Guelph-Wellington’s Family and Children’s Services celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, and decided the best way to do it would be to expand from the city.
A new office opened in Elora a few weeks ago, bringing the Children’s Aid help to families in the northern part of Wellington County.
“It’s a full service office. We have a full team of social services,” said Executive Director Daniel Moore.
Family and Children’s Services has the mandate given to Children’s Aid, and Moore said the service provides help for children who can no longer stay in their own homes.
With the new building, “We now have space for families to visit when [children] are in our care. Previously, they had to come to Guelph.”
Moore said the service acts on telephone calls, where people are concerned for the safety and well being of children.
He said the organization receives about 3,000 such calls every year, and after investigation, usually has to take action on about one-third of them, or intervene in just over 1,000 cases. He added, “On any given day, we have 200 children in our care.”
As well, the organization is responsible for finding adoption families for children taken into custody. Moore said there is now enough space at the new building for staff to train adoption families, as well as to work with parents so they can eventually reclaim their children. There are 130 foster homes overseen by the organization.
Family and Children’s Services has been located in the county in previous years, but now it has a long-term home. Moore said it was located in various places, and was in Fergus at one point, until mould was discovered in the building.
Now at the corner of County Roads 7 and 21, the organization has 5,000 square feet of space in the former Antique Warehouse.
The 20-year lease means the organization can act as a centre for parents to meet their children, for training so parents, in the best case scenario, can rejoin their children, and training for parents and foster parents. The building now houses office space for 15 full-time employees, and even has a conference centre.
Family and Children’s Services receives its mandate from the provincial government, which also funds its work to about $20-million per year.
It provides a number of services, including acting as a drop-off point for estranged parents to take their children for exchanges in custody.
Sadly, Moore noted in some cases the organization has to take custody of children.
“One of ten [from complaints] goes into care,” he said, noting that “We do most of our work without the child coming into care.”
But, he said, some children have to be removed from their homes to protect them from emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, or neglect.
The organization looked for about a year to find the right building, and Moore believes the search was worthwhile.
“We should be in that building for 20 years,” he predicted.
While there are 15 staff at the Elora site, he said there are 150 people total working in the organization. He added that being in a rural area has its advantages and disadvantages.
For starters, there are fewer long trips to Guelph to access services.
“There are challenges in the county,” he said, citing travel distances and poor weather, as well as increased levels of isolation, but there are communities and neighbourhoods in rural areas that are unlike those in the city.
He added it also helps his group being in the county to forge more partnerships with police and such groups as the Rural Women’s Shelter.
“Rural people tend to rally together,” he said.
To contact Family and Children’s Services to report fears about children, or to considering becoming a foster family, telephone 519-824-2410 or toll free at 1-800-265-8300, or visit www.fcsgw.org.
