2014‐2015 A R
M F T P E D
Welcome to our Annual Report, an opportunity to reflect on the year past and to also share our achievements. Central to our efforts throughout the year is our commitment to the people we serve, as we con nue in our century old tradi on of helping people lead healthy, fulfilling lives. Major projects this past year included: preparing for our accredita on review by the Council on Accredita-
on (COA). This required great energy and effort and we are pleased to report that we have completed all the required criteria and an cipate receiving formal acknowledgement and approval from COA this August.
par cipa on in the Innoweave: Strategic Clarity and Impact pro-cess thanks to a grant from the McConnell Founda on; through this we have developed a new Theory of Change resul ng in great-er focus on the impact we hope to achieve across all our pro-grams.
Inves ng in two research ini a ves. Thanks to the generous sup-port of an anonymous donor, we engaged researchers to support our efforts to create an agency–wide evalua on system to assess our services and allow us to measure our impact and outcomes; and we engaged the University of O awa Center for Research on
Debbie Hoffman President
Kathryn Ann Hill Execu ve Director
Educa onal and Community Services to assess clients’ sa s-fac on with FSO services, by researching, developing and pilo ng an agency-wide client sa sfac on evalua on tool. Our clients generously par cipated in the pilot, and the survey results were impressive: 87-96% responded that they were sa sfied with the services they received; they felt respected; that our staff had great exper se and ability; and they would use our services again if needed. On the cover of this report are the actual words they use to de-scribe FSO.
Mid-way through our 100th year, we wish to take this oppor-tunity to acknowledge and thank our dedicated staff, Board of Directors and volunteers who con nue to build upon the efforts of our founders, renewing our commitment to innova-on, learning and growth, firm in our resolve to provide ex-
cep onal, vital and relevant service to our community.
B D Execu ve Debbie Hoffman President Debra Frazer Past-President Chris ne Roy Vice President Cindy Moriarty Secretary Robert Gauthier Treasurer Directors Corinne Davison John Pe Keith Anatol Gustave Goldmann Kathleen Wright Brenda Buchanan Anthony Espos Kathryn Ann Hill Ex Officio
VISION A community where families and individuals are strong and resili-ent, and have the supports they need to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.
MISSION We provide services and programs that help make las ng im-provements in people’s lives.
MANDATE To achieve this we: Welcome individuals and families in all their forms Provide a wide range of counselling services and educa onal
and suppor ve programs to enhance mental health Collaborate with others who share our vision Advocate for changes that will help make everyone’s lives
be er
IMPACT STATEMENT
FSO will help children, adults and their families have improved: mental health
emo onal well being and social connec on resul ng in increased resilience.
A A G
O P S Alterna ve Dispute Resolu on Paren ng Programs Around the Rainbow General Counselling Supervised Access Program Women’s An -violence Walk-In Counselling Clinic Mental Health Program FSEAP O awa In Love and In Danger Child Witnesses of Women Abuse
12 BOARD MEMBERS
+ 46 STAFF
+ 2,504 VOLUNTEER HOURS
= 8,796 LIVES TOUCHED
& 45,000 HOURS OF SERVICE
What Our Clients Are Saying “It solidifies that I’m not alone and it can happen to any‐body… it makes me less blam‐ing myself and more [thinking about] what can I do be er“
“It’s my first experience with counselling and it’s been a great one.”
“I love how friendly and non‐judgemental everyone has been. They know my name and always make me feel welcome.”
“I can tell that they
genuinely care about
my issues and helping
me to solve them.”
“Thank you for giv‐ing us space to
share.”
“What I like most about FSO’s services is the care that is provided and the real improve‐ments in my life.”
“The counsel‐ling here was life changing.”
“I am deeply grateful for the compassion, pa ence, and under‐standing exhibited here ‐ it has certainly saved my life. I con n‐ue to recommend FSO to friends and family in need”
“I have learned to be comfortable to talk about my feel‐ings. I am not keep‐
ing my sad and upset feelings for myself. I have learned how to keep calm using breathing, moving or doing something that makes me feel be er” ( 12 yrs. old client ) “I went to psychia‐trists and other mental health pro‐fessionals and they only seemed interested in my mind and ig‐nored the rest of my health. I went to other doctors and die ‐cians and they only seemed interested in my physical health and ignored my mind. My counsellor at FSO treats me as a whole person which has helped me to improve my mental health and make changes to my lifestyle that have helped me to manage my diabetes.”
