Join Mediate BC and BC Foster Parents Association for one of two available webinar sessions on collaborative decision-making options in child welfare in BC

 

Mediate BC is hosting workshops on collaborative decision-making options in child welfare with multiple organizations across BC. These workshops are intended for anyone who is working with or connected to families involved in child welfare matters.  Collaborative Decision-Making options are out-of-court processes that encourage families to share their voices in decision-making to resolve child welfare matters.

Foster parents are deeply connected with children and youth involved with the Ministry of Children and Family Development. Collaborative Decision-Making Processes are important options for children and youth to know about as they navigate conflict and communication with parents, social workers, and other support people. Foster parents can also participate in Collaborative Decision-Making Processes, either through supporting children and youth in their care or working through their own conflict and communication barriers. Collaborative Decision-Making Processes can also focus on helping youth transition out of care, a critical time in many youths’ lives.

In this workshop, foster parents will learn more about Collaborative Decision-Making Processes, how children and youth can access them, and how these processes can be tailored to meet the needs of participants.  Foster parents will then be able to take this valuable information and use it to support children and youth in their care.

This workshop will begin with an hour-long presentation, which will cover key information on Collaborative Decision-Making Processes. We will then spend the last hour of the workshop answering questions, discussing barriers that foster parents face in accessing or engaging with Collaborative Decision-Making Processes, and learning from each other about best practices to support children and youth navigating conflict while in care.

  • Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am PST
  • Thursday, November 7, 2024 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm PST

A recording of the webinar will be made available to those who are not able to attend these sessions.

Registration is now closed. 

Access the recording here and copies of the presentation here

Resources 

The Resources page on Mediate BC’s website has resources for families on Child Protection Mediation and other Collaborative Decision-Making processes available for download in English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Farsi, Arabic, Korean, Tagalog, and Ukrainian.

If you are interested in having hard-copy resources mailed to your organization, please reach out to Talia at talia.holy@mediatebc.com.

Mediate BC also has a series of informational videos on Child Protection Mediation captioned in English, French, Hindi, Punjabi, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Farsi, Arabic, Korean, Tagalog, and Ukrainian. They are accessible here: Child Protection Mediation – Mediate BC.

Ask a Mediator Clinic.

Mediate BC offers free online clinics where you can have your questions about Child Protection Mediation answered directly by a Registered Roster Mediator (RRM), get non-legal advice about your situation, and discuss your options and resources for resolving your conflict. 

You can book your appointment online: https://calendly.com/mediatebc/ask-a-mediator-clinic

Appointments are available on the first and third Tuesday of every month between 4:00pm – 6:00pm. If these times do not work for you or if you have any questions, you can reach out to Ann by email at ann.lee@mediatebc.com, or by phone at 1-877-656-1300, and she would be happy to assist you!

Although Mediate BC is sharing information with you specific to the topic of Child Protection Mediation, please note that the Ask a Mediator Clinic is available to anyone to discuss other areas where conflict arises as well, such as family law, landlord tenant disputes, and so on. If you would like to speak to a Child Protection Mediator specifically, or need an interpreter, we ask that you please note that in your scheduling request. 

Referral Forms

Download the professional referral form for social workers, advocates, lawyers, etc.

Download the referral form for parents, guardians, youth, and family. 

f you decide that you would like to move forward with mediation, please fill out one of the forms and send it back to cpmediation@mediatebc.com to begin the process.

You can also access these forms on Mediate BC’s website, please click here. If you have any questions about these forms, you can reach out to Hannah by email at cpmediation@mediatebc.com.

Contact Information

Lori Frank, Director of Child Welfare Initiatives 

E: lori.frank@mediatebc.com

T: 604-684-1300 ext. 107

Pawan Sran, Collaborative Decision-Making Navigator 

E: pawan.sran@mediatebc.com

T: 604-684-1300 ext. 103

Talia Holy, Collaborative Decision-Making Navigator Administrative Assistant 

E: talia.holy@mediatebc.com

T: 604-684-1300 ext. 104

Hannah Stanley, Child Protection Mediation Program (CPMP) Coordinator

E: hannah.stanley@mediatebc.com

T: 604-684-1300 ext. 102