Learning Opportunities for Members

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The Federation supports our members and strengthens BC’s community social services sector through advocacy and outreach, networking, exchanging information, and consistently bringing a balanced perspective to discussions with provincial and national decision-makers.

Doing all of that requires that we stay in constant communication with our members—both providing them with up-to-date resources and information and listening to their experiences, issues, and struggles so that we can respond appropriately and advocate on their behalf.

While The Federation won’t be hosting a conference this June, we are still doing our very best to provide our members with information and learning opportunities. This week, I am excited to share with you a new series of free “lunch-and-learn” presentations with special guests that will take place during the month of June.

We’re calling them ‘Webinar Wednesdays’ and members will have the opportunity to hear from Al Etmanski, Merlyn Horton, and Denise Williams on topics like disability, online social service delivery, and mental wellness. Details for each of the three sessions are below and registration is open now! And all registered participants will have access to recordings and slide decks from each selected webinar whether or not they are able to attend each session.

We are also working on other ways of connecting, learning, and sharing information and best practices with and among members in the absence of in-person events so if you have ideas or want to get involved, feel free to contact me at sherry@fcssbc.ca with your thoughts!

Sherry Sinclair
Director of Programs & Services

COVID-19 and Kids (and a survey)

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Over the past few weeks, we have been getting more information about how COVID-19 is affecting children in particular. The slides from Dr. Behn Smith’s presentation during the MCFD Town Hall for residential service providers can be viewed here. They contain helpful insights and information. You can also view a recording of the presentation here.

We know that this kind of information is integral to the planning and management of your organization’s programs and services. We will continue to seek out and share answers to your questions as best we can over the weeks to come. And be sure to keep letting us know about the concerns and struggles you are facing—the entire Federation team is here to help!

BCCDC COVID-19 Survey

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) wants to know about your experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the past few weeks, public health and government leaders have made significant decisions affecting every aspect of our lives. Now they want to hear from you as they plan to ease restrictions while keeping citizens safe—especially those most vulnerable.

The BCCDC has launched a population health survey about citizen experience, knowledge, and actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the first of several activities that will strengthen BC’s pandemic response and our government’s understanding of the impacts of COVID-19 on social, economic, mental, and community wellness. Click here to participate. The survey will be open until May 31.

Going Forward: Plans, Approaches, and Considerations

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Last week, Premier Horgan announced the measured approach that BC will be taking as our province moves forward in its ongoing response to COVID-19. This approach aims to balance vital population health goals—saving lives by protecting the most vulnerable and preventing the health care system from being overwhelmed—with the need to get people safely back to work and address the unintended consequences of the strict public health guidelines BC has been following.

A Phased, Tiered Approach

Each different economic sector (i.e., tourism, construction, hospitality, social services) is being tasked with creating a phased approach to resuming pre-pandemic service levels. For the social services sector, this work will be coordinated by the Social Services Sector Roundtable. With guidance from the Roundtable, different funding ministries will be responsible for working with community social services to advise on more detailed subsector plans that are applicable to unique service areas (e.g., children and family services, childcare, housing, community living).

Sector-Wide Plan >> Subsector Plans >> Organizational Plans

The goal is for these sector-wide and subsector plans to provide enough direction so that each organization can tailor the directions to their own distinct needs. Rather than an approval process for organizations to follow, there will be a set of tools and guidelines empowering and helping you make decisions and plans that are right for your staff, programs, and clients.

As we see it, the main challenge will be ensuring that you have the information you need in order to make these decisions and create plans for your organization. This will remain a primary focus for The Federation in the weeks to come and we will now be aided by the Roundtable in getting timely, accurate information to you.

The Sector-Wide Plan

The Roundtable is working on a draft of the sector-wide social services plan right now. The various subsectors are represented within it and the sector’s funding ministries have been charged with reaching out to social service umbrella groups to gather input. The plan includes a 4-stage approach for resuming service delivery levels and recognizes the key considerations that will influence how this staged approach unfolds (e.g., workforce issues related to wages, burnout, staffing; access to childcare options for employees).

The planning process has also taken into account anticipated increases in service needs within program areas such as anti-violence, supports for children with special needs, families living in poverty or at risk of homelessness, and those living with mental health issues. The community organizations at the Roundtable have been very clear that considerations such as these need to be addressed in order to resume pre-pandemic service delivery levels.

The Federation’s Approach

The Federation has convened a small working group of members to provide input on the sector-wide plan to ensure that it represents the diverse needs and interests of our membership. The working group is approaching this task using the same two-part framework that guides all the Federation’s efforts: (1) a commitment to live into reconciliation and resurgence, and (2) an unwavering focus on the strength and sustainability of our sector.

Indigenous people and communities (both urban and land-based) faced daunting systemic inequity and steep social barriers prior to the pandemic. Every single one of us must ensure that our approaches to resuming delivery of social services do not unfairly affect Indigenous peoples in any way.

