Family Services
About
Family Services believes in assisting families through a balanced approach by empowering them on their physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual healing journey. The mandate of this team is to:
- Keep families together by helping them develop adequate skills and abilities to cope with daily family living
- Provide support and services to facilitate healthy, strong, and connected families
- Prioritize and Advocate for families experiencing Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) involvement.
Vision
“To create strong Urban Indigenous people and families with respect and dignity, by bringing back the traditional way of life, unifying families, and creating a stronger balance in physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual ways”
Services
Inquiry Form
Intake is required. Intake is by phone (250) 384-3211 or in person between the hours of 1:00pm and 4:00pm Monday to Friday. Inquiries for intake can be done by completing the below form. All referrals must go through Intake.How to Reach Us
8:30am – 4:30pm
Monday to Friday
231 Regina Avenue
Victoria, BC
V8Z 1J6
Tel: (250) 384-3211
Fax: (250) 384-1586
Brenda Freeman, Team Leader
Email: brenda.f@vnfc.ca
Family Support Workers
Family Support workers take a holistic, balanced approach that is culturally relevant in providing support to individuals and families.
We assist with:
• Providing parents with support and educational programs that are culturally sensitive.
• Provide goal-oriented and time limited appointments.
• Developing self-advocacy skills.
• Information regarding available housing resources
• Providing information regarding budgeting, shopping, household, and time management skills.
• Developing new parenting tools to cope with parenting challenges.
• Transportation to and from appointments.
• Providing information of all available community resources that may be of assistance.
• Providing information/fill about the Legal/Law documents.
• Providing supports for custody disputes and domestic violence.
• Facilitating family or “Circle of Support” meetings.
Family support workers assist families in achieving their goals through support, referral, skill development, education, mentorship, and cultural continuity. We conduct home visits, and provide support with parenting skills, communication skills, budgeting, life skills, nutrition, housing, social assistance, legal aid and court processes. All team workers strive to build solid networks of support within our community and with sister agencies. Many referrals to supports can be made in house, but external referrals to community supports are made if necessary. The team works to relate traditional and cultural values to urban life.
Family Social Workers
Social workers help families achieve their goals by providing support throughout the development, implementation, and completion of individualized risk reduction plans by providing continuing supports, check-ins, and advocacy. These supports can include Advocacy with MCFD, attending case conferences, meeting with lawyers and preparation for court, and one-on-one emotional support.
We assist with:
• Developing and implementing a long and short-term goal plan and a family/individual wellness plan.
• Providing parents and with support and educational programs that are culturally sensitive.
• Assisting family to provide safe, stable, and nurturing environments for their children.
• Providing goal-oriented and time limited appointments.
• Helping problem solve to overcome challenges along the way.
• Developing self-advocacy skills.
• Information regarding available housing
• Preserving the family unit.
• Developing a community as a whole to respond to families needs.
• Providing information regarding budgeting, shopping, household, and time management skills.
• Regular checking in to support you in working towards your goals.
• Developing new parenting tools to cope with parenting challenges.
• Providing information on how to deal with government systems.
• Making connections with cultural relevant resources.
Some areas of support include, but are not limited to, providing one-on-one emotional support, attending case conferences, meeting with lawyers, preparation for court, and advocacy with MCFD. Using a holistic, culturally sensitive approach, the Social Worker will be part of a multi-disciplinary team working to improve children, family, and community identity and wellness.
Parent Legal Centre
The Parent Legal Centre provides a free lawyer and an advocate to help address the social worker’s concerns about your children’s safety (child protection) early on. Together they can help you find solutions that work for you and your family.
MSDPR Outreach Program
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction does on-site sessions at VNFC for income assistance, ID and form assistance. Please see VNFC calendar.
