GLENGARDA CHILD & FAMILY SERVICES

 

2008/2009 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

 

Mr. Tony Gualtieri

Mr. Raoul Rusich

Mr. Paul Kale

Ms. Lucia Yiu

Mr. Phil Brennan

Ms. Susan Rousseau

Mr. Joe Saso

Mr. Jeff Geml

Ms. Pat Taman

Ms. Debbie Cercone

Ms. Gerri Wong

Ms. Tina Goetz

 

 

COMMITTEES

 

                                                                                                                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2008/2009 AGENCY STAFF

 

MANAGEMENT TEAM

* Mr. Mark Donlon, M.S.W. – Executive Director

Ms. Beth Kuhn, M.S.W. – Executive Director / Director of Clinical Services

Mr. Bob Schmidt – Supervisor of Child & Youth Work Services

Mr. Garry McFadden - Supervisor of Child & Youth Work Services

Ms. Renée Gilliam, M.S.W. – Supervisor of Social Work

Ms. Carolyn Binder, B.S.W. - Supervisor of Supervised Access Program Windsor-Essex

Mr. Jeremy Zurfluh, B.A. - Supervisor of Supervised Access Program Chatham-Kent

Ms. Michelle DiNardo, M.S.W. – Supervisor Community Based Programs

Ms. Adelle Greco, M.S.W. – Supervisor, Individual & Family Support Services Program

Mr. Roger Hills - Principal, Greater Essex County District School Board

Ms. Paulette Strang – Vice Principal, Greater Essex County District School Board

* Resigned

 

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Ms. Carol Folkeringa, CGA – Accountant

Ms. Melissa Veresuk – Executive Assistant

Ms. Jean Clary – Receptionist

Mr. Mark Donlon Jr.– Computer Technician

 

CHILD & YOUTH WORKERS

Ms. Meaghan Bowyer

Ms. Tammy Calic

Ms. Dora Casella

Ms. Jennifer Charron

Mr. John Couture

Ms. Heidi Cox

Ms. Denise Desbien

Mr. Brendan Docherty

Ms. Cheryl Duttman

Ms. Dana Ellis

Ms. Shawna Fotheringham

Ms. Rita Gignac

Mr. Ryan Jacques

Ms. Sandra Lebert

Ms. Jodi Lessard

* Mr. Ken Money

Mr. Todd Morin

Ms. Leanne Pinkowski

**Ms. Karen Schiller

Ms. Samantha Staffen

Ms. Emily Warlock

Ms. Clarissa Wheeler

Ms. Jen Wright

* Resigned

** Term certain

 

CLINICAL STAFF

Ms. Cassie Barber, M.S.W.

Ms. Sarah Brennan, B.S.W.

Ms. Rita Burgoyne, B.S.W.

Mr. Tim Ellard, R.S.W.

Ms. Margaret Fittler, M.S.W.

Ms. Karen Francis, M.S.W.

Ms. Martha Forte, B.S.W.

** Ms. Candace Huie, M.S.W.

Ms. Angela MacKinnon, M.S.W.

Ms. Mary Kay Morand, M.S.W.

Ms. Stacey Slobodnick, B.S.W.

Ms. Michelle Sullivan, M.S.W.

Mr. Akin Taiwo, M.S.W.

** Term Certain

 

ACADEMIC STAFF

Ms. Allison Bellemore

Ms. Brenda Biekx

Mr. Blair Browning

Ms. Jordan Butcher

Mr. Ken Dundas

Ms. Raquel Hurst

Ms. Marie-Jeanne Lajoie-Dyck

Mr. Gaetan Levesque

Mr. Jack McGarry

Ms. Patricia Mio

Mr. Paul Paliani

Ms. Deborah Tehan

 

GRANDPARENT & VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Ms. Mary Hoevenaars

 

HOUSEKEEPING

Ms. Bonnie Côté

Ms. Shawna Couch

*Ms. Kathy Roy

*Currently on sick leave

 

SUPERVISED ACCESS PROGRAM STAFF

 

Windsor/Essex SAP                                     

Ms. Elaine                                              

Ms. Maria

Mr. Marco

Ms. Laurie

*Ms. Shannon                                    

Mr. Matthey

Ms. Karin

Ms. Alison

Mr. George                                      

Ms. Tara                          

Ms. Rae Anne                          

* Resigned  

 

Chatham/Kent SAP

Ms. Amy

Ms. Alison  (Casual Relief)

Ms. Charlene

Ms. Carla

Ms. Andrea

Ms. Trina  (Casual Relief)

 

 

CONSULTANTS

Dr. Yousha Kamal Mirza - Psychiatry Services Consultant

Dr. Doug MacDonald - Psychological Services Consultant

Ms. Kathy Regier, R.N.

