Collaboration and partnerships key to remote programming success
PCAP
Is a 3 year program to address the needs and issues facing women; who are using drugs or alcohol while pregnant or 6 months post partum, who have a child impacted with FASD and the woman is using drugs or alcohol, or women at risk of having a child with FASD.
Prevention Conversation Project
A program that ensures that professionals, businesses and individuals within agencies and the community have the knowledge to share the importance of “Its safest not to drink alcohol during pregnancy” through 1/1 conversations with individuals. This is an Alberta pilot project aimed at preventing further births of FASD by educating the public on the dangers of alcohol use during pregnancy, and the social issues around such use and how to support individuals in having an alcohol free pregnancy.
Youth Coach Program
To provide youth impacted with FASD an opportunity to take part in community programming with support, or develop structured supervised community activities that expands and enriches social skills and volunteerism in the community. The youth program also develops within the youth mentors supporting the youth, knowledge and skills to support those impacted with FASD while strengthen the importance of the prevention message around FASD for the mentors to share with their peers.
Family Coach Program
To provide crisis support, advocacy, education and support group opportunities to caregivers of children, adult children or spouses impacted with FASD.
Life Coach Program
To provide supports for youth and adults 18+ to access community supports in education, employment, health, housing, financial, children services and other agency supports as needed and to help the individuals navigate these system and support system changes which address the unique needs of individuals impacted with FASD.
Mackenzie FASD Adult Diagnostic Clinic
To provide assessment and diagnosis for 8 adults per year and follow up assessments for those who transitioned into adulthood without updated assessments. The clinic support worker supports the adults pre and post clinic prior to being transitioned into the other FASD programs.
FASD Youth Transition Coach
Pilot Program (2016)
The Youth Transition Program will be working with 12 youth between the ages of 16-22. The goals of the program are two fold. One is to continue to track and support youth who have been in our FASD Youth Coach program. We want to ensure that they continue to work towards goals of education and employment. The second is to track any differences between those who were in the Youth Coach program and those who weren't.
Program Goals
- To provide a mentor who will connect with the individual at least 4 times per week
- to encourage and support connections with health professionals to ensure medical needs are being met and healthy lifestyle choices encouraged
- to seek support and or treatment for addictions if needed
- to ensure a safe place to live
- to support the transition into adult services including AISH and PDD if needed
- to provide advocacy and teach self-advocacy skills
- to support continued education
- to support employment and employment planning
- to provide goal planning and follow through
- to collaborate with other agencies to ensure appropriate and timely support and programming
Mackenzie Housing Project
Supported Housing (May 2016)
This pilot project is being funded by the Alberta Government. At present 6 individuals are being supported in the housing project. With 24/7 supervision and security as well as daily programming and volunteering, the individuals will develop life skills and explore areas of strength and interests.
The plan is to develop an apartment project that will house a larger number of individuals and provide programming and supports to the individuals and families as needed.
The goals of this facility are to:
- Increase long term housing for persons with FASD
- Increase housing stability for 75% of residents
- Increase the health and mental health status and quality of life for 65% of residents
- Assist at least 75% of program participants to obtain employment or structured volunteer activities
- Decrease the use of correctional facilities for 80% of residents and repeat involvement of 70%
Pilots that informed developing programs
Supported Employment Pilot
Alberta Works provided the funds to developed a supported employment project in 2015 for 5 individuals in High Level, Alberta. By the end of the program 11 individuals had been involved in the program. One of the findings of the program were that preparation for employment needs a timeline in order to prepare individuals by ensuring that they have appropriate identification, health coverage and tickets to ensure some training has been received.
Teen Extreem
Youth pilot project partnership between the High Level Native Friendship Centre, National Association of Friendship Centres, Canadian Active After-School Partnership and NWR FASD Society provided the opportunity to explore the connection between peer mentors for youth with an FASD and physical, social, creative and emotional intentional programming.
One of the learning's from this project is that preparation and training of individuals who would be seen as mentors is key to the success of any interactions, even when there are supervisors present to guide interaction and provide redirection.
U of A SLP Study
NWR FASD Society and the High Level Toy Lending Library Parent Link partnered with the U of A to explore weekly supported programming for women with an FASD.
This program was an opportunity to bring clients together that are impacted with FASD and work towards goals as a group. A longer program would ensure more social success.
Youth at Risk Pilot
Alberta Health provided funding in 2012 for an 18 month pilot to develop youth programming and transition programming for youth at risk in the region.
This funding helped to establish the core outline for the Youth Coach Program.
High Level Youth Mentoring Program
Based on the Big Brother, Big Sister model; providing one on one mentorship to youth in the community.
This program was designed by the High Level Youth Mentoring Association and was operated by the NWR Society from 2009-2016. Small and transient community populations make it difficult to maintain a volunteer mentoring program.