Police Act Reform Submission

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In December, the BC government appointed a Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act. The committee’s mandate was to examine, inquire into, and make recommendations to the government on reforms related to the modernization of policing in our province. (A committee was initially appointed in July, but the 2020 provincial election necessitated a delay.)

This committee’s mandate includes a focus on the role of police with respect to complex social issues including mental health and addictions, the scope of systemic racism within BC’s police agencies, and what is needed to ensure the Police Act is consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007).

As part of its inquiry, the committee has invited community advocacy organizations, service providers, Indigenous communities, and subject matter experts to provide their input on public safety and policing. The Federation made its submission and presented to the committee this week.

The Federation remains very engaged on behalf of you, our members, and we present to almost every special and select standing committee that relates to the issues and priorities of this sector and our membership. But unlike some other presentations, this process involved member agencies, our board of directors, sector partners, and the Federation staff team. From surveying our membership and discussing strategy and priorities to identifying presenters and writing the drafts, this was very much a team effort and I’m very proud of all the work that went into this excellent submission.

Our Priorities

Back in November, we prepared for the appointment of the second committee by sending a survey out to Federation members seeking feedback and guidance for our submission. The information we received gave us a clear picture of the different roles that the police play in relation to the work you do in community. You explained what is working well (collaboration, relationship-building) and what needs to be changed (police responses to social issues, more education and training for officers).

Like many of the issues that our sector deals with, the complexity of modernizing the Police Act is striking. Our working group of staff and board members discussed how, in many cases, police are brought in to deal with what are essentially breakdowns or gaps in the social care system but without the proper tools or skills. The need for systemic change was the central theme of our submission—fundamentally changing our approach to policing and the role police play in society and in our communities.

“We need to do things differently; that fact should be eminently clear. And it is our opinion that we can’t reform our way out of a system built for violence. Quite simply, there are police doing things that police should no longer be doing. Yes, we have recommendations to make the Police Act more just and modern, but we also have some bigger and more important ideas about fundamentally changing the role of police in society. And without these kinds of changes, amendments and updates to the Act won’t do anything to address the injustices that are taking place on our streets and in our communities.”

– Federation submission to the Special Committee on Police Act Reform

All of our recommendations were informed by responses from the survey, feedback from our membership, and insight from our Board of Directors, sector partners, and working group. Overall, they fell into four central themes.

  • Reconciliation and Anti-Racism
  • Accountability
  • Police in Community
  • Systemic Change

You can read our full submission to the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act here. I would like to thank all the members that contributed their experiences and ideas during our preparations and I would like to thank Tim Veresh from our Board of Directors for representing The Federation during this week’s presentations to the committee.

We are at a unique moment in history and this committee has an incredible opportunity in its hands. A year of social unrest has renewed a desire to reimagine how we can organize, fund, and keep safe our communities and each other. And in many ways, this government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that it is very possible to do important things in new and different ways—to make urgent and significant changes when and where they are needed.

I am very much looking forward to reading this committee’s report and to working with our government colleagues to achieve the kind of lasting, positive change that this province needs.

As always, if you would like to discuss this piece of work or any Federation initiative, don’t hesitate to contact me or anyone on The Federation staff team.

Rick FitzZaland
Executive Director

Community Social Services Training Fund

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One year ago this month, as part of the 2020 provincial budget, we were told that BC’s community social services sector would be receiving funds for training and professional development. We were told that the funding, while one-time-only, would be managed by the sector itself and devoted to “build capacity, support recruitment and retention, and improve occupational health and safety training programs” for BC community social services—the largest investment of dedicated training funding that our sector has seen in a very, very long time.

In September, the provincial government announced $10 million of one-time funding, a portion of which has been held by The Federation and specifically earmarked to help address recruitment and retention challenges by supporting access to training and development.

I am very excited to announce that this week applications have opened for the Community Social Services Training Fund (CSSTF). This funding will support broad and inclusive training and development efforts that address foundational knowledge and core skill needs—including leadership and management—throughout the community social services sector.

Applications open now

There are two funding streams that organizations may apply for: the Support for Certification/Education Individual Grant (up to $1,500) and the Support for Organizational Training Grant (up to $10,000). The Organizational Training Grant has three different application windows—each devoted to a different training theme. The application process for the Individual Grant stream will be ongoing.

  • All training must take place before May 31, 2022.
  • Must be a community social services organization in order to be eligible.
  • All recipients of this training must be employees of the applicant organization.
  • Eligible organizations may apply only once per fiscal year.

Additional information about eligibility, funding rounds and application windows, training topics, fund disbursement, and reporting requirements can be found on the Community Social Services Training Fund Page.

Please note: Depending on which grant stream you select, different questions will appear on the online application. (The two different grant streams require us to collect different information.)

Support for Certification/Education Individual Grant

Organizations may apply for Support for Certification/Education Individual Grant funding up to $1,500 on behalf of an employee so that the employee can participate in formal continuing education with an accredited body with the goal of obtaining certification or course completion. This grant is for one employee per organization, per fiscal year. The Individual Grant Stream will be accepting applications on an ongoing basis.

You can view a list of eligible certificate and diploma program examples (as well as ineligible offerings) on the Community Social Services Training Fund Page.

Support for Organizational Training Grant

Organizations may apply for an Organizational Training Grant of up to $10,000 to be used (a) for the training of a cohort of two or more employees OR (b) to partner with another organization to deliver a joint training opportunity.

Each of the three funding rounds has its own application window and theme. However, within that theme, applicant organizations can choose the training topic they would like to pursue or propose one of their own. Organizations may only apply for one round of Organizational Training Grant funding and must do so within the appropriate application window.

Funding Round 1 – Organizational Strengthening
Application Window: Feb 2021–Mar 2021

Funding Round 2 – Mental Health & Wellness
Application Window: Apr 2021–Sept 2021

Funding Round 3 – Equity & Reconciliation
Application Window: Oct 2021–Mar 2022

Application worksheet

A guiding principle of this training fund is that organizations are empowered and supported to assess for themselves the training and development they most need. That’s why you will see a range of themes and topics available on the application form. Applicant organizations will also have the option of self-identifying training topics and programs that their organizations and staff most need.

When you visit the Training Fund Online Application, you will also see an Application Worksheet that we have created to help you understand the application process and prepare your application responses. It explains (among other things) the two grant streams, the various organizational training topics, and the order in which those organizational training topics have been divided into three sequential rounds.

The worksheet is also a form-fillable PDF that you can use to prepare your answers and responses prior to completing the online form on our website. So, when you are ready, you can just copy-and-paste the answers from the PDF to the online application.

Thanks

This funding has been provided by The Province of British Columbia as part of an initiative to respond to the training and development needs of those who work with some of BC’s most vulnerable people. (You can learn more about these other initiatives here.) We are very thankful for this opportunity and for the work of our sector partners at the Social Service Sector Roundtable in making this possible.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with your questions, concerns, or ideas related to the Roundtable’s work, recruitment and retention, or the sector’s training and professional development needs.

Rick FitzZaland
Executive Director