 

 

 

 Service Demographics

 

Age and Gender Analysis

 

 

 

Types of Family’s Served

 

 

 

Types of Family Employment

 

 

 

Types of Family Income

 

 

Medication

 

 

Diagnosis

 

 

 

 

 

Presenting Problems

 

 

Other Agency Involvement and Referral Source

 

 

 

 

Implications for Service

 

The majority of our consumers are male in day treatment, SBCIP and EIP, over 85%.  However, in IFSS we are servicing more females (66%) than males (44%).  It is evident that we are servicing very poor families across all four programs.  Almost all of our children in day treatment take prescription medications.  A significant number of the children receiving services through SBCIP also take medication, 79%.  This suggests that we need to be flexible with our services in order to meet the needs of our consumers.  If finances are problematic, we need to consider the demands we place on families to provide transportation for themselves and their children, time away from work to attend treatment planning meetings, counseling, psychiatric assessment appointments and additional costs for things such as medication, shoes, boots and other basic needs.  Efforts need to increase to seek additional funding sources to support our low income families.

 

In day treatment, our families are stressed in a variety of ways.  To a lesser extent, the families in the school based services also experience similar issues.  68% of our families have children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and 36% have been diagnosed Oppositional Defiant Disorder.  Meeting the needs of these children is very demanding.  Additionally, 31% of our parents in day treatment struggle with their own mental health problems, leaving them with limited internal resources for coping with the demands of needy children. We need to continue to work on finding better and more meaningful ways to reach out to our families and provide them with real support and real relief in order that they can begin to cope with the many struggles facing them.

 

 

Service Demographics for Supervised Access Program

 

Inquiries

 

 

                                                                                                    Clients Served

 

 

 

                                                                                                    Referral Information

 

 

                                                                                                    Reason’s for Referral

 

 

 

                                                                                                    Visit’s / Exchanges

 

 

 

 

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

 

 

Looking back a year and a half, you will recall in January 2008 Glengarda began delivering services from its new home.   It was an exciting time; a time of growth, expansion and development.  One year later, on January 5^th, 2009, our Executive Director of 16 years moved on to another Children’s Mental Health Centre.  More change for Glengarda.  The Board of Directors, along with a local recruiting firm, conducted an Executive Search and on March 1^st, 2009 our new Executive Director, Beth Kuhn, began a new chapter in her career with Glengarda Child and Family Services. 

 

On April 1^st, 2008, Glengarda began a new family service program, the Individual and Family Support Services Program.  United Way graciously provided the means for us to expand our mandate beyond Children’s Mental Health and Supervised Access, to a multi-service agency.  Over the year, this program has been in high demand for counseling and skill based group services. 

 

We continue to look for ways to facilitate services that will meet the needs of our consumers, children, youth, adults and families.  We know through research that physical exercise is particularly essential for children struggling with mental health disorders.  As such, Glengarda is in the process of initiating fundraising efforts to further develop the McDonald play area and fund new equipment to be used in the gymnasium area. 

 

We, the Board of Directors, continue to support the growth of the agency, and research driven, evidenced based, practices to help our consumers develop to their potential.  Our next steps to ensuring appropriate future planning for the agency is to complete our strategic planning process, which combines input from consumers, staff, community partners, funding bodies and the Board of Directors.  We anticipate a plan that will not only provide short term, but also long term direction for Glengarda as an essential community service, driven by consumer needs.

 

Looking forward, Glengarda will participate in an accreditation process that begins this fall and concludes next spring.  We are confident that we will meet all of the essential standards set out by Children’s Mental Health Ontario and maintain our accreditation status.

 

I would like to thank the staff for their dedication for providing expert services to our consumers.  Thank-you to the Ministry of Children and Youth, United Way, and the Ministry of the Attorney General for their ongoing commitment and confidence in our organization and the services we provide to the community.  Finally, thank-you to our School Board partners, the GECDSB, the WECDSB, CSDCSO (French public) and CSDECSO (French catholic). Without all of you working together, there would be no Glengarda.

