Family & Children’s Services
Of Hants County

2006/2007
Annual Report
 

Mission Statement

Family & Children’s Services of Hants County is non-profit organization of volunteers, foster families and staff committed to promoting the well being of children and families and publicly mandated under the Children and Family Services Act to protect and provide care for children at risk of abuse and neglect.


Vision Statement

To be a critical force in a community where children thrive and families matter.


Accomplishments

Advanced Studies

One of our Youth-in-Care has successfully completed his second year of University. Another is enrolled in an up coming trades course.

One of our Youth was the recipient of the Provincial Youth in Care Award

Our Adoptions Program had another successful year with seven children being placed for adoption, and our Agency supervising five other adoption placements for other agencies.

This year our Agency was able to send four children to Disney World, with the help of the "Dreams Take Flight" program. The kids loved it, and reported having an "awesome" time.

Service Recognition

At our Foster Parent Banquet in October, certificates of appreciation were presented to Cathy and James Hirtle for 15 years of service. Also honoured were Keith and Christine Moxsom for five years of service. Foster parents Barb Chapman and Kevin Pearl were also recognized for ten years of service.

Agency Director, Andy Kirk received the N.S. Council for the Family award for Board service.

Several Agency Staff reached career milestones in the last year -

Pam Stewart completed 30 years of service
Janet Anderson completed 25 years of service
Kim Walls, Heather Morse and Susan Webber each completed 15 years of service.

Directors and Staff & Foster Families


Officers:                                                                 Directors:

Honorary Life Members:
Harold Crowell                  Roland Muise                Wayne Pick               Dennis Connelly
Shirley Morrison                Sherri Swinamer             Clarence Cox
Vivian Stephens                 Pat Goulde-Thorpe         Lloyd Smith

Staff:

Administration:
Executive Director: Rona Cameron (Acting)        Admin. Ass’t: Darlene Meehan
Accountant: Dale MacDonald                                                   Nancy Isnor-Boyd
Accounting Ass’t: Sandra Everett                                              Lisa Eldridge (on leave)
                                                                                                Janet Keddy (term)

Child Welfare:
Supervisors: Janet Anderson (Acting)             Family Support: Carolyn Rathbun
Kim Walls                                                                               Margaret Sharp (maternity leave)
                                                                                                Joanne Kelly (term)
Social Workers: Kathy Lawrence                  Vicki Brown
                          Pam Stewart                        Lisa Beck-Evoy
                          Heather Morse                     Jackie Herder
                          Susan Webber                      Bev Deal
                          Annette Lorette                     Robyn Duffney (term)
                          Linda Burke

Windsor Residential Centre

Supervisor: Darlene Sutherland                             Residential Youth Workers: Barb Gillis
Senior Youth Worker: Jody MacKenzie (maternity leave)                               Annette MacKay
IDEAL School Program: Michelle Ellis                                                            Sheryl Ross

Community Youth Worker: Susan Cater

Casual Youth Workers: Donna Smith                             Natasha Gormley
                                     Twila Chaytor                           Noele Murphy-Martin
                                     Kelly Skanes                             Michelle Mosher
                                     Sarah Lake

Admin Ass’t : Lisa Eldridge (on leave)
                      Janet Keddy (term)
 

Foster Families
Calvin & Ester Mosher                              Rick & Donna Bilsborrow
Kevin Pearl & Barbara Chapman              Anita Aker
Lois Cox                                                   Keith & Christine Moxom
Maria Slater                                              Fran Power
John & Kathy Heighton                             Margaret Lalonde
James & Cathy Hirtle                                 Janet & Gerry Perrier
Dawn Marie Lynch                                    Olivia Wakefield & Jason Murphy
Jerry & Chris Hunter
Dean Sherman
Marilyn & Eric Woods
 

President’s Report

In the past year our management, staff and board of directors have continued to accept the challenge of change. The Child Welfare Redesign continues to influence the delivery of services to the children and families of, Hants County and the Province. These changes affect the role of agencies, staff and board of directors. For example, the After Hours Service started in November, 2006. Perhaps, only time will tell if these changes are for the betterment of the service delivered by agencies and do not merely meet a goal of more cost efficiency.

