The Parent and Caregiver Support Services (PCSS) is working to ensure families have access to the programs and resources they need.
Coordinator of PCSS Suzan Jensen presented an update on available programs during the March 8 Committee of the Whole meeting.
PCSS launched in April 2020 as part of the provincial family resource network program and is provincially funded through a three-year grant by the Ministry of Children Services family and community resiliency division.
The previous grants for early childhood prevention and early intervention, including parent link centres and early child coalitions ended in March 2020, however, the government realigned the grants into a family resource network program model, to align with the provincial well-being and resiliency framework.
The realignment also increased the age range that previous parent link centres and early child coalitions of six and under to now the focus on 18 and under.
“The funds are inclusive, accessible, family-focused, child and youth centres, and community-based centres that offer a province-wide approach to strengthen the prevention and early intervention services that are designed to meet the individual needs of families in a respectful and supportive way,” Jensen said.
The network services are designed to be complementary, coordinated, and flexible to meet the changing needs of communities and families while promoting healthy environments, and positive experiences at critical stages in a child’s development that help build protective factors around a child and the family, and create stronger, healthier communities.
The services and support programming that the network provides align with three-core service deliveries, including child development and well-being, caregiver capacity supports, and social connections and support.
“These form the foundation and direction of the network, work together, and build on one another to help us implement the foundation and direction of our work in supportive safe and healthy families,” Jensen said.
She added, “Leading research in brain science points more and more to the importance of ensuring children grow up in a nurturing, responsive, and stable environment, and they have the opportunity to develop healthy relationships and are protected from toxic stress.”
PCSS is focusing on the service delivery of caregiver or parent capacity building, by providing a range of universal, community-based programs and services that are designed to support Chestermere parents and caregivers with children under 13.
“We provide a unique and important service in Chestermere, that no one else is providing, and we’re hoping to fill an important need in the community,” Jensen said. “We are the only service provider of its kind that provides a responsive curriculum-based parent education programming in Chestermere.”
In addition to the parent programs, the PCSS also provides one-on-one parent consultations, gives parents a regular connection to quality, community-based information, resources and referrals.
“Through the pandemic, our team remained flexible and adaptable to ensure families continued to receive support and stay connected,” Jensen said.
The PCSS is designed to increase the knowledge of parenting, child development, and parental resilience.
“When parents are emotionally resilient, they are able to maintain a positive attitude, creatively solve problems, and successfully overcome challenges in their lives,” Jensen said. “It’s accurate information about raising children, and really helps support parents in having developmentally appropriate expectations, knowledge, and positive guidance techniques.”
