SERVICE DELIVERY PHILOSOPHY
I. HEALTHY FAMILIES AND STRONG COMMUNITIES
The mission of Family Dynamics is to bring programs, partnerships and resources together to empower and strengthen families and communities. Our vision is “healthy families, strong communities, thriving children and resilient people”. Our guiding philosophy is to free and foster the strengths, abilities and assets of individuals, families, organizations and communities; to build on existing capacities and competencies; and to not only see things as they are but as they can be.
Our services and programs are grounded in the belief that individuals, families and communities have strengths that help to maintain family cohesion and support the well-being, quality of life and development of individual family members and communities. Our approach focuses on nurturing protective factors that strengthen resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, social and emotional competence of children, and concrete support in times of need.
We respect the unique worth and inherent dignity of all people and provide respectful services in a safe, accessible and confidential environment.
The needs and preferences of persons served are at the centre of all considerations and we respect the uniqueness and diversity of each individual and family including culturally and spiritually based values, beliefs and behaviours. We honour individual rights to self- determination in the choices and decisions they make.
We respect the rights of people to make voluntary, informed decisions about the services they receive.
We engage together with individuals and families, including their friends and community members, and other organizations and services when desired, in developing service plans that are inclusive and support overall individual and family goals.
We direct people and facilitate referrals to the most appropriate resources, programs or services within our organization or in the community. We strive to reduce barriers to accessing services by offering flexible client-led intake and problem-solving strategies.
Services are voluntary and can be refused or discontinued at any time.
We adhere to the Human Rights Code and offer services without discrimination. We adhere to the Social Work Code of Ethics.
We encourage our clients, participants and community members to engage with us and provide input and feedback to help us respond most effectively to current and emerging needs in our community. We invite anyone to come forward with suggestions, concerns or complaints about any aspect of our services. All clients have the right to make a complaint or appeal about any aspect of service.
II. TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
1. Safety and Trustworthiness
Family Dynamics is committed to providing services that are physically, emotionally, and culturally safe for clients. We understand that trauma survivors often feel unsafe, and are likely to have experienced abuse of power in important relationships or living situations.
We strive to prove safe and trustworthiness by practicing welcoming intake procedures, adapting physical spaces to be less threatening when possible, providing clear information about our programs and services, ensuring informed consent, creating crisis plans, demonstrating predictable expectations, following through on commitments for appointments, and return calls/messages.
2. Choice Collaboration and Connection
We strive to create safe environments that foster a sense of efficacy, self-determination, dignity, and personal control for those receiving service or programming from Family Dynamics.
Practitioners try to communicate openly, equalize power imbalances in relationships, allow the expression of feelings without fear of judgment, provide choices as to service preferences, and work collaboratively with clients. We strive to create opportunities for clients and participants to establish safe connections—with other service providers, families, peers, and the wider community—is reparative for those with early/ongoing experiences of trauma. We invite clients and participants to identify their strengths, to further develop resiliency and coping skills, to be involved in developing service plans and to help evaluate the effectiveness of their experiences with our organization.
III. CULTURAL SAFETY
Cultural safety is an outcome based on respectful engagement that recognizes and strives to address power imbalances inherent in our social systems. We strive to create environments free of racism and discrimination, where people feel safe when receiving services from Family Dynamics.
IV. CULTURAL HUMILITY
Cultural humility is a process of self-reflection to understand personal and systemic biases and to develop and maintain respectful processes and relationships based on mutual trust. We strive to humbly acknowledge ourselves as learners when it comes to understanding another’s experience.