 

I have had many years serving on the Board at Glengarda and have watched the growth and accomplishments made by this organization on behalf of consumers in Windsor and Essex.  I am honoured to be part of such a dynamic group of individuals who sit with me on the Board of Directors to help steer this organization down a path of excellence.  I particularly appreciate the support and wisdom shared by my fellow board members as we embrace each and every new decision we make.

 

Thank-you to you all for your service and dedication on behalf of our children, youth, adults and families of Windsor and Essex County.

 

 

Tony Gualtieri,

Board President

 

 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

 

 

For this, my first annual report as Executive Director, I feel both humbled and excited by the experience.  The Executive Director is a servant to the Board of Directors.  Glengarda, has an experienced group of dedicated, creative and knowledgeable volunteers who give freely of their precious time, so that the children, youth, adults, and families of this community can be ensured quality services that are evidenced based, accessible and designed to meet their needs.  To you all, I say thank-you.  Glengarda has a rich history, created by the Ursuline sisters, steeped in honourable values that are consumer driven and consumer focused. 

 

Today’s consumers are complex.  They come with needs that are multi-faceted.  They require an approach that is multi-disciplinary and supported through a variety of providers.  In other words, they rely on us to be good at working with community partners.  I don’t mind saying, I believe Glengarda staff are really good at partnering.  We have developed strong partnerships with our school board colleagues.  We have seven dedicated staff who work directly in community schools 4 ½ days a week to provide services where the consumers live.  No other local centre dedicates that amount of resources for this purpose.  We have additional staff offering groups after school hours to support children in their natural environments, to develop appropriate social and problem solving skills, and still more who help children integrate back to community schools.    We have partnered with community agencies and share office space in numerous communities outside of Windsor to help consumers access services in their home towns.  We are part of the community movement with Triple P and in fact, were leaders in our community, bringing together the various mental health providers to ensure all parents in Windsor/Essex have access to evidenced based parenting strategies.  We have partnered with the University of Windsor to evaluate and compare programs and services, in an effort to inform our future decisions about programs and service delivery.  We enjoy strong partnerships too with our funding bodies.  As I said, we are good at partnering with our community, it is one of our many strengths.

 

Our future will require us to look beyond the traditional partnerships and explore all possibilities.  We have recently joined our Board of Directors and staff in a combined Fundraising Committee.  It will be interesting to see where these efforts take us in our quest for further partnerships.  Our strategic plan is a look 20 years down the road.  It is an opportunity to create the services for the future.  We are given a chance to ask ourselves what role should, and do we want, Glengarda to play in our community and then a mandate to see that we do.

 

I am grateful for the management team.  What an honour it is to be part of such a supportive, hardworking group of colleagues, who have the integrity to put the needs of consumers foremost in their daily thoughts, actions, and decisions.  I am thankful to the front-line staff who give wholly of themselves, in strategic and creative ways, each day in their caring interactions with each other, with consumers and community partners.  To our community partners and funding bodies, I look forward to strengthening further our positive relationships.  Finally to the Board of Directors, I look forward to your guidance, knowledge and wisdom.

 

 

Beth Kuhn, M.S.W.

Executive Director

 

DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES

 

 

Glengarda continues to experience new initiatives within various programs provided by the agency.  Our partnerships with the four school boards have blossomed as we go forward with the community based programs.  Dr. Sharon Pyke, Greater Essex County District School Board, Ms. Cathy Geml, Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, Ms. Denyse Berecz, Conseil scolaire de district du center-sud-ouest, and Ms. Pauline Morais, Conseil scolaire de district des écoles catholiques, have all committed their staff resources to ensure the community based programs run smoothly on behalf of the children and families we serve.

 

Our newest program, Individual and Family Support Services, has serviced almost 800 individuals in Windsor and Essex County in its first year.  The community has responded very favourably to our counseling and preventative services being provided.   With the addition of IFSS, we are now able to offer evidence based parenting programs both internally and throughout the community allowing for much greater flexibility for all our consumers. 

 

Supervised Access continues to expand its satellite offices.  We now have visit sites in Windsor, Chatham, Wallaceburg, and Tilbury and are continuing to look for additional sites in Essex County.   

