Our Internal Committees

Mission:

As an organization, we aspire to ensure that all children are secure and confident about who they are.  As such, they require the appropriate level of care and attention in all domains of well-being that recognizes and preserves their inherent human rights to be treated with respect and dignity. For Black children in care, addressing their educational, emotional, psychological, social, health and cultural needs are a critical component of their identity formation, cultural expression and sense of belong safety and affirmation.

The Afri-CAN Carib Connexions Advisory Committee is dedicated to supporting the organization’s commitment to ensure that the well-being, cultural identity, familial and community connectedness of Black children and youth in care are achieved towards equitable outcomes.

Vision:

Equitable practices that promote and support the health, safety, and well-being of Black children, youth and their families.

Mandate:

To promote and support culturally informed and affirming service delivery to achieve equitable outcomes for Black children, youth and their families.

Details to come

The advisory is in development and adding new members.

The FLS advisory is a group of francophones employed by the organization tasked with ensuring the agency is implementing the necessary recommendations of our FLS workplan and ongoing QIP requirements with the ministry.

They are tasked with communicating any perceived systemic issues related to equity, inclusion and fairness in our processes within the organization that are linked to the Francophone language, culture and sense of belonging.

This advisory group meets quarterly with senior staff of the organization to report back any feedback, concerns and progress we are making with the internal workplan. Also, the advisory group meets as a collective more regularly to gather ongoing feedback from our internal francophone staff and also help embed pieces of the workplan relative to the transformation of our internal culture and Francophone staff needs.

SMFC is committed to improving accessibility in all aspects of our service and to ensure that our staff, volunteers, clients, SMFC representatives and members of the general public are provided services in a way that respects the dignity, independence, integration and equality of all.

The AODA Committee works in collaboration with SMFC with respect to matters relating to compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act; developing the multi-year accessibility plan and ensuring that the accessible plans conform to the principles of the AODA and OHRC; identify concerns and gaps based on feedback and respond appropriately; promoting full accessibility and inclusion for all aspects of the agency.

Click here for more information on accessibility.

SMFC is committed to the protection of illness, accidental injury of our employees, properties, clients, visitors, volunteers, and any sub-contractors that can potentially be hired by our organization.

We are devoted to continuous improvement of our H&S program by focusing on prevention of accidental injury and illness and building a culture of health, safety and wellness through our H&S programs and wellness supports.

We adhere to policies and procedures outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and any regulations enforced pursuant to the Ontario Ministry of Labour.

SMFC Joint H&S Committee (JHSC) is a committee composed of both worker and management representatives who are mutually committed to improving health and safety conditions in the workplace.

The JHSC at SMFC acts as an advisory body, identifying hazards and obtain information about them, recommends corrective actions, assist in resolving work refusal cases, participate in accident investigations and workplace inspections and makes recommendations to the management regarding actions required to resolve health and safety concerns.

The Peer Support Team has a mandate to promote a culture that builds resiliency to the demands of child welfare work and offers sensitive response to work-related critical incidents experienced by all staff.

They debrief, educate and provide skilled support to reduce the stress and impact of child welfare and children’s mental health work. Confidentiality and value placed on individuality is assured.

PURPOSE 

The Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions (SMFC) 2S-LGBTQ+ Committee is tasked with supporting the agency in its unwavering commitment to be an equitable and inclusive employer, service provider and community partner to two-spirted, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersex, gender non-conforming, queer and questioning (2S-LGBTQ+) children/youth and their families as well as their communities of support and belonging.  The Committee will work to develop/support, promote, monitor and/or advise on the development of the organization’s practices, policies, services and engagement efforts towards inclusive and equitable outcomes as informed by the agency’s equity and inclusion strategy and outlined in an annual 2S-LGBTQ+ Committee Workplan.

PURPOSE 

The Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions (SMFC) Leadership Council for Equitable Outcomes (LCEO) is a strategic and accountability body responsible for tracking and informing the work of the agency towards integrating equity in all systems and functions in order to enhance services to children, youth, and their families of all identities towards equitable outcomes. The Council is also tasked with providing strategic direction towards enhancing the organization’s health and culture where all are affirmed, included and engaged in an equitable manner.