The strength and sustainability of this sector are central to any discussion we have about the availability and accessibility of services in BC. Our sector has responded with creativity and compassion during the past months and adapted how we work in order to keep working. But issues related to wage gaps, funding structures, and procurement continue to cause stress and, if not addressed, could weaken this essential sector at a time when it is most needed.

One Important Question

As our sector and our organizations move forward and plan what the future will look like, there is one other aspect of this crisis we want to address. I believe it will be important to understand what we have learned about service delivery and sector capacity as a result of the adaptations we have been forced to make over the past weeks and months.

This is an opportunity to create a new way of doing things because, in many cases, the way things were done wasn’t working. So to help take advantage of this opportunity as best we can, The Federation has created the world’s shortest survey. It is only one question. We want you to tell us what needs to stop, what needs to be done differently, what needs to keep going, and what needs to be created anew regarding BC’s community social services.

The survey tool allows you to see what others have shared and vote for other people’s responses. Please take a minute to respond by the end of the week. Just go to this link and enter the passcode WYFR4A. Let us know what you have learned and experienced and we will use it to guide the work that will take place in the coming weeks and months. As always, do not hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions or concerns. Contact information for the entire Federation team is available on our website.

In closing, I want to offer my heartfelt thanks for everything you have done over the past few months. I know this might seem like a daunting task, especially when you have all already given so much and I want you to know that you are seen and you are appreciated. I sincerely hope that you, your families, and the people you serve are safe and healthy and well taken care of.

Rick FitzZaland
Executive Director

On getting through this together

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As the Federation Board President, I find myself in a unique position during these complex times. I am both the Executive Director of a community organization and part of the team helping to guide The Federation’s strategic direction. Aided by the voices of our membership and a board of directors informed by their own roles as leaders of essential social services, we can offer a distinct and important perspective on how to provide community services during a global crisis like the one we are facing.

I continue to participate in calls and virtual meetings with leaders from various provincial networks and ministries. And I religiously tune into Dr. Bonnie Henry’s daily updates online. The combination of the local and provincial perspectives has been a learning journey as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds in BC. I am impressed with the leadership of Dr. Henry and the province and with the way that the crisis is being managed on a macro level. The province has also taken a positive step by including The Federation in the Premier’s Economic Recovery Taskforce. And, while the larger provincial directions seem clear, I can’t deny that I continue to grapple with the complexity of responding at a local, agency level.

All of us have had to make decisions before provincial policies have been released or communicated in order to maintain vital supports for our community’s most vulnerable citizens. For some of you, this has meant continuing to provide face to face services while others adapt to working from home. For others, it has meant pivoting to provide virtual supports (which require new learning about online platforms and privacy requirements). Adding to the complexity is all of the policy development that goes along with these kinds of quick shifts and the importance of finding avenues to support staff in meaningful ways as they work to support clients and keep their own families safe.

All this is to say these times have felt like building an airplane while we are flying it. We continue to collaborate with our government partners, give them feedback about the reality of the frontline in a pandemic, and call upon them to be partners in the business of caring for our communities. And being a good partner also invites us to understand the complex environment in which our government partners are working.

Last Thursday, on the Federation’s weekly COVID-19 call, members were expressing their frustration and concerns with the situation that many of us find ourselves in. One member was worried enough to offer some suggestions about how the Federation could be working with the government in this time of crisis. After the call, this member emailed myself and Rebecca to apologize for her comments. She was worried she had overstepped and, after explaining herself, reiterated her concerns and her offer to help however possible.

I share this story with you because I don’t think it was at all necessary to apologize. None of us need to apologize for feeling worried right now or for repeatedly raising the various challenges we are facing (and have been facing for weeks). We are all in similar situations and experiencing the crisis within our respective social service agencies. The Federation needs to hear your voices, your questions, and your struggles even if they are the same questions and struggles week after week. At the heart of her comments was the principle that good partners help each other solve tough problems.

This pandemic will continue whether sector guidelines are forthcoming or not. We must continue to run our businesses and make important decisions for our agencies, our clients, and our communities and this is an incredibly hard thing to do these days. But I am inspired and overwhelmingly proud to be among colleagues across this sector who are stepping up, adapting, and doing what needs to be done despite the lack of certainty.

As the province moves towards reopening and recovering, some things may get worse before they get better. Once children return to schools and childcare opens up more broadly, referrals to social services may significantly increase due to new and unprecedented challenges within our communities. Once distancing restrictions are loosened, agencies will need to reassess how to go back to a “new service-delivery normal.”

As we prepare for whatever comes next, I hope you remember that your voices are the catalyst for social change. Continue to reach out, voice your concerns, share your victories, ask your questions, and stay in touch. Our voices serve as a beacon for each other and are proof that we truly are better together.

On behalf of The Federation, thank you all for remaining engaged and connected during this time. Your communities are lucky to have you.

Tanya Behardien
Federation Board President