92.9 % said “Overall, I am sa sfied with the services I received.”
94.5 % said “I am treated with respect and feel accepted.”
94.4 % said “The staff knew what they were doing.”
96 % said “I would use services at FSO again if I need help in the future.”
Highlights This Year Since 2007, Family Services O awa has benefited from the generosi-
ty of an anonymous donor who established the ‘Stuart Peterson Re-search Fund’. With this financial support, FSO works with university students to conduct research in areas related to our programs and service delivery. This year the fund supported research about meas-uring client sa sfac on and the development of a client evalua on survey for Family Services O awa. The pilot survey found that 87% to 96% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with all six client sa sfac on measures.
In October 2014, the Around the Rainbow program collaborated
with the Ontario Human Rights Commission for the O awa launch of their Policy on Preven ng Discrimina on because of Gender Iden ty and Gender Expression. The event included speakers from O awa’s Trans communi es, the City of O awa and the Rainbow Service Pro-viders Network. Over 80 individuals, service providers and employ-ers a ended the launch.
FSO’s teen da ng violence preven on program, In Love…and In Dan-
ger (ILID) focused on the role that social media can play in contrib-u ng to and preven ng da ng violence. In the fall of 2014, par ci-pa ng ILID students created a video about da ng violence and social media. It was launched at a Crime Preven on O awa media event and the students were interviewed on our local CTV morning show. With the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Founda-on, ILID was able to enhance the program by working very closely
with ten schools to deliver workshops and build skills around social media literacy and da ng violence.
Highlights This Year FSO Sponsored and sup-
ported the Conference en-tled “ The Impact of Fami-
ly Violence in South Asian And Diverse Communi es”. Held at the University of O awa, over 200 people were in a endance. Part of a five year ini a ve origi-na ng in Toronto, along with local partners such as Immigrant Wom-en's Services, the RCMP, O awa Police Services, and Mirch Masala Radio, FSO played an important sponsorship role in this event: one of our staff was a key member on the Steering Commi ee, assis ng and offering local exper se in support of the Conference.
The Sexual Assault Network (SAN) was successful in obtaining new
funding from Crime Preven on O awa for a project which will train organizers and volunteers of local music fes vals in sexual violence preven on. In 2014 the O awa Hospital (Civic Campus) released re-search which showed there was an increase in sexual assaults during mass gathering in O awa (i.e. music fes vals and Canada day). Following the release of this informa on, a group of advocates started engaging with local fes val organizers, and then fully support-ed SAN in seeking funding to con nue this important and valua-ble work. This project is scheduled to be concluded in late Fall of 2015, with the Summer months being dedicated to developing train-ing modules, an evalua on framework and workbook for future use.
“So many mes I get lost in the woods and I just
wanted to thank you for providing the bread
crumbs back to myself.”
Highlights This Year In a major community partnership, Family Services O awa announced the
commencement of the Coordinated Case Management Program, funded by the Ontario Law Founda on and Legal Aid Ontario. This program addresses concerns raised by lawyers, judges, mediators, and social service profes-sionals that the needs of high conflict families and their children are not being adequately met. The program is informed by research demonstra ng the increased use of court resources for high conflict cases as well as the serious nega ve impact that such conflict has on children, including lower school performance and psychological adjustment difficul es (Kelly, 2012). The Coordinated Case Management Program brings together the strengths of both the social services sector and the legal community, providing high conflict families with enhanced and speedy access to judicial and communi-ty resources as they enter the court system. The project will benefit mental health professionals, lawyers, judges, and service providers by furthering their understanding of the impacts of interdisciplinary collabora on and thereby allowing for improvement of outcomes for families and children involved in post-separa on disputes
With the support of the Law Founda on of Ontario and Legal Aid Ontario
we will learn not only about the effec veness of this coordinated case management program, but also have the opportunity to learn how to pro-vide enhanced early interven on, community based services related to family law disputes.