 

Glengarda remains a pivotal player on the Steering Committee of the Triple P community group.  Representatives from each of the local mental health agencies have joined together to implement a community strategy for offering Triple P to the general public.  The research in this area suggests that Triple P, done on a community wide basis, can be a tremendous support to families and prevent serious family and behavior difficulties in children.  Through a grant, the community was able to hire a Triple P trainer to train 20 more individuals in Triple P.  We have trained, dedicated staff  that have shared in the duties of providing the groups and seminars in the community. 

 

The two provincially directed data base programs we use, Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI) and Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) have demonstrated again that Glengarda serves some of the most needy children in our community and in the southwest region.

 

Our treatment teams consisting of Child and Youth Workers, Social Workers and Special Education Teachers are a dedicated group of staff.   Team meetings are held weekly to provide support, review treatment plans and offer suggestions and strategies to respond to the high needs of the children and families we serve.  During these meetings we review and stress the importance of team relationships, understanding that well functioning teams provide optimal service.

 

We have begun the process of reviewing all the data we collect and collaborating with the University of Windsor to see if we can articulate a better data analysis of the services we provide.  Presently, we have taken on the challenge of comparing effectiveness of day treatment versus community based services.

 

 

Beth Kuhn, M.S.W.

Clinical Director

 

SOCIAL WORK SERVICES 

 

 

During the last fiscal year, our Social Work team in day treatment consisted of one and a half Intake Social Workers and five and a half Social Workers that acted as Case Managers/ Therapists.  In addition, we had two BSW students and a MSW student from the University of Windsor.  We worked with consumers through a menu of services including assessment, day treatment and integration.

 

Our Intake Social Workers received 58 new referrals for day treatment of which 22 were admitted during the fiscal year.  An in depth assessment of child/family’s needs and appropriateness for service as well as collaboration with the school boards and other agencies continues to be the Intake Social Workers’ primary role.

 

The Social Workers continue to provide many of our consumers with individual, group, marital and family counseling.  Often, individual counseling for our children is offered in the form of play therapy.  Therapeutic groups for children were conducted in the following areas: family separation, body rights, self esteem, grief and family violence, trauma, socialization and coping skills. Social Workers assisted in the implementation of our evidenced based parenting programs, Parenting Wisely and Triple P Parent Group. 

 

Service coordination continues to be a critical component of the social work role.  The Social Workers  coordinate services for the children and families both internally and in the community.  Their job is to ensure that the children/families receive the services that they need both during and after their involvement in day treatment.  The children and family’s needs are identified through a detailed Family Assessment that is completed by the Social Worker within the first thirty days of treatment and is monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis through regular treatment planning meetings.

 

The Social Workers continue to work very hard at developing positive partnerships with the families we service.  We appreciate and value the hard work and commitment parents make when their child is involved with treatment.   We involve parents in all aspects of the treatment planning process.  In addition, many parents are actively involved in our Parent Classroom Involvement program as well as participating in family events such as family bbq’s, summer program, Christmas lunch, etc.  As a result of parental involvement and support, we are better able to help children make progress with their goals.

 

The Social Workers continue to use both provincially mandated data collection tools, the BCFPI (Brief Child and Family Phone Interview) and CAFAS (Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale).  In addition, the Social Workers have been utilizing the computer based case information system, KIDS, to collect and maintain required data for all of our families.   

 

Our continued goal will be further community support and interagency collaboration with more services provided directly into the community where consumers live.

 

Renée Gilliam, M.S.W.

Supervisor of Social Work Services

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNITY BASED SERVICES

 

 

Glengarda’s community-based services were provided to 26 schools in Windsor/Essex County in the 2008-2009 fiscal year.  This year The School Based Children’s Intervention Program was able to provide service to 27 children and families in 20 schools.   Services were provided in all four school boards in both English and French languages.  The School Based Children’s Intervention Program team consisted of two Social Workers and three Child and Youth Workers. Services that were offered this year include individual and family counseling, home support, behavioural programming, groups, parent workshops, psychological and psychiatric services and service coordination with other community agencies.  As well, 383 students in 11 classrooms received seven weeks of social skills training and three family of schools received the “Triple P: Power of Positive Parenting” seminars.   These services helped many children to grow and flourish, as well as, be maintained in their community schools.

 

The Early Intervention Program continues to offer services to children and families from both the Windsor Essex Catholic School Board and the Greater Essex County District School Board. This year six schools received the seven-week program. Approximately 24 classrooms and 664 children received the social skills program, and the “Parenting Wisely” parent program was provided to all parents within the school. The team consisted of a social worker and a child and youth worker.  In addition to classroom wide social skills and parent workshops, children and families were offered additional services including individual and family counseling, service coordination, and home support. As well, additional classrooms received introductory lessons to skills, and teachers received teacher workshops.

