OMSSA Exchange Program 2022

Dr. JP Gedeon is an award-winning corporate and motivational speaker and one of North America‘s foremost experts on Personal Transformation and Transformative Leadership. He has developed a model of Transformative Leadership that bases itself on the empirical insights of scientific research in transformative psychology and combines it with the stark realities of the business environment.

In this presentation, Dr. Gedeon will help attendees think through the complexities of pandemic recovery. How do we lead at this time of profound social and economic change? Not only will his talk appeal to managers within CMSMs and DSSABs, but his work will also provide practical skills whereby all staff can nurture their ability to be leaders within their organizations.

Speaker:

• Dr. JP Gedeon, Leadership Psychology and Transformation Expert; Chief Executive Officer, Transformative Directions

Ontario has signed a deal to implement the National Child Care program with the hope that it will bring affordable childcare throughout the province. Now, the question on everyone‘s mind is how do we effectively implement this program within our CMSM or DSSAB? The unique shape of Ontario‘s child care and early years’ service delivery makes it difficult to learn from the experiences of other provinces as they worked towards implementing the program. Fortunately, there are experts in Ontario who have been working hard to think through this. In this session we‘ve invited child care and early years experts who will discuss what this program could and should look like here.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Miranda Mackie, Manager, Children Services, Children Services Section, City of Greater Sudbury
• Jane Bertrand, Program Director, Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation
• Carolyn Ferns, Public Policy and Government Relations Coordinator, Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
• David Lee, Consultant, Program and Policy Development, Child Care, City of Toronto
• Dan McCormick, Chief Administrative Officer, Rainer River DSSAB and OMSSA Past-President
• Kerry McCuaig, Fellow in Early Childhood Policy, Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto

Over the last two years, efforts to create more flexible workplaces have accelerated. Organizations that were already experimenting with hybrid work arrangements, as well as those that hadn‘t reached this point, were forced to adapt quickly to the challenges of the pandemic, including the need to support staff working from home. With hope that the pandemic is finally winding down, management and staff are now trying to figure out what the workplace should look like going forward. They have begun the challenging work of sorting through what has and hasn‘t been effective with a remote workforce with the goal of building a fully functioning and sustainable hybrid workplace. This panel will include a discussion of successful hybrid workplace programs in Ontario. Additionally, experts will provide insights into the benefits of providing remote work flexibility and will raise awareness around Ontario‘s Right to Disconnect law, which is set to come into effect on June 2nd, 2022.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Jacqueline Johnson, Director, Community Access, Regional Municipality of Peel
• Adam Christmas, Property Manager, Community Services & Social Development, Housing & Homelessness Department, City of Brantford & Unit Chair – Ontario Works Brant and Housing Unit, CUPE Local 181
• Justin Diggle, Counsel, Miller Thomson LLP
• Marianne Fenton, Manager, Human Resources Strategy and Workplace Culture, Municipality of Chatham-Kent
• Brian Hutchings, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Brantford
• Dr. Arif Jetha, Scientist, Institute for Work & Health, Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto

Within human services, intake or assessment for service is the first point of contact on a continuum of interactions with people we support. For that reason, this initial process is hugely important for creating a foundation of trust between the human services organization and the service user. This session will look at ways for improving intake and assessment from equity-based and trauma- and violence-informed approaches. Experts will discuss the benefits that come from these approaches, and