HOW DOES A VISIBLE MINORITY, ENGLISH SPEAKING COMMUNITY
ORGANIZE FOR CHANGE IN THE PRESENT CONTEXT IN QUEBEC?
Organizing for Change
Case Study of Black English Speaking
Network to Reduce Over
Representation of Black youth in
Provincial Youth Protection system
AFRICAN CANADIAN DEVELOPMENT
AND PREVENTION NETWORK
1.
2.
3.
4.
Raise public awareness and consciousness about the social and health
disparities negatively impacting on Black communities, and build
networks within and external to the community which promote policy
reforms
Identify, assess, and promote best practices and evidence –based
approaches which increase access and improve outcomes for Black
families at risk.
Mobilize key stakeholders and build the capacity /leadership of front line
Black community organizations to participate fully in reform efforts
Develop a strategic planning process and structure which reflects the
above values, and which describes a “roadmap” to promote policy
reforms by focusing on adaptations of existing services, mobilization of
key stakeholders, university-community partnerships to increase local
capacity, empowerment and support for local leadership, and network
development with English and French public services.
Accomplishments-translating research
into
practice
• Awarded funding for 6 years by Health Canada to develop a best practice program
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
to address at risk Black families, called the strengthening families program ( 20032009. $900,000)
Awarded funding for 5 years by National Crime Prevention Program to develop a
more advanced version of strengthening families for more difficult families ( 20102015, $1.2 million)
Awarded Kaiser Foundation national prize for excellence in community-based
prevention planning
Evaluation of strengthening families program by McGill School of Social Work –
process and outcome evaluation. We were one of the few community-based
organizations with tools to document outcomes, logic model, curriculum, cultural
adaptations, training for staff, and integration of program within public networks
Over 400 families graduated from 16 week program
Over 40 staff from various professional backgrounds in Black community have
been trained and certified
Sites include 3 School Boards, church, 3 community front line agencies in Black
community, public housing site.
Partners include McGill, Concordia, Institute in Community and Family Psychiatry
( Children), LBPSB, EMSB, CECM, and community partners
International Partnership with ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY in US to establish
links with university scholars and Black communities promoting best practices
ACDPN is the first visible minority NPI within CHSSN network
• CHSSN as a community development partner of ACDPN”
• The Community Health and Social Services Network (CHSSN) is a network
of 64 community resources, associations, foundations, public institutions
and other stakeholders dedicated to creating partnerships that enhance
health and social services for English-speaking communities in Quebec.
• A fundamental goal is to ensure that English-speaking Quebecers are
working as partners within Quebec’s health and social services system to
improve health outcomes and to enhance the vitality of their
communities.
• At the heart of its community development mission is the CHSSN program
“Networking and Partnership Initiative”. The CHSSN partners with
community organizations sponsoring the development of 20 community
health and social services networks across Quebec. ACDPN is one of our
partners.
• A community network brings together community, institutional and other
partners of the health and social services network. It aims to improve
access to health and social services through partnership initiatives,
cooperation with and participation in the public system, provision of
information on community needs, support for the volunteer and
community resources sector, and the promotion of services adapted to
the needs of English-speaking people.
•
•
•
The CHSSN has provided resources to ACDPN over the last five years to meet these
objectives. We are pleased to continue our support through a new five-year agreement.
CHSSN supports key development principles through its partnership model with sponsoring
organization like ACDPN:
– Community empowerment is an important principle applied at each step of the
development process.
– Community governance implies the minority community is taking charge of its long-term
sustainability. The community plays an active role in developing and controlling its
resources and strengthening networks within.
– Knowledge development, evaluation and research reflect a commitment to evidencebased action and on-going evaluation, for example by identifying best practices.
– Influencing public policy to create lasting change is a key development outcome
promoted by active participation of community in the policy milieu. The goal is to secure
the recognition of community as a legitimate stakeholder by institutions, government
and the larger society.
– Leadership development is an essential principle supporting empowerment of
individuals, groups and organizations in order to take action on issues of community
vitality and well being.
The CHSSN subscribes the World Health Organization model of partnership between all
stakeholders promoting the health of populations
Action Research –
• Diagnostic to identify profile of Black English speaking community
and disparities in social determinants of health
– CHSSN data describing profile of Black English speaking community
and comparisons with English and French speaking communities
– Data collection on rates of signalements for Black families; placement
numbers, and other data describing crisis facing Black families
– Focus groups with Black parents to identify challenges facing families,
experiences with services, and suggestions for improvements
– Focus groups with social service workers at Batshaw and CSSS
Cavendish
– Key informant interviews with stakeholders in public network agencies
and school boards
– Community forums held to elicit feedback on preliminary data and
identify priorities for action
– Organizational review-identify pre-conditions for implementation of
policy reform campaign
Research & Policy Change • Review of literature describing disproportionality issues and links to policy
analysis focusing on systemic barriers and lack of access to prevention
services
• Review of literature describing under-utilization of mental health and
prevention services by minorities in US, Canada, and Quebec
• Review of literature describing best practice solutions focusing on
“differential intervention” or child welfare/community partnership policy
development
• Identification of existing MSSS policies which promote adaptations of
services to improve outcomes for minority communities
• Identification of conceptual framework, a Montreal adaptation of
differential intervention ( child welfare) which promotes role of
community responses to child welfare service demands
• Identification of pilot project which demonstrates the proposed
adaptation
Roadmap for Reform
1. Conceptual framework describing the context for change
–
–
2.