 

In terms of research, all community programs continue to collect qualitative data through the use of standardized measures such as BCFPI, CAFAS, ASEBA, and pre and post social skill surveying. This information is used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the programs and also assists staff in the treatment planning process.  The data collected is also captured within the quality assurance report.

 

Glengarda’s community based programs continue to provide various group, individual and family based services around Windsor/Essex County.  It is through these services that children and families are able to build, maintain and foster positive relationships within their community environments. 

 

 

 

Michelle DiNardo, M.S.W.

Supervisor of Community Based Services

 

 

 

 

CHILD & YOUTH WORK SERVICES

 

 

It has been over one year since we moved into this beautiful building and the staff continue to develop creative and innovative programs to assist the children and their families.  The Child and Youth Worker department remains at fifteen full time equivalent employees providing a variety of services. We have one person to provide Social Skills recreation to the children and assisting a contract Life Guard to facilitate our weekly swim program.   Five Child & Youth Worker’s provide behaviour management and support to the children in the regular treatment rooms.  Over the past year, changes were implemented to provide dedicated staff and a more concentrated service to three areas of the Day Treatment program:  1) Community Support Program , 2) Home Support Program , and 3)  Group Work.

 

·         The Group Work team has ensured that twice weekly social skills lessons and practice occur, as well as a number of groups on such topics as Anger Management, Problem Solving and Impulse Control.

·         The Home Support workers provided service to 20 families; over 31 contracts with each contract lasting approximately six weeks. The Home support occurred in the family home in the afternoons and evenings. 

·         The Community Support Program assisted 24 children return to the community school with the support of a Child & Youth Worker. The Child & Youth Worker supported the child in understanding the rules of the school as well as developing positive friendships with peers through socialization or friendship groups.

 

The changes to the structure allowed the Child & Youth Worker in each of the treatment rooms to focus on supporting the children to achieve positive growth and permitted the easy inclusion of parents into the Day Treatment activities through the Parent Involvement Program.  This year we had 19 families; over 21 contracts (lasting an average of four weeks) participate in this program.  During the parent’s visits they were able to learn how their child is progressing, obtain an understanding of the child’s preferred style of learning as well as develop a positive rapport with the others at the agency.

 

During the months of July and August, agency staff implemented recreational and group work as part of our summer program. This service provided a more relaxed therapeutic environment, during which the focus was social skills and recreation.  It also provided families with needed support and respite for a portion of the summer months.  

 

As in previous years, the Child and Youth Worker’s, with the assistance of others, trained and supported a group of children as they participated in the Track and Field meet hosted by the Windsor –Essex Catholic District School Board at the University of Windsor athletic field. This was a great opportunity for the children to experience this type of event, and we were very proud of their accomplishments.  We are looking forward to again doing this in the coming years.

 

Glengarda continues to supply training /work environments for the Child and Youth Work students from local community colleges. The students are able to implement the skills taught at the colleges as well as provide the agency with valuable resource and talent.

 

 

Bob Schmidt and Garry McFadden Jr.

Supervisors of Child and Youth Work Services

 

INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES PROGRAM

 

 

 

The Individual & Family Support Services (IFSS) was successfully introduced April 1, 2008, adding a progressive service line and affiliation to Glengarda’s range of services. The purpose of the program is to promote healthy functioning through accessible services in the city and county.  The services are offered through clinical counseling for individuals, couples, families or group interventions that address specific impairments in psychosocial functioning.  Services are also offered for family education and support services which are intended to promote healthy functioning through the provision of prevention, early intervention, and skill development services.  Examples of specific programs are in-home behavioural programs, Learning About Divorce (LAD), Anger Management for Adults program, skill based groups for children, Triple P, Parenting Wisely.  Furthermore, workshops have been provided regarding a wide variety of specific issues.

 

The IFSS service team is composed of two and a half social work clinicians, and one and a half Child and Youth Workers.  In addition, we had an MSW intern from Dalhousie University.  IFSS has offered services to approximately 798 clients in its first year.  Dedicated team members often work in collaboration to assist clients in meeting the identified goals with success.  IFSS team has worked diligently to develop evidence based programs and offer services that address identified needs in the community (e.g. LAD, Anger Management for Adults).  Furthermore, to support accessible programs for clients in Windsor and throughout the county, services have been offered at different locations within the Windsor area, and throughout the county which include Amherstburg, Belle River, Essex, LaSalle, Harrow, Leamington, and Kingsville. 

