About 200 people packed the new headquarters of Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County on March 2 for the grand opening of the building on Eramosa Road.
“We brought together two offices,” executive director Daniel Moore said in an interview prior to the ribbon cutting.
Previously there was an office on Delhi Street and another on Victoria at Speedvale Avenue, but Moore said those separate facilities were not able to serve the needs of the community the way the new building will. Family and Children’s Services is the area’s Children’s Aid Society.
The new headquarters, re-shaped out of an old mall, contains 21,000 square feet of space with ample meetings rooms, offices and private spaces for clients and their families.
“The feature we really worked on was the public part of the building,” Moore said. “There are rooms for families to visit kids if they are in care,” as well as rooms for training.
He said the organization receives 3,500 calls per year for help, and has to take an official response in at least half of them. The agency conducts up to 1,500 child protection investigations per year
Moore said child safety is the key concern.
“We decide if we need to stay involved,” he said.
On any given day there are 200 children living in care, and the agency deals with up to 400 children at any given time. It will place up to 30 children into permanent new homes each year through adoption.
Family and Children’s Services has been providing support to vulnerable children, youth and families for over 100 years.
The federal and provincial governments each contributed $1.37 million to the new headquarters through the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County contributed the balance of the total expansion cost of $4.33 million.
Moore noted the cost of running a single, better-arranged building will work out to “slightly less” than the cost of operating the two former offices.
Family and Children’s Services was established 119 years ago in 1893.
Moore told guests it began its life as an animal protection agency because the area was well known for animal husbandry. It was not until 1928 the organization formally divided into animal and child protection. Up until the early 1900s, there were no official child welfare organizations in Canada, nor was there any legislation to protect children.
“At one time, they probably would have built a stable here,” said Moore to much laughter.
Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong was unable to attend but sent a letter of congratulations.
“The government of Canada is proud to have contributed just over $1.37 million to this project through Canada’s economic action plan,” Chong said in a letter read by Moore.
“I would thank the province of Ontario and Family and Children’s services of Guelph and Wellington County for their valuable partnership FROM PAGE ONE
on this project.”
Guelph MPP Liz Sandals was also pleased at the grand opening and cited the provincial contribution.
Referring to the recession that led to so much infrastructure funding over the past few years, Sandals said, “I don’t think we have many positive consequences from a recession, but if there is, it was the infrastructure program coming along.”
Guelph MP Frank Valeriote was also unable to attend, but said in a letter the opening is just one more way Guelph demonstrates it is well known as “one of Canada’s most compassionate and caring communities.”
Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott dropped off a letter on his way to Queen’s Park earlier in the day, congratulating the group on its grand opening and commending staff and volunteers for all their hard work.
FCS board president Brendan Soye thanked all the politicians for their hard work in obtaining the infrastructure money that allowed the group to transform “a tired old strip mall” into a useful facility for children.
Four of the clients, teenagers, provided an idea of what the centre means to them. Moore said they spend hours taking photos and showing what they have learned in their collages about the centre. Those were hung prominently on the walls of the public space and did show a great deal of work and appreciation.
Moore said, “The new space offers a great work environment for our staff as well as the many partners we have in the Guelph/Wellington community.”
In 1893 Canada’s first Children’s Act was passed in parliament: an act for the Prevention of Cruelty to and Better Protection of Children. That authorized the formation throughout Ontario of children’s aid societies, directed by citizens in local communities.
If was formed as a registered not-for-profit (charitable) organization to support families and protect children and youths (from birth to age 16) from physical, emotional and sexual abuse or neglect. It receives core funding from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services for mandated child protection services: investigation, ongoing support for families with child protection issues, foster care and group care.
The new office is on one level, providing a fully accessible and barrier-free space to accommodate everyone.
It provides appropriate space for staff to meet with families and for parents to meet children.
The new location, which is near the downtown core, several bus routes and other local municipal and government offices, makes it easily accessible for clients.
Approximately 100 staff will work there, but the group will continue to have a presence in the Shelldale Centre in Guelph and through its full-service facility in Elora.
Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County can be reached at 519-824-2410 or 1-800-265-8300. It is located at 275 Eramosa Road, Box 1088, Guelph, N1H 6N3. Its website is www.fcsgw.org.http://www.fcsgw.org
