ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Date: June 11, 1996
TO: Vancouver City Council
FROM: Director of Community Services, Social Planning
SUBJECT: Grant Recommendation: Youth Work Co-ordination
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council approve a grant of $20,000 to the Sunset
Community Centre Association for a youth work co-ordinator
position, to strengthen the co-ordination of youth services
in Vancouver, to research and map existing services and to
facilitate integration of services for all children and
youth. Source of funds to be $20,000 from the 1996
Community Services Grant budget reserve.
GENERAL MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The General Manager of Community Services submits the foregoing
for CONSIDERATION.
COUNCIL POLICY
Approval of grant recommendations requires eight affirmative votes.
PURPOSE
This report recommends approval of a grant to strengthen the
co-ordination of youth services in the City of Vancouver. The
co-ordinator will work with Vancouver Coalition of First Line Service
Providers to Children and Youth. This coalition of youth services
providers includes representatives from Park Board community centre
associations, Boys' and Girls' Club, neighbourhood houses, Vancouver
School Board, Family Services, immigrant integration agencies and
other community agencies. The co-ordinator will assist in the
development of a co-ordinated approach to youth services, and
facilitate bridging between immigrant and mainstream youth-serving
agencies. An evaluation of the effectiveness of this coalition of
youth services providers will be done in March 1997.
BACKGROUND
On April 2, 1996, Council approved the 1996 Community Services Grants
Allocations together with a $20,000 reserve for youth work
co-ordination. Over the past three months the Child & Youth Advocate
and the Park Board Manager of Youth Services met several times with a
group of youth services providers to discuss how to work together to
support youth to develop a model for a continuum of service, and to
identify gaps and duplication in services. These agencies decided to
form a "Coalition of First Line Service Providers to Children and
Youth" and to seek funding for a coordinator to help accomplish this
inter-agency work.
At the same time, the Provincial Ministry Responsible for
Multiculturalism and Immigration Community Liaison Branch funded the
Sunset Community Centre Association for a half time position to
facilitate bridging and cross cultural work between immigrant
integration agencies and traditional youth services agencies. Members
of the Coalition felt that it would be appropriate to combine the
$25,000 Provincial funding with the City's $20,000 grant to establish
a full time position to carry out both objectives. This approach will
enhance the development of an inclusive coalition of youth services
providers that will serve all children and youth in a culturally
appropriate manner.
The Provincial Ministry Responsible for Multiculturalism and
Immigration Community Liaison Branch was invited to the Coalition
meeting and agreed to the proposed arrangement of combining the City
and Provincial funding into one full time position.
DISCUSSION
One of the implementation tasks of the Civic Youth Strategy is to
"support the support base for youth". To realize this objective the
Child and Youth Advocate and the Manager of Park Board Youth Services
brought together youth services providers in the City who offer
city-wide services available to all Vancouver's youth. The purpose of
bring together these agencies was to develop common principles for
serving children and youth; to create a forum whereby common issues
and concerns could be raised and discussed; and to eventually create a
coalition whereby resources could be shared and utilized in a more
effective and efficient manner, e.g. use information on gaps and
duplication of service to better inform government funders.
After the first two meetings of the frontline youth services
providers, the group identified the need to map all programs and
services that are currently available for children and youth in each
neighbourhood (including both schools and community programs). This
information will help to identify gaps and duplication services.
Also, as a result of these meetings it became apparent that there was
a need to integrate youth services for new immigrants in a way that is
inclusive and culturally appropriate. From this initial research and
analysis specific tasks and collaboration needs will emerge. Having
an opportunity for agencies to work together on common interests could
build trust and positive working relationships. After this initial
work is completed, agencies should be able to work together to
advocate for unmet needs, and better co-ordination of resources and
services.
Copies of the draft terms of reference and working principles for this
Coalition are attached as Appendix A.
A job description and budget for the youth work co-ordinator position
is attached in Appendix B. Since the Sunset Community Centre
Association is the sponsoring organization for the Provincial grant it
was agreed by the Coalition agencies that they will also sponsor the
City's application so that the full position could be administered
under one agency.
CONCLUSION
The youth-serving agencies are at the beginning stages of building
this Coalition. The staff position will provide the necessary
administrative support, research analysis, bridging and integration of
services between immigrant and mainstream sectors and development of a
service co-ordination model. An evaluation of the effectiveness of
this Coalition of youth services providers will be done in March 1997.
