Our thanks and appreciation to the following MYS supporters. Without you our work would not be possible.
If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives. - Robert South
January - November 99 Donations
PATRONS
Ken Cranwell
DONORS
Apotex Fermentation Inc.
Escape Communications Corporation
Henry Ford Car Show
Ken Devine
SUPPORTERS
MGEU All Charities � Barry Hansell
Canadian Pediatric Society
Computer Warehouse Direct
DeFehr Foundation Inc.
Estate of Beatrice Mutchmor
Freightliner Manitoba Ltd.
Global 2000 Print Management Inc.
Imaginet Communication Group Inc.
Jeremy Dueck Photography Inc.
Kendrick Quality Printing
Knights of the Road (Kleysen Trucking)
Valdine Borchert
Wpg.Audio Visual Services
FRIENDS
A. Stirling � Ada M. Ostach Archer Phillips Law Office � Betty Churko Beverly Graham C.P. Pensioners Association MB. Calvin & Shawna Peterson Contempora Steel Ltd. Dave�s Loader Service � Donna Kentziger D. Sinclair � Eldon Hearn Elizabeth Johnston � Ellen Herie Euro - Can Enterprises Ltd. � Eva Fell Frank & Doreen Mazur � G.M. Partridge Gail Schmidt � Gelinas Et Fils Meat Store George Howell � Guylaine Lachance Harry & Ida Peterson � Jane Montgomery Janet Ingersoll � Jean & David Sinclair Judy Witaker � Kachurs Sand & Gravel K.Watson
Lake Francis Women�s Institute Maggie Moore � Mal Yurkowski � MAVA Margaret Poitras � Marion Griffith Marvin Sierks � Mildred Parker Millers Super Value Meats � M.Worden Natalie Newman � Nicole Lachance P. Perrault � Preston Arsenault Raymond Novog � Roy Seib � Scott Turnbull � Sheryl Shaler Sisters of the Holy Rock Star Building Supplies � Suzanne Pelletier Times Colonist � U. Desrochers Warehouse One (Thompson) � Wattcomm William Triggs Wpg Goldeyes Field of Dreams Fdn.
hat a year! For the past 14 years the Alternative Parent Home Program (APH) has been a leader in
the field of Treatment Foster Care in Manitoba, providing community-based homes for many of the
highest needs children. This year has been particularly exciting, as the program has experienced
both steady growth and new challenges.The APH program has changed significantly from the early days, when a single high-needs foster child was placed in one high-level foster home. There are now 47 children placed in 23 foster homes. Because of the need for more treatment foster care resources the program is continuing to expand, expecting to reach a total of 55 - 60 placements. To accomplish this expansion, a fifth Clinical Case Manager has been added to the staff team and a number of new foster families will be welcomed into the program. The program�s growth reflects the quality of the service provided and recognition of the role that the APH program plays in the treatment of special needs children and youth. For several years the program has considered accepting referrals of foster families and foster children together. This differs from the usual referral and intake process that places foster children into skilled, experienced, previously selected foster homes. Bringing families and children into the program together eliminates the need for children to move in order to access the program. By providing the same type of supports that are used in our regular placements (i.e. Clinical Case Manager |
with a limited caseload, 24 hour crisis coverage, parent support group, etc.) it is hoped that
existing placements can be preserved. This plan is appropriate for children who are already living
in a foster family that requires additional supports to succeed. This plan is aimed at reducing the
number of times a child needs to move from home to home, while helping to increase the foster
parents� skills. In the past few months, this plan was realized when a local Child & Family
Services Agency referred both a family and their special needs foster children to the program.
The family and children have now entered the program and placement is proceeding well. This past summer, Brian Ridd (Program Coordinator) and Charlene Craig (Clinical Case Manager) attended the 13th Annual Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA) Conference that was held in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There had been dialogue between APH and the FFTA for several years, but this was the first time that anyone from the program attended the Annual Conference. Both staff members came back excited and energized, bringing new ideas drawn from workshops and from meetings with other Treatment Foster Care programs. There was a wide range of topics offered in the workshops, allowing foster parents, clinicians, and administrators to focus on their own areas of interest. There was also a strong emphasis on involving foster children. In fact, one of the keynote speakers was a young woman who spent much of her childhood in foster care. �The thing that struck me most was the presence of the children. That was a forceful reminder of the importance of putting ourselves in their shoes�, stated Ms Craig. The benefit of being connected with other Treatment Foster Care programs was clear, so shortly after the conference the APH Program became a member of the FFTA. The most recent exciting news is that the program has been approached by the Provincial government to discuss signing a multi-year agreement to fund elements of the program. These discussions are not yet concluded, but this confirms the importance that the greater Child Welfare system places on the Alternative Parent Home Program. What a year! |