Professor Rachel Birnbaum, the project’s formal evaluator, says: There have been many excellent Reports wri en about access to jus ce and
family law disputes over the years. This exci ng community and court col-labora on opera onalizes the key fundamental concerns highlighted in all reports; that is, to provide early, up front triage and judicial case manage-ment in family disputes. I am honoured to be part of this unique collabora-ve ini a ve and evaluate the process and outcomes with the financial sup-
port of the Law Founda on of Ontario”.
Employee Assistance Program I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Di-rector of Family Services O awa’s Employee Assistance Program; I am thrilled to join FSEAP O awa a er over 20 years working in EAP. FSEAP is Canada's only na onal, not-for-profit EAP provider and the only Canadian EAP provider structured as a social enterprise. Choosing FSEAP is not only good business, it is also good for our communi es. Our FSEAP counselling service is designed to help people understand and deal with life’s challenges. We also offer other services within FSEAP including: mental health in the workplace; childcare and eldercare informa on; fi-nancial and legal consulta on; and nutri onal and wellness programs. I also want to formally thank our over 50 corporate clients: it has been our pleasure to serve your company and your employees over the past year, and we want you to know that we truly value your business. We look forward to many more years of working with you, and wish your company the success that it deserves. Thank you for choosing FSEAP O awa as your provider. It is our honour to serve you and your employees. Evidence demonstrates that inves ng in a quality EAP program will help your company increase its return on investment – let us work with you in suppor ng your employees. If you are interested in learning more about how fseap can help your workplace, please contact me: at 613-725-3601 x148 or at mvallee@familyserviceso awa.org
Michel Vallee
Juke Box Mania FSO’s signature fundraising event was held October 24th, 2014 , and with the help of over 400 par cipants, generous sponsors, and donors we raised over $23,500 net for FSO!
Thanks to our volunteers who supported the planning and ex-ecu on of the event Jennifer and Al Greer, Laura Bonacci, Melanie Winwood, and Adva Cohen. Over 50 volunteers worked that night by baking, dona ng silent auc on items, se ng up the venue, suppor ng the game, selling raffle ck-ets - this incredible event would not happen without their support.
Please mark your calendars for this year’s event: October 30th 2015, at St. Anthony’s Soccer Club. We guarantee you’ll have a rockin’ night while you support FSO!
A SPECIAL THANK YOU!
JOAN GULLEN AWARD
The Joan Gullen award was established 17 years ago to honour the work of Joan Gullen, a life-long social ac vist and dedicated community builder. The intent of the Award is to recognize and reward significant contribu ons to the process of Social Jus ce in the communi es of O awa. This year’s recipients are two families who have made signifi-cant contribu ons to the progress of Social Jus ce in O awa: the Schae gen Family and the Lowthian/Rickert family. Both of these families have worked relessly to create a just and safer life for all families with children who iden fy as gen-der crea ve, gender fluid or transgender. They are also reless advocates for their own children. Through their family’s love, empathy, understanding, growth, advocacy and persistence, they have collec vely supported their children through social transi oning in the home, school and broader community. This support not only benefits their families, but also reflects upon and strengthens other families who are experiencing a similar journey. Both these families host and par cipate in family events sup-por ng gender crea ve children, providing peer support for other families across Ontario. They also share their family’s story and journey publicly to increase understanding and bring awareness and social change. Their advocacy regarding the rights of children who are gender crea ve, gender fluid and transgender paves the way for the health and wellness of all families.
ROSEMARY LAURIN AWARD
In 1999 the Rosemary Laurin Award was introduced to recog-nize an outstanding volunteer or volunteers at FSO, named a er an extraordinary volunteer whose belief and commit-ment to FSO was immeasurable. This year’s award winner is an extraordinary volunteer who has been suppor ng FSO through her work in our Supervised Access Program: Carolyn Calder. Carolyn has been a dedicated volunteer in the Supervised Ac-cess Program since May, 2011. Her commitment to the pro-gram and to the families that we serve is excep onal. Her pri-ority is always the safety and comfort of the children that par-cipate in the program, and they truly appreciate her. In addi-on to her regular volunteer du es, Carolyn is always willing
to step in and help out wherever she is needed. She is incredi-bly dependable and always goes above and beyond for the families in our program. Without the commitment of volun-teers like Carolyn, the Supervised Access Program would not exist. Thank you Carolyn for all that you do for the children and their families in the Supervised Access Program.
