Posted by Discussions about the possibility of amalgamating child protection services in Brantford, Brant, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Haldimand and Norfolk have begun.
On Wednesday, Brant Family and Children’s Services and the Children’s Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk announced in a joint news release that the two agencies have started amalgamation discussions.
“These are very early days and we envision a process of staff, family, volunteer and community engagement in this detailed process,” reads the release. “We believe there are synergies and opportunities between the two jurisdictions that will result in service improvement for children and families. We anticipate that the discussions about the creation of a new child welfare organization will be mutually beneficial to families in both jurisdictions. Throughout this change process, our focus remains on quality service delivery. Our mandates remain unchanged regarding child safety and family support. For families who we are working alongside, it is important to know that our doors remain open and you can expect to receive the support you need and deserve. For staff, volunteers, foster parents, kin caregivers, we remain committed to providing you with the tools you need to support families. To our stakeholders, we anticipate that our common work will continue. For everyone involved in child welfare within the respective jurisdictions, our commitment to you is to have respectful dialogue about our changes, to engage in innovative discussions about a vision for the new organization and to invite you to help celebrate our collective successes.”
The statement was signed by Bernadette Gallagher, acting board and executive director of Brant Family and Children Services, Shannon Chevrier, executive director of the Children’s Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk, and Craig Mannell, board president of the Children’s Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk.
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