The MCFD/Federation October Conference in Richmond

There is very little The Federation undertakes that we do truly on our own. A commitment to working collaboratively is woven through our strategic plan and our values for good reason—the complex issues we face demand strategies that include collective wisdom, strong partnerships, diverse experiences, a ...Read More

Federation Research Bulletin: August 2019

This month’s research bulletin includes articles and reports about Indigenous child mental health, cross-sector collaboration and interventions, legal approaches to family preservation, the effect of supportive housing on child welfare, and the changing nature of social work. Working together to improve the men ...Read More

The Community Social Services Health & Safety Council

A few weeks ago in this space, I introduced to Federation members a new initiative to support BC’s community social services sector—a health and safety council. Many other sectors and industries have long had such health and safety bodies (e.g., hospitality, home care, forestry). Now, after many years ...Read More

Advocacy and Opportunities: The New Social Sector Roundtable

Over the past few years, one of the most intentional and important areas of focus for The Federation has been the strength and sustainability of the community social services sector. Earlier this year, many were taken by surprise when government funding for wages negotiated under the most rece ...Read More

Clinical Supervision Survey

This important survey is the result of a small working group of Federation members who have come together around issues related to supervision in our sector and will benchmark critical data about clinical supervision for Federation members. Information garnered will also be used to understand clinical supervision practices t ...Read More

2019 Annual General Meeting Recap

Thank you to those of you who attended our Conference and Annual General Meeting in Penticton last month. It was a full two days of learning, sharing, and connecting. Below is a review of some key items for those that weren’t there (and those who might appreciate a recap). Annual Report At the AGM, I shared The Federat ...Read More

Federation Research Bulletin: July 2019

This month’s research bulletin includes articles and reports about child protection work, community-based child welfare supports, rural and remote social service delivery, social worker workloads, compliance, and the development of PTSD in youth. It includes the following articles and summaries: 1. Social workers’ views on c ...Read More

Relaunching The Federation’s Reconciliation Book Club

The Reconciliation Book Club is re-launching for 2019-2020 with a lineup of six more great books—both fiction and non-fiction. Check out the titles below and then sign up to participate using the form on the Reconciliation Book Club webpage! No matter where you are in your personal journey, we invite all staff from Federation ...Read More

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report

Last week, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its final report and 231 individual “Calls for Justice” directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries, and all Canadians. The Federation team is st ...Read More

The Federation’s 2019 Select Standing Committee Submission

Earlier this week, I stood before the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services on behalf of all Federation members and answered questions about the state of our sector and the future of our sector. You can read a copy of The Federation’s entire presentation to the Select Standing Committee on our website. Feel fr ...Read More