Director Military Family Services discussion with Military Family Resource Centre
Board Chairs
9 November 2010
Call to Order: Julie Leblanc
Welcome to our second teleconference with Board Chairs!
DMFS staff in attendance:
 Celine Thompson, Director DMFS
 Alla Ivask, National Manager MFS
 Laurie Ogilvie, National Manager Policy and Program Development
 Sonia Rowe, Senior Manager, MFS
 Julie Leblanc, Communications Manager
Listening to the discussion and providing assistance:
 Field Operations Managers: Barb Bragg, Jackie Carlé, Annette Pinkney
 Beverly Weber, Business Process Manager
 Jen Dalziel, Information Coordinator
Military Family Resource Centres (MFRCs) in attendance:
Name
Kim McMahon
Denise Cruickshank
Mélanie Fournier
Kaetlyn Corbould
Malcolm Johannesen
Bill Diamond
Troy Zuorro
Annalisa Turner
Lorie Hall
Roxanne Guenette
Shala MacNeil
Diane Arndt
Wes Gramiak
Tonya Nolan
Evelyn Sandall
Jacqueline Charron
Dwayne Hobbs
Justin Armstrong
Karine Pilote
Carolyn O’Malley
Rachel Harbour
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MFRC
Greenwood
Calgary
Valcartier
Edmonton
Kingston
Mainland BC
Winnipeg
Moncton
Esquimalt
Borden
Gagetown
Comox
Central Saskatchewan
St. John's
Montreal
Meaford
Toronto
Cold Lake
Bagotville
Halifax & Region
Trenton
Position
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Vice-Chair
Board Chair
Board Vice-Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Treasurer
Board Chair
Board Chair
Manuela Lacroix
Lori Isenor
Kat Meery
Ottawa
Gander
Petawawa
Board Chair
Board Chair
Board Vice-Chair
Agenda: Julie Leblanc
While the Forum is meant to be a conversation for Board Chairs and Board members,
Executive Directors and other MFRC staff members are welcome to be in the room with
you. We do ask that the participant be the Board member.
As this is our second teleconference, we’re hoping to have worked out most of the
technical issues we encountered the last time. We’re really mindful of everyone’s time
and will keep the discussion to an hour, recognizing that we don’t want to take up too
much family time. Anything we don’t get to tonight can certainly be addressed by the
DMFS team, either through your FOM or by sending an e-mail to Ghada Swid-Zrein,
Celine Thompson’s Administrative Assistant.
I will now turn the floor over to Celine to launch the discussion.
Update on Enhancements: Celine Thompson
I’d like to welcome you all to the teleconference, and thank you for participating.
On 25 October 2010, a number of proposed MFSP enhancements went before Armed
Forces Council for their endorsement and direction. Chief Military Personnel (CMP) has
directed DMFS to begin work on launching several low cost or cost neutral initiatives.
Initiatives to be launched in 2011:
• FamilyForce.ca
• Family Information Line
• Resiliency Toolkit
• E=MC3
• Expansion of populations served – greater awareness of services for reservists’
families and grieving families
• Family Care Resource and Referral service
I’d like to thank all Centres who have participated in piloting, testing and maintaining
FamilyForce! Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Thank you as well to the Kingston MFRC for all of your work on the Resiliency
Tooklkit, and to the other Centres who have supported you in this project…thank you!
And thank you as well to the Valcartier MFRC for your work on the E=MC3 initiative.
We’re anxious and excited to launch these new services. These enhancements
demonstrate continued support from CMP and the Chain of Command, and strengthen
the mandate of the Military Family Services Program (MFSP).
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Why 2011?
Although a little less “splashy” than we’d anticipated, we’re excited to be launching these
new and improved initiatives as part of 20th anniversary celebrations. It will provide the
perfect umbrella under which to position enhanced services for families.
We’ll be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the MFSP in 2011. The MFSP formally
launched 1991, and April 1st marks the official anniversary date.
It is a good time to reflect on how far we’ve come, and a fitting time to announce new
programs and services. We will provide more information about the plans for launching
enhanced services in the coming months.