 

IFSS staff have been trained in BCFPI (Brief Child and Family Phone Interview), and received interrater reliability with CAFAS (Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale).   These standardized measures are used for data collection.  IFSS have been utilizing KIDS (computer based case information system) to collect and maintain data for all clients.  IFSS staff has been trained and are accredited providers of Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). 

 

Partnerships with The City of Windsor through the Early Years Learning and Community Centres in Windsor and the county, as well Windsor Family Credit Union have been established to support accessible locations.  Partnerships have taken place with WECDSB (LAD workshop was offered to parents and staff) and GECDSB (pilot project-skill based group for children).  As well, IFSS has collaborated with Youth & Family Resource Network in Kingsville and Harrow, and St. Joseph Catholic Church in River Canard to offer parent training and education. 

 

In the coming year, in partnership we hope for continued development and implementation of accessible programs as identified to meet the needs of the community, assist in building community capacity, and promote healthy functioning for individuals, couples, and families.

 

 

 

Adelle Greco, MSW, RSW

Supervisor of Individual and Family Support Services

 

 

 

SUPERVISED ACCESS PROGRAM

 

 

Glengarda Child & Family Services, in partnership with and funding from the Ministry of the Attorney General provides Supervised Access Services in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent Court Districts.

 

Dedicated and trained Glengarda staff help facilitate access for children and families experiencing a separation and/or divorce by making access for children and parents safe, child-focused, and neutral.  Staff document factual observations during parent-child contacts for judicial review in the family court system.

 

For 2008 – 2009, some major changes have taken place and program service provision has expanded in both Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent.  In May 2008, the Ministry of the Attorney General began fully funding satellite centers throughout the province of Ontario.  Chatham-Kent Supervised Access Program, originally being a satellite Centre of Windsor-Essex, is now a fully funded center with a full-time Program Supervisor hired in October 2008.

 

The Chatham-Kent Program has built partnerships with both the Chatham-Kent Childcare Learning Centre in Wallaceburg and the Tilbury District Family Health Team to provide services in those respective communities.  The Windsor-Essex Program is also looking to provide services to the community at large and is actively pursuing space in Leamington to provide visits and exchanges for families there.

 

Both Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent Programs are working together to provide consistent and efficient services to families.  Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent Supervisors have begun bi-annual Inter-Centre staff meetings and training along with maintaining good working relationships with our local Advisory Committees.  In addition, each Ontario center is working toward compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians Disability Act. 

 

Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent Programs have completed a Parent-Guide Booklet with the assistance of a VIP student from the University of Windsor.  The pamphlet is designed to walk clients through the referral process and what to expect from the program.

 

For 2008 – 2009, Windsor-Essex Supervised Access Program scheduled 1805 supervised visits and 1108 supervised exchanges.  In Chatham-Kent, the Supervised Access Program scheduled 329 visits and 300 exchanges.  In both Centers, the majority of children were between the ages of 4 and 9.

 

In the year ahead, both Supervised Access Centers will actively continue to educate our community about the benefits of safe, conflict-free access for children and families along with providing services to clients in more rural communities across our counties.

 

 

Carolyn Binder, B.S.W.

Supervisor, Windsor-Essex Supervised Access Program

 

Jeremy Zurfluh, B.A.

Supervisor, Chatham-Kent Supervised Access Program

 

 

 

GRANDPARENT PROGRAM

 

 

 

Glengarda works collaboratively with Malden Park Long Term Care Centre to provide the Grandparent Program.  During the past year the Grandparent Program has serviced 19 children and 10 adults. The pairs meet on a weekly basis for half an hour for approximately twelve weeks. Participants enjoy games, crafts and conversation.  The end of each twelve-week session is celebrated with a pizza lunch for the children, the seniors and the children’s parents.  The matches have proven to be successful and all parties give high praise to the program.  In the past the program has been funded by the Trillium Foundation and New Horizon’s for Seniors, since the program is no longer eligible for these grants Glengarda currently funds this program.

