10/13/2022: Member Support and Information Recap

/in /by

Member Discussion

A member brought up an issue regarding the cost increase of auditors. Request for information about auditors at a good rate. Other members echoed they are having similar challenges. Further discussion will be had at the next members’ meeting.

A member asked about software for digitalizing HR records. Members discussed the pros and cons of in-house solutions, Sage vs BamboHR.

Federation Updates

The Community Social Services Technology Fund

The Federation is administering a fund to help with new and existing technology costs for organizations and client-related technology costs. Community Social Services Technology Fund applications are now open and available to members and non-members within the sector. Applications are open until October 31st, 2022

Transformative Reconciliation

Cohort 3 of our Transformative Reconciliation program is now accepting applications until mid-November. Start date is December 14, 2022. This is a year-long program, led by Dr. Dustin Louie. This program has been designed for senior leaders at community social services agencies. The program involves monthly learning sessions, and witnessing sessions and each organization is supported to create and execute a decolonizing project for their own organization. Registration includes 2 participants per organization.

Organizations with budgets of less than $7 million can request a bursary for a 50% fee reduction on training costs. For further info, contact catherine@fcssbc.ca.

Support to Practice

There is still space to register for our in-person cohort of Support to Practice Supervision training. One of the 3 sessions will take place at Hulitan Community Services in Victoria on November 16th.

Support to Practice Supervision training, offered in partnership with Community Action Initiative and CityU, strives to support all of our valuable employees. It explores and shares what we are calling a “Support to Practice” framework custom-built for all staff in supervisory roles that translates to a wide range of service delivery areas.

Cultural Safety: It’s Not What You Think

This three-day program on Cultural Safety is facilitated by our Indigenous Advisor, Riley McKenzie. Cohorts are running now until early December 2022. For further info, contact kathy@fcssbc.ca.

Strategies for Stress and Burnout

Spaces available in our 1-hour workshop focusing on evidence-based strategies around burnout, stress, self-care and wellness.

 

Next Member Support & Information Exchange Call:
November 10, 2022: 10:00–11:00 AM

MSIE calls are held every 2nd Thursday of the month.

New Grant Funding for Technology

/in /by

Back in 2020, The Federation launched the Community Social Services Training Fund—a pool of grant funding provided by the provincial government to support inclusive training and development efforts throughout our sector. In August of this year, our government colleagues announced another pool of grant funding to address gaps in a different area of our work.

This week, we are excited to announce that applications are open for the Community Social Services Sector Technology Fund. A total of $1.5 million in grant funding, administered by The Federation, is available to help BC’s community social services organizations upgrade their technologies and improve clients’ access to virtual supports, learning opportunities, and employment.

How we got here

Sector sustainability was top of mind for many organizations when the Social Services Sector Round Table was created in early 2019. While subcommittees were struck to focus on procurement and compensation and HR, everyone at the Round Table also understood that IT was also a key factor in the long-term sustainability of our sector—especially for rural and remote communities.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our sector responded quickly and creatively and used technology in new ways to ensure that the families and communities we serve were not left more isolated and vulnerable than they already were.

These funds will help make some of those changes permanent while also addressing the increasing costs of connecting with clients, working remotely, and managing data and information appropriately. You know as well as I do that providing safe and accessible supports and services has become more necessary and more challenging than ever before.

Apply for both grant streams

There are two different grant streams an organization may apply for: Support for Organizational Technology and Support for Client Technology. You may apply for both grant streams, and you may be awarded grants for both grant streams. If you decide to apply for both grant streams, you must do so via one combined application.

The Support for Organizational Technology grant offers up to $30,000 depending on the size of your organization. The Support for Client Technology grant offers up to $2,000 per organization. Organizations will be required to include a proposed budget with their application. You can learn more and apply now on The Federation website.

Supporting clients and organizations

All community social services organizations in British Columbia are encouraged to apply. This funding can be used for new technology to enhance service delivery or facilitate collaboration with partners and/or provide clients with better access to wellness supports or employment opportunities.

The advisory committee will be prioritizing geographic equity in the allocation of funds and will consider both population size and the unique needs of different regions and communities. The review process will also take into consideration the historical under-resourcing of organizations outside of major urban centres and urban Indigenous organizations as well as the unique connectivity challenges for employees and clients in remote communities.

Full eligibility criteria and details about the review process as well as reporting requirements can be found on The Federation website. The application deadline is October 31, 2022. Disbursement notifications will be sent in January 2023.

Thanks

The funding has been provided by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to respond to the service delivery and sustainability needs of our sector. This opportunity is a huge success for our sector and I am very grateful and appreciative of everyone who helped to make this happen—my colleagues at the Round Table and our sector allies and government partners elsewhere. This is the result of the government and the sector working together, identifying shared goals, and focusing on long-term sustainability and service delivery.

If you have any questions about this funding opportunity or the application process, please contact either of us or The Federation office at info@fcssbc.ca.

 

Rick FitzZaland, Executive Director
rick@fcssbc.ca

Catherine Rana, Director of Programs and Services
catherine@fcssbc.ca