Budget Considerations: Celine Thompson
We are currently facing department-wide fiscal restraint. In the past week, in-year
funding has been received for this fiscal year and is now available to enhance programs;
however, the annual budget for the MFSP has not increased.
This means there is some flexibility for one-time funding opportunities. Several requests
for Contingency Funding have been received; these and any others we receive in the
coming weeks will be reviewed shortly. We will consider initiatives to bolster Board
governance and accountability in the following areas:
 Human Resources ;
 Legal;
 Finance; and
 Board training.
The in-year funding will also be used to assist MFRCs with translating FamilyForce
websites. FamilyForce must be in compliance with Official Languages requirements. As
per the Memorandum of Understanding, we must ensure that CF families receive MFSP
online services in their official language of choice.
We are also examining increasing licenses for Rosetta Stone as an additional means of
reaching out to families to provide increased, flexible second language services.
On a separate but related note, the Vice Chief Defence Staff has directed that Chief
Review Services begin an assessment of MFRC funding. C/MFRCs may be contacted
during the course of the review process.
MFSP Governance and Accountability: Celine Thompson
Our accountability measures are evolving to become increasingly responsive in order to
safeguard the Program’s integrity.
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The MFSP is accountable to the families we serve and the Chain of Command for the
public funding.
Measures of MFSP accountability:
• Adherence to the MOU or SLA
• Funding Application; Service Delivery Agreement; Quarterly Reports
• External Program Audits
• Formal Site Visits
• MFSP Participant Survey
• CF Family Covenant
• Community Site Visits
• Chief Review Services Analysis of DMFS
• Compensation and Benefits Review
• Update to eBusiness Centre
At DMFS, we constantly strive to maintain and bolster the accountability of the Military
Family Services Program (MFSP). Working with our local Canadian/Military Family
Resource Centre (C/MFRC) partners, we use many checks and balances, both local and
national, to ensure that the Program makes a significant contribution to the well-being of
Canadian Forces (CF) families, and effects positive change in families’ lives.
In addition to the Program’s accountability to families, DMFS must also demonstrate the
Program’s accountability to the CF chain of command. The extensive data, reports and
feedback we collect from local MFSP stakeholders is all necessary for us to accurately
reflect the Program’s strengths and challenges back to the CF leadership, so that we can
tell the story of the MFSP in a meaningful and complete way.
A recent article on the DMFS web site highlights current measures of MFSP
accountability in more detail, as well as what measures are underway.
2011 MFSP Participant Survey: Celine Thompson
I’d now like to focus on the upcoming MFSP Participant Survey. The survey is a crucial
part of the MFSP Accountability Framework. Hearing directly from CF families keeps
the program accountable to the communities we serve, and generates useful data that
influences both the local and national direction the MFSP will take as it evolves.
All in-country and out of country C/MFRCs, must implement the MFSP Participant
Survey process in 2011. Given that the completion of more surveys leads to more reliable
data overall, all Centres are encouraged to maximize their response rates and submit as
many surveys as possible. A 25% to 30 % response rate is considered to be the minimal
rate to ensure valid and meaningful results. You may wish to discuss strategies to
increase your response rate with other C/MFRCs or your Field Operations Manager.
Locally, the Survey can help you look for trends in responses to better understand what
services are working well for your communities, and what needs additional attention.
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The results of the Survey are also used by DMFS to justify and maintain funding
resources for current programs and services, as well as seek further funding for new
services that will benefit military families.
It is important that staff and volunteers administering the survey understand its purpose
and convey that participation is voluntary, valued and confidential. Staff and volunteers
should communicate clearly that the Survey is important, and that respondents will not be
judged. Frank statements of opinions and experiences are appreciated.
Family Liaison Officer (FLO) position: Celine Thompson
Each MFRC is funded $103K for the FLO position ($7K for Casualty Support Child
Care; and the remainder for the FLO salary, benefits, training and travel). The exact
annual salary of each FLO varies by location. MFRC Boards are the employer of record
for the FLOs, and are responsible for determining the salary scale.