 

VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

 

 

Over the previous year there have been 30 volunteers who have generously given 833 volunteer hours. Many of the volunteers are university and college students, however, there are also a few retired professionals. These volunteers provide our children with many activities and programs. Volunteers assist staff as tutors and coaches, they offer pet therapy, music therapy, occupational therapy, and guitar lessons, they mentor, teach drawing, and offer craft and sewing programs. The generous sacrifice of their time is greatly appreciated, as these activities could otherwise not be offered to our children.

 

Glengarda is involved in the Volunteer Internship Program (VIP) with the University of Windsor. The VIP program matches students from all disciplines with not-for-profit agencies for the completion of a forty-hour internship over the course of one semester. The students are able to implement the skills taught at school as well as provide the agency with valuable resource and talent.  Since April 2007 there have been eight VIP students placed at Glengarda. 

 

Glengarda has seen a steady increase in the number of volunteers who are choosing to stay on at Glengarda year after year and we hope to see this trend continue.

 

Through the Canwest Foundation’s Raise-a-Reader program Glengarda received an $8000 grant to help implement literacy initiatives at Glengarda.  Laptop computers were purchased for four of our specifically identified children.  The remaining $4000 has been used for each team to select literacy materials to add to our mobile library.

 

 

Mary Hoevenaars,

Coordinator,

Grandparent & Volunteer Programs

 

The Principal / Vice Principal’s Report

Greater Essex County District School Board

 

 

This past school year has proven to be one of the busiest for the educational staff in the area of professional development.  The varying ages, grade levels, diagnoses and abilities of the students continues to place a great deal of pressure on the teachers to provide academic programming that meets their specific individual needs and has required the teachers to differentiate the programs for the students to a great extent.  In addition, the Ministry of Education through a survey of all programs at the mental health and treatment centers in Ontario conducted by Deloitte last year, has published twenty-seven expectations of said programs. These are entitled “The Essential Elements for Educational Programs for Pupils in Government-Approved Care and Treatment Facilities”.  The teachers are expected by their ministry to meet these expectations as the monitoring reports of Section 23 programs will be based on compliance with these.

 

We have been extremely fortunate this year that the GECDSB has included Glengarda in a series of Professional Learning Community (PLC’s) initiatives that have allowed teachers to formally meet together three times during school time to review student work and to develop specific pathways and lessons that would address identified weakness in literacy.  These meetings, as well as numerous individual meetings, with the Numeracy and Literacy Teacher consultant have allowed the teachers to provide an even more individualized and differentiated program than in the past.  An emphasis on establishing larger blocks of time for literacy, has resulted in a pronounced growth in literacy skills.

 

The GECDSB has been very generous in providing the additional resources required to expand literacy across the curriculum in all grades. To ensure that the teachers are well versed in the use of these resources, individually they have attended numerous workshops to hone their skills in how best to utilize these excellent programs. The GECDSB also provided the opportunity to integrate 10 students into Century.

 

Technology continues to be widely used in the classroom. Several new computers have been purchased to replace outdated equipment in the classroom.  In March we purchased a Smartboard for Glengarda.  This amazing, versatile and very interactive piece of equipment is being used regularly in all the classrooms.  The interaction of students and staff with a host of different programs and internet sites show that the money was well spent.  This will allow students to be familiar with this technology upon returning to the community.

 

It has been a very busy and demanding year to date.  Next year will be even more so as the expectations that have been placed on teachers by the Board, and they on themselves, only increase.  We look forward to continuing the professional development initiatives that have been started this year as we all strive to address the needs of all students and prepare them for their eventual re-integration into the community.

 

 

Rogers Hills,                                                               Paulette Strang,

Principal                                                                     Vice-Principal

 

 

SERVICE AWARDS

 

 

30 YEARS

Emily Warlock

 

15 YEARS

Renee Gilliam

 

10 YEARS

Carol Folkeringa

Martha Forte

Tammy Calic

Michelle Sullivan

Margaret Fittler

Stacey Slobodnick

 

5 YEARS

Dana Ellis

Brendan Docherty

Shawna Fotheringham

Heidi Cox

Melissa Veresuk

Angela MacKinnon

Adelle Greco

Carolyn Binder

Dora Casella

Laurie Gaylord

George Merrett

Charlene Reaume

Tara Reid-Laframboise

Rae-Anne Renaud

Jordan Butcher

Paul Paliani

Blair Browning

Debbie Tehan

Roger Hills