main focus of intervention – the individual is.
Family and community work models often focus on the problems identified with the individual – thus, the individual is the problem that must be fixed. However, strength-based perspective focuses on the problem often existing because of interactions between people, organizations and structures. Although issues exist, the individual only experiences the issue – the individual is not the issue.
The following are important principles of the strength-based perspective:
People are recognized as having potential, unique strengths and abilities, and have the capacity to continue to learn, grow, and change.
The focus of intervention is on the strengths and aspirations of the people we work with.
The language we use creates our reality – for the care providers, as well as children, youth, and families.
Communities and social environments are seen as being full of resources.
Service providers collaborate with the people they work with, and the client’s perspective of reality is primary.
Interventions are based on self-determination.
Change is inevitable.
There is a commitment to empowerment.
Problems are seen as the result of interactions between individuals, organizations or structures, rather than deficits within individuals, organizations or structures.
Professional Development - Training
We would like to continue to remind our staff and foster parents of the importance of ongoing training which can be used to assist you when dealing with the youth in our care. Hanrahan Youth Services is always willing to consider funding the many different sessions/webinars offered throughout the GTA and online that would be considered useful in working with our clients. We actually encourage all of you to make it a priority and take advantage of this opportunity to expand your professional development.
Should you be interested in doing so, please contact your resource worker or program coordinator with the details of the specific session you are looking to attend.
We have just recently registered a number of our staff and foster parents for workshops on:
Motivating Change – Strategies for Approaching Resistance
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – Strategies for Supporting
Sexual Assault and Abuse Training
Addictions and Mental Illness – Working with Co-Occurring Disorders
Many of our staff and foster parents have attended different workshops offered through the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI) in the past. They provide a wide range of training opportunities and included in their upcoming events are:
Working in Social Services – The Essential Skills
Violence Threat Assessment – Planning and Response
Self-Injury Behaviour in Youth – Issues & Strategies
Crisis Response Planning
De-escalating Potentially Violent Situation
Anxiety – Practical Intervention Strategies
Challenging Behaviours in Youth – Strategies for Intervention
For a complete list and descriptions of their upcoming workshops, you can visit:
* Be sure to select the Toronto or Mississauga local listings.
Please note that approved training is not limited to CTRI, these are just some examples of ones that we regularly take advantage of. We are always open to anything new that comes up. If you come across something different that you think would be worth exploring for our staff and foster parents, please send the information to the management team.
Our mandatory annual trainings, including UMAB and First Aid & CPR, will continue as per the usual schedules throughout the year. For upcoming sessions, please contact the head office.
Brain Teaser Answers
Mailbox
History
Your name
David
Take two friends at the same time...you would only be buying three tickets. You’d be buying four the other way.
Government of Canada Site, ‘World Environment Day 2017’, online:
Care.Com Site, ‘11 Ways to Celebrate the First Day of Summer’, online: https://www.care.com/c/stories/3332/11-ways-to-celebrate-the-first-day-of-summer/
Government of Canada Site, ‘Canadian Multiculturalism Day - Celebrate Canada days 2017’, online: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/celebrate-canada-days/multiculturalism-day.html
Government of Canada Site, ‘Canada Day - Celebrate Canada days 2017’, online: https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/celebrate-canada-days/canada-day.html
The City of Brampton Site, ‘Brampton Celebrates Canada 150’, online:
The City of Toronto Site, ‘TO Canada With Love’, online: http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=19197eee9e048510VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
The Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care Site, ‘Recent Deaths in Residential Care: Statement of The Ontario Association of Child and Youth Care’, online:
Living Direct Site, ‘10 Healthy Tips & Benefits of Grilling’, online:
https://learn.livingdirect.com/health-benefits-of-grilling/ https://learn.livingdirect.com/health-benefits-of-grilling/
Canadian Living Site, ‘4 Great Ways to Get Your Barbecue Ready for Grilling Season’, online:
Doriddles Site, ‘Riddles and Answers to Bend Your Brain’, online:
Nixon, R., & Britt, RR. (2016). 10 Facts Every Parent Should Know About Their Teen’s Brain. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com/13850-10-facts-parent-teen-brain.html