The FLO function is centrally funded through DMFS and under the management and
supervision of the local MFRC. Funding provided for the FLO function is “fenced”, and
as such, cannot be used to supplement other MFRC staff salaries or activities/programs.
Fiscal year 2010/2011 funds for the FLO function are to be reported in the Quarterly
Expenditure Report under In-Year Funding Adjustments. The funds are not eligible for
retention with separate line items for FLO personnel costs, travel costs, professional
development costs, and Casualty Support Child Care costs. MFRCs are reminded to
maintain invoices and receipts for audit purposes for a period of five years.
Please note that the JPSU leadership have expressed concerns with the lack of
standardized, market-value wages; however DMFS and Director Casualty Support
Management (DCSM) recognize that an alternate funding arrangement will not solve the
issue of standardizing salaries. That said, DMFS has directed that Field Operations
Managers discuss salary scales for the FLO with each MFRC, advising that the funds
available for the FLO do allow for more competitive compensation, and encouraging
MFRCs to compensate appropriately.
Surplus Funding
FLO funds will not be eligible for retention as surplus in the next fiscal year. Funds
identified as surplus in the annual MFRC Statement of Surplus Funds will be deducted
from future funding allocations.
Performance Measurement
In support of DCSM’s obligation to report on the performance of Integrated Personnel
Support Centres (IPSCs), the FLO is required to submit quarterly performance
measurement statistics to DMFS using the Performance Measurement Data Collection
Form. DMFS is responsible for consolidating the data and reporting back to DCSM.
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The present Data Collection Form will be used for the remainder of this fiscal year. FLOs
have been asked to review the form and provide input on ways to improve it by 15
December 2010.
Request for the Governor General and Sharon Johnston to become the Honourary
Patrons of the MFSP: Celine Thompson
We are currently in the process of renewing the status of the Honourary Patron of the
MFSP and have asked both His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston and
Mrs. Johnson to formalize their commitment to military families as Honourary Patrons.
I have had the opportunity to speak to Their Excellencies and to hear first-hand about
their commitment to military families. The MFSP is very well aligned with the pillars
selected by the Governor General for his term in office: families and children; education
and innovation; volunteerism and philanthropy.
On 3 November, CMP, the Director General Personnel and Family Support Services and
I were invited to Rideau Hall to give a briefing to Her Excellency, Mrs. Johnston about
the MFSP. Their Excellencies will also be visiting Gagetown on 10 November 2010, and
Mrs. Johnston also met with the Valcartier MFRC’s Executive Director at La Citadelle in
Quebec in October.
OPEN FORUM: Questions moderated by Julie Leblanc and answered by Celine
Thompson
Submitted Question prior to Teleconference: Central Saskatchewan MFRC
Is information available about the hiring of Executive Directors, accompanying lessons
learned for contracts, and developing clearly defined parameters for the position?
Celine Thompson
There are plenty of ways in which we as a funder assist you with this role, but DMFS is
not able to actually step in and get engaged in human resources matters. This is why we
allow our funds to be used for this purpose and why we have contracted with HR Group.
It’s worth mentioning that HR Group even has a job description template for an
Executive Director, including the position’s recommended responsibilities, competencies,
experience, education, and knowledge. This will certainly be helpful for you, and for any
other Centres experiencing a transition to a new ED at this time. We encourage you to
take advantage of this valuable resource.
Please also note that:
 DMFS funds can be allocated towards the cost of human resources and legal
advice;
 DMFS provided funds can be used for Board professional development in this key
area of human resources management;
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

Boards can and should network to share best practices regarding employee
contracts, human resources policies and other related matters;
DMFS funds can be used to conduct a professional survey of current contracts,
letters of employment and human resources policies.
There are also a number of helpful online resources available to you. We recommend the
Charity Village website, www.charityvillage.com, and especially the Human Resources
Management section.