As a board, we have as a united body continued to carry out our mandate with due diligence. Orientation for new Board members is always a reminder of what we are here to do. I hope we can remain inspired in our original and personal goals and objectives, as professional service delivery people and as volunteers. I find it appropriate this year to remind you of the objects of the agency:

Constitution And By-Laws of Family and Children's Services of Hants County
CONSTITUTION ARTICLE IV
OBJECTS OF THE AGENCY
The Objects for which the Agency is incorporated are:
1. To protect children from harm.
2. To work with other community and social services to prevent, alleviate and remedy the personal, social, and economic conditions that might place children and families at risk;
3. To provide guidance, counselling, and other services to families for the prevention of circumstances that might require intervention by an agency;

As Board responsibility, we are mandated to ensure the full and complete management, control and disposal of the affairs, property and funds of the Agency, with full power to do all things for which the Agency is incorporated. Like staff and management, in these "changing times", this is no easy task but we will continue to rise to the challenge in the next year. The Foundation is on their way to meeting their goals and objectives. This year it granted approximately $4,000 to the work of two community groups.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rona Cameron for continuing to serve this agency in the capacity of acting Executive Director. The search committee has continued to carry on its duties. There were some hurdles we had to overcome, but we hope to announce something in the very near future.

Once again, I would like to express my appreciation to foster families, staff, many volunteers and board members for their efforts for the children of Hants County.

What difference does all this make? This year in January, I received the following letter:

“ Many thanks to your organization and those who donated to it. Our financial needs are so great this year, and we literally had no extra money for Christmas presents. It was a wonderful and unexpected surprise to receive the money to buy my children gifts. I hope when our situation improves, we will be able to do our part by donating to those in need. Thank you again. This gift has made our holidays happier. God bless all who gave."

I thank God for all who continue to give of their talents, time and financial resources for the betterment of the children and families of Hants County.

Faye M Hill, President
Board of Directors

Executive Director’s Report

This last year has been one of real transition within the Agency. Staff changes include the retirement of the Executive Director, along with a number of leaves, and one resignation, from the front line. Our residential center has seen, as has our social work staff, an increased need for service, and a high degree of complexity in cases.

Our caseload continues to increase, due to a number of factors. We have seen an upward trend for the last few years, and we continue to see many hard-to-serve families. We believe that one significant reason for increased numbers is the growth of our county in the East Hants region. As population growth continues there, so does our caseload.

In an effort to respond to need, our Residential Center continues and offer its Community Support Program, where the Agency tries to work with families while children are still at home, with the goal of preventing family breakdown.

We have just completed a fourth year of having a Youth Care Worker full-time in the Day Services for Youth Program, operating out of West Hants Middle School. We see this intervention as being very valuable in attempting to keep at-risk youth in school.

Our Intake, Long Term and Children-in Care workers have experienced a very busy year. Their caseloads are high, and we had a high number of cases before the Court. One of the results of the Nunn Commission of Inquiry is that other systems, especially Youth Justice, are rightly expecting that Youth have placements that are helpful and effective. Our staff daily feel the pressures of these expectations and often experience the resulting frustration of limited resources.

As the provincial adoption system has undergone a revamping process, our adoption program has been adapted to regular and on-going change in the way services are delivered. We have been fortunate in that we were able to place seven children for adoption in the last year.

Our Foster Care program continues to function in the face of high demand placements, and has proven to be flexible and creative in its response to needs. It is, however, an ongoing issue that foster families are being asked to deal with ever more complex cases, and that we always need more foster homes.

The Agency ended the fiscal year with its budget on target, with the exception of some unanticipated high-cost placements. As stated, as caseloads became more complex, we require more placement resources for youth with a wide range of behavioural, social and psychological needs. In our budget planning we have tried to ensure that we can respond to these needs.

Desperate challenges, Agency staff have continued to work steadily and effectively at what at times seems like an overwhelming task. It is to the credit of all of our employees that our work continues to be done, to a high standard, and families in Hants County continue to be served.

As I have been in an Acting position as Executive Director, I am most appreciative of the efforts of Staff and Board Members. It is clear to me that our human capital is the most valuable asset that we have, and it is my hope that we continue to have the ability to support it.

Rona Cameron
Executive Director (Acting)
 

Financial & Caseload Review

Financial Review  2005/2007

Annual Caseload 2005/2007