GUS FRASER AWARD
The Gus Fraser Award is a staff recogni on award that was established to recognize the sig-nificant contribu ons of a staff member em-ployed at FSO. The award is named a er an em-ployee of FSO who for over three decades demonstrated excep onal professionalism and commitment to the FSO.
The 2015 recipient of the Gus Fraser Award is Melanie Win-wood. Melanie has been with FSO as our Intake Worker since 2007. She is the person that people looking for services speak with, and she plays a cri cal role in offering the best possible service to the folks who are looking for help. Melanie spends most of every day on the telephone, talking with, guiding, comfor ng and suppor ng the thousands of people who call FSO every year. Melanie is also being recognized by her peers for her outstanding contribu on to team spirit and crea ng a posi ve workplace environment for eve-ryone. Thank you Mel for your ongoing commitment to our work-place: for your very real embodiment of the best possible spirit of FSO; for your zest and enthusiasm as member of the Social Com-mi ee; for helping us to honour and celebrate life’s important mile-stones; and for your crea vity in organizing special events such as our inaugural par cipa on in the upcoming Dragon Boat Fes val! It requires crea vity, generosity of spirit, pa ence, and loads of good-will to do all that you do for us, and makes such a difference to the development of the social connec ons that are vitally needed in any organiza on.
Audited financial statements are available upon request.
Financial Summary for 2014-15 Annual Report
Revenue
United Way $ 395,671
Government 1,970,918
Earned Income (EAP, Client Fees, Consulting) 1,031,843
Donations 49,528
1CP income 53,610
Fundraising, Grants & Interest 360,229
3,861,799
Expenses
Counselling Programs
General Counselling 603,464
Mental Health 365,436
Anti Violence 375,150
EAP 1,001,659
Walk-in Clinic 99,868
Community Programs
Parenting Program 93,565
In Love in Danger 47,945
Supervised Access Program 180,355
Art Studio 31,138
Around the Rainbow 68,986
Alternative Dispute Resolution 446,601
Administration 516,076
Social Entreprise, Fundraising and Education 153,939
Amortization 21,648 Internally Restricted Funds allocations and expenses (106,450)
3,899,380
Surplus (Deficit) $ (37,581)
W T M C F
H T M I S
‘Other’ includes Social Enterprise, Fundraising, Educa on, Amor za on, Internally Restricted Funds alloca ons and expenses.
‘Other’ includes Dona ons, Fundraising, Grants, Occupancy and 1CP in-come Interest / Earned Income includes EAP, Client Fees, Consul ng.
Our Funders
City of O awa ♦
Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) ♦
Community Foundation of Ottawa ♦
Crime Prevention Ottawa ♦
Ministry of Child and Youth Services ♦
Ministry of Community and Social Services ♦
Ministry of the Attorney General ♦
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care ♦
The Counselling Foundation of Canada ♦
United Way/Centraide Ottawa ♦
The Law Foundation of Ontario ♦
The JW McConnell Family Foundation ♦
Community Suicide Prevention Network ♦
Ottawa Carleton District School Board ♦
Ontario Trillium Fund ♦
Ottawa Catholic School Board
Adva Cohen
Alan Ludlow
Anonymous
Art Is In Bakery
Chris ne Roy
Cindy Moriarty
Debbie Hoffman
Debra Frazer
Emond Harnden
Elaine Herz-Fischler
Jennifer Greer
Margaret Fietz
Our Donors
Johanne Morin
John Pe
John Pidcook
Joseph Cabrera
Joseph MacDonald
Kathryn Ann Hill
Keith Anthol
Laura Bonacci
Linda Merali
Maggy Antebi-Wilson
Mann & Partners
The Proper es Group
Margaret Kelly
Michel Carriere
Pamela Lalder
Rachelle Lavergne
Robert Gauthier
Ryan Redcopp
Jennifer Toth
Ian Sterling
Gustave Goldman
Phyllis O'Neil
Timothy Deslippe
Marlene Rivier
Family Services O awa
1 Community Place
312 Parkdale Avenue
O awa, ON K1Y 4X5
Phone: 613‐725‐3601
TTY: 613‐725‐6175
Fax: 613‐725‐5651
www.familyserviceso awa.org