Partner with Center for Research on Children and Families, McGill to promote
adaptation of “differential intervention” to match local needs and history
Alicia Boatswain-Kyte, Ph.d student, will briefly review this development
Identify a “Roadmap To Promote Policy Reforms which Increase Access
To Prevention Resources for Black Families at risk “
–
–
–
–
Complete diagnostic major challenges facing Black Families, their experiences
with services, and suggestions for improvements, etc.
Complete research with support from MCGILL on disparities-especially overrepresentation of Black youth in Youth Protection system and Quebec context
describing adaptations des services as a policy goal
Partner with McGill and Concordia, along with BATSHAW, CSSS, and school
boards, community partners to develop a shared vision of change
Jim Carter, CHSSN, will briefly describe CHSSN support for ACDPN policy
reform initiatives
McGill Center for Research on Children
and Families
• Responsible for impact evaluation funded by
PHAC from 2006-2012;
• Responsible for process evaluation funded by
the NCPC since 2011 – present;
THE APPROACH:
Participatory Action Research (PAR) a process of
working collaboratively with those most
involved or impacted by the issue.
Conceptual Framework to Promote
Policy Change
KEY OBJECTIVE: To further identify dissemination
and sustainability strategies…
DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE:
• Child Protection practice that allows for a more
flexible response to reports of child abuse and
neglect.
• Recognizes variation in the nature of reports and
the value of responding differently to different
types of cases.
Discussion
• What does differential response LOOK LIKE
and how do we IMPLEMENT?
KEY RECOMMENDATION: Build and formalize
partnerships with community organizations
ROADMAP- demonstrate the change
3.Build on the success of the strengthening families program by integrating
the prevention resource/network within public social and education
services
–
Partner with BATSHAW FAMILY AND CHILDRENS SERVICE CENTER and CSSS,
school boards, and community partners to develop a pilot project using
elements of strengthening families to demonstrates adaptation des services
4. Identify and develop criteria for adaptation des services reflecting MSSS
policy and agence guidelines
–
–
–
–
–
–
Improve outcomes for target group through the following:
Inter-organizational team building, practice, program development
Needs assessment
Involves multi-sectoral collaboration
Using evidence to support policy change through evaluation and dissemination
Establish dialogue with agence and MSSS to apply for funding to demonstrate
adaptation
ROADMAP –university engagement
• Increase local capacity of Black community to
participate in reforms
– Don de Guerre, Chair, Applied Human Sciences,
Concordia will describe the long standing
partnership to increase local capacity and role of
university in promoting innovations at the
community, public networks of government
services, and university level to support policy
reforms
The multiple inter-relations
of open systems
Community
Environment
Purposeful
People
14
STRUCTURAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF ACTION RESEARCH
Common
Ground
A
B
Researched
Researcher
X
Focus
Problem
Assumptions
Method
Reality
van Beinum, 1993
15
Open Systems Translated into a Search
Conference
Environment: What’s going on in the world around us?
Desirable and Probable Future Environment
Where have we come from?
Keep, Drop, Create
Desirable Future for Us
Constraints
Desirable and Achievable Future
Action Plans
community
grows and
diffuses
Don de Guerre
16
ACDPN Member retreat –building
organizational capacity and
leadership
Forums involving public network partners
Dr F Hickling, University of West Indies,
presenting an overview of working with Black
families to social workers and partners at
BATSHAW
STRENGTHENING BLACK FAMILIES
OVER 300
FAMILIES
HAVE
SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETED
14 WEEK
PROGRAM
ROUND TABLE FORUM AT CONCORDIA WITH ALPHA
KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY , OLDEST AND LARGEST BLACK
SORORITY IN US
Maitre Bram Freeman, Vice-President
Development and External Relations,
Concordia and Ms.Carolyn House Stewart,
International President, AKA at the
Concordia Breakfast event for the AKA
Board and ACDPN partners
Dr Tricia Goodley, Chair Graduate Studies,
School of social Work Howard University
leads forum to discuss policy reforms
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
•
•
•
•
alicia.kyte@mcgill.ca FOR ALICIA
chssn@sympatico.ca FOR JAMES CARTER
don.deguerre@sympatico.ca FOR DON
leith.hamilton@gmail.com
• For copies of ACDPN ROADMAP ON POLICY REFORM
TO INCREASE ACCESS which includes bibliography,
summary of focus groups findings, and policy
objectives, CONTACT LEITH