* * * * *
APPENDIX A
Page 1 of 3
DRAFT
VANCOUVER COALITION OF FIRST LINE CHILDREN AND
YOUTH SERVICE PROVIDERS
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Purpose
In the initial stages of the Coalition the purposes will be to:
- strengthen the support base for Vancouver's children and
youth;
- develop trust and good working relationships among
Vancouver's First Line service providers to youth and
children;
- develop linkages between multi-cultural and main-stream
organizations;
- work on mapping the existing services to Vancouver's
children and youth;
- identify gaps and duplications of services to children and
youth; and
- develop a model for a continuum of services;
In the long term, the goal of creating this Coalition is to assist in
the development of a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of child
and youth services within the city of Vancouver.
Participants
The participants in this Coalition will include representatives of
non-governmental organizations, government agencies, and a network of
youth groups providing services to children and youth.
"Working Partners" would include organizations who currently provide
and/or fund services to children and youth and who commit their
representatives to attend every meeting of the Coalition.
"Advisory Participants" who include organizations who currently
provide and/or fund services to children and youth but who cannot
commit, at the moment, the time for representatives to attend every
meeting.
.../2
Appendix A
Page 2 of 3
Terms of Reference (Continued)
"Resource Participants" would include organizations who may, on
occasion, be interested and/or involved in the provision of services
to children and youth and would be interested or invited to attend the
occasional meeting. Participants from individual agencies could be
approached to attend a meeting to discuss specific common concerns.
Organization
Each working partner organization would name one representative and
one alternate to attend the Coalition meetings. Up to five working
partners will make up a Steering Committee for the Coalition. The
Steering Committee will be responsible for giving direction to the
Coalition s staff person, to assist in the development of the
Coalition, to deal with contentious issues arising from Coalition
meetings, and to set and conduct ongoing meetings of the Coalition.
Organizations would decide if they wish to be working partners or
advisory participants.
* * * * *
Appendix A
Page 3 of 3
VANCOUVER COALITION OF FIRST LINE CHILDREN
AND YOUTH SERVICE PROVIDERS
PRINCIPLES
1. The viewpoints of each individual are to be considered and
differences of opinion are to be respected.
2. The mandate and autonomy of each organization is to be respected.
3. The Coalition will encourage input from all stakeholders and will
encourage openness and honesty.
4. The Coalition begins with those who are ready, while keeping
others informed and offering a standing invitation to become
involved when they are ready.
5. The question who is not at the table and who should be? will be
continuously asked. A decision by an organization not to
participate at a particular moment in time should not, however,
slow down the Coalition's work.
6. All interested individuals and groups will have access to
information generated by the Coalition.
7. All participants are obliged to keep their organizations and
decision-making bodies informed about the Coalition and its
activities.
8. In order to overcome concerns of ownership/territory,
participants will try to view discussion and decisions from the
perspective of "what's best for children and youth in Vancouver"
rather than "what is in the best interest of my agency".
9. The Coalition will strive for consensus decision-making wherever
possible. An item will be moved off the immediate agenda where a
major difference of opinion occurs. This item will be worked on
by those directly involved and the Coalition Steering Committee
then brought back to the Coalition when appropriate.
10. Participants will respect the decisions made by the participants.
11. A high level of trust is required among the parties. While
information must constantly be shared between the parties, it is
acknowledged that there may be occasions when this does not
happen. On such occasions, it is assumed that this is because of
accident rather than design.
* * * * *
APPENDIX B
Page 1 of 2
VANCOUVER COALITION OF FIRST LINE SERVICE PROVIDERS
CO-ORDINATOR'S JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
1) Provide organizational/administrative support to the Coalition.
2) Act as the hub for communication for the Coalition members
(including raising issues and sharing general informa-tion).
3) Inventory and map existing services.
4) Analyze information from the inventory and mapping of existing
services and provide recommendations ranging from service to
funding provisions.
5) Develop a continuum of service provision model through a process
involving first line service providers from the field to
management level.
6) Assist Coalition members with the implementation of the continuum
of service model at the local community to city wide level.
7) Assist in the identification of training needs along with the development of training opportunities for staff of the
Coalition's member organizations.
8) Advocate for Immigrant/Refugee Children, Youth and Families.
9) Help bridge mainstream youth-servicing agencies with ethno
specific/multicultural agencies.
10) Seek out services and resources that would benefit direct line
workers in the area of settlement needs of children, youth and
families.
11) Obtain and share census data and information from the Oakridge
Reception Centre of the Vancouver School Board with the Coalition
members.
12) Participate as a representative from the Coalition on the
Vancouver Regional Children and Youth Committee.
* * * * *
Appendix B
Page 2 of 2
PROJECTED BUDGET
REVENUE
Social Planning, City of Vancouver $20,000
B.C. Settlement Grant, Ministry Responsible
for Multiculturalism and Immigration $25,000
_______
$45,000
=======
EXPENSES
Co-ordinator
$21.21 hr x 35 hrs/wk x 52 weeks x 12% fringe $43,300
Mileage 800
Training 900
_______
$45,000
=======
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