Desired outcomes include:

• To reduce and eliminate disproportionality, disparity, and discrimination towards children, youth and their families while ensuring child safety and wellbeing
• To support safety, permanency and overall well-being for each child and youth served in and out of care, irrespective of identity
• To build organizational learning that enables SMFC to address systemic and structural factors that may lead to inequities
• To achieve a diverse and inclusive work force that is reflective of the communities served
• To enhance and sustain a healthy organizational culture and climate

The Council for Equitable Outcomes will focus on Equity & Inclusion Strategy (via an Anti-Racism/Anti-Oppression/Intersectional Framework), which taken together represent a comprehensive approach to achieving equity and inclusion:

• Ethical & Collaborative Leadership
• Policy Development and Review
• Healthy Organizational Culture and Climate
• The Employment, Development and Retention of a Highly Skilled & Inclusive Workforce
• Systemic Support and Dedicated Resources towards Inclusive Service Delivery
• Community Engagement & Development

PURPOSE 

The Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions (SMFC) Anti-Racist (AR) & Anti-Oppressive (AO) Committee is dedicated to supporting the organization’s commitment to be an equitable and inclusive employer, service provider and community partner. The AR/AO Committee will work to develop/support, promote, monitor and/or advise on the development of the organization’s practices, policies and services towards equitable outcomes as informed by the agency’s equity and inclusion strategy and outlined in an annual AR/AO Committee Workplan.

DESIRED OUTCOMES INCLUDE

Equitable outcomes and practices that promote and support open, inclusive, safer, and affirming services and environments for children, youth and families served by the agency as well as for those employed by the organization:

An agency that: 

• Works to actively address heterosexism, heteronormativity, transmisogyny, cisgenderism and gender expression within the context of an intersectional framework–both internally and externally.
• Provides inclusive 2S-LGBTQ+ practices and programs throughout the agency in collaboration with community/community partners
• Is a safer work environment for all regardless of gender, gender expression and sexual orientation and all intersecting identities.
• Is an open, inclusive, safe, and affirming place to work and receive services from
• Is a meaningful, collaborative, and active community partnership with 2S-LGBTQ+ communities of support/organizations
• Has an enhanced reputation across Simcoe, Muskoka and the province as a proud and active ally and 2S-LGBTQ+ partner

PURPOSE 

The Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions (SMFC) OVOV Committee is tasked with supporting the agency in its unwavering commitment to be an equitable and inclusive employer, community partner service provider to children/youth, their families and the community they belong to.  The Committee will work to develop/support, promote, monitor and/or advise on the development of the organization’s practices, policies, services and engagement efforts towards inclusive and equitable outcomes as informed by the agency’s equity and inclusion strategy, the OACAS’ OVOV 11 Race Equity Practices and outlined in an annual OVOV Committee Action Plan.

DESIRED OUTCOMES INCLUDE

Equitable outcomes and practices that promote and support open, inclusive, safer, and culturally affirming services and environments for Black children, youth and their families served by the agency as well as for Black staff employed by the organization:

An agency that: 

• Works disproportionality, disparity, and discrimination towards children, youth and their families while ensuring child safety
• Supports safety, permanency and overall well-being of Black children/youth served in and out of care
• Builds organizational learning capacity that will enable SMFC to address systemic and structural factors that may lead to anti-Black-racism.
• Works to actively address anti-Black racism–both internally and externally.
• Provides culturally affirming services and programs throughout the agency.
• Is a safer work environment for all regardless of their racialized identities.
• Provides an inclusive and culturally affirming service delivery approach.
• Is a meaningful, collaborative, and active community partner in the Black community
• Has an enhanced reputation across Simcoe, Muskoka and the province as a proud and active ally and partner of the Black community.

PURPOSE: 

The Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions ACCC Black Affirming Services Consultation Panel is tasked with providing service staff with recommendations towards supporting their service delivery to Black children, youth and their families in a manner that is trauma-informed, healing-centred, culturally safe, responsive and affirming.

OVERALL DESIRED OUTCOMES OF EACH PANEL:

Equitable outcomes and practices that promote and support affirming services and environments for Black children, youth and families served by the agency as per the following consultative goals:

• Centre the voices of Black children, youth, their families and communities in Child Welfare and Child & Youth Mental Health services in Simcoe Muskoka Family Connexions.
• Recognize and preserve the inherent human rights of Black children, youth, and their families to be treated with respect and dignity.
• Inform and support the educational, emotional, physical, psychological, spiritual, and social well-being of Black children and youth receiving services and their families
• Centre the diverse and intersecting identities of Black Children, Youth & Families’ in service delivery, particularly during engagement, decision-making, & planning towards equitable outcomes that are trauma informed, healing-centred and culturally safe, responsive and affirming.
• Affirm the cultural identity, safety, responsiveness and connectedness to family and community as essential parts of the well-being and safety of children and youth.
• Coach, mentor, support and educate service staff and foster caregivers regarding the diverse & intersecting identities of Black children, youth & families and how essential they are to safety, affirmation and well-being.
• Support non-Black staff in identifying, understanding and addressing the impact their intersecting identities that hold power may or is having on their engagement of Black children, youth and their families
• Support non-Black staff in identifying, understanding and addressing the legacy of anti-Black racism in child welfare/society-at-large and the impact on service delivery to Black children, youth and their families
• Work to identify and address the unconscious influences that lead to unconscious biases in service delivery, resource allocation and engagement by working alongside families and the communities they are part of.