These links are also helpful:
http://managementhelp.org/boards/boards.htm
http://www.boardsource.org/
http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/home.cfm
Submitted Question prior to Teleconference: Central Saskatchewan MFRC
What is the plan to distribute salary information to respective boards to be used in the
creation of relevant pay scales for employees?
Celine Thompson
DMFS is conducting the Compensation and Benefits Review with an interest in the
overall compensation envelope for MFRCs. We are not trying to come up with
specific guidelines for the compensation that should be allotted for each staff
position. Let me reiterate that you, the Boards, are the employers, and it remains up to
your discretion how you compensate your staff.
I would also like to note that the first phase of the review found that with a few
notable exceptions, there is a fair amount of consistency in what MFRCs are paying
for the key jobs providing the mandated services of the MFSP. Perceptions of far
greater disparities between MFRCs are most likely created by the differing
organization structures, and the diversity of jobs within the MFRC environment. Jobs
with similar titles have different areas of responsibility and levels of work, which
make all efforts to draw straightforward comparisons challenging.
The external market comparison found that on the surface, it appears that MFRCs are
paying slightly below the market for some positions, while higher for others.
Since the review contains confidential MFRC employee salary and benefits data,
DMFS cannot publicly release the full report. An executive summary is also available
on the DMFS website.
To protect privacy, DMFS has a simplified version of the report that excludes all
references to individual MFRCs and employees. This will be distributed shortly, once
translation is complete. Additionally, DMFS has prepared site-specific reports. These
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will also be distributed after translation is complete, scheduled for early in the New
Year.
While the results of this groundwork research are useful, additional data collection
and analysis is required to ensure that the overall level of funding allows MFRCs to
compete effectively with the external market to attract and retain staff, and that the
funding is distributed equitably in accordance with MFSP delivery standards and
community needs.
As a result, DMFS has initiated a phase 2 review to determine equitable DMFSrecommended budget envelopes for MFSP service delivery, taking into account CF
community complexities, varying MFRC organizational sizes and benefit package
options. The anticipated completion date for phase 2 is April 2011.
Lorie Hall, Esquimalt MFRC
Can you give more detail surrounding the Family Care Resource and Referral
service? Is this connected to the Family Navigator pilot project?
Celine Thompson and Laurie Ogilvie:
The Family Care Resource and Referral service is a database resource that will be
used by the Family Information Line and accessed through FamilyForce. Though it is
a different resource than the Family Navigator, we will no doubt need to discuss it in
more detail with regards to the Family Navigator website.
Shala MacNeil, Gagetown MFRC
Can we talk a bit more about the MFSP Survey? We have some difficulty with the
short turnaround time between receiving the results for one year, and beginning the
next year’s survey. Is there any way the schedule could be amended?
Celine:
Though we certainly understand the challenges of survey fatigue in CF communities,
MFSP Participant Survey will remain an annual survey. We recognize that it can be a
lengthy process, and that it can be difficult to find time to implement it as well as you
local evaluations. However, I cannot stress enough that the Participant Survey
provides the data that we need to validate the Program (and the funding for the
program) to the Chain of Command.
We will do what we can to mitigate your challenges. Though the schedule to
administer the 2011 Participant Survey is now set for January-March, we will touch
base with you to see if there is a preferred timeline we could consider for
administering the survey in future years.
Lorie Hall, Esquimalt MFRC
Can the new Contingency Funding requests be used to pay for some of the costs for
the upcoming Board Conference in Victoria? Would this not be considered to be
training-related?
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Celine Thompson
That’s a really good question. Unfortunately, I don’t believe we will be able consider
such requests. To my knowledge, all Contingency Funding requests for Board
professional development must be used for costs not yet incurred.
We will look into this, and provide a more complete response for you shortly.
Closing Remarks: Celine Thompson
I just want to echo what an honour and a privilege it is to speak to the elected leaders of
all of our communities across the country. Having that community representation – and
recognizing what incredibly hard work you do – makes this meeting all the more
meaningful. If you have comments or additional questions, please let us know. We’ll
continue to do this again on a quarterly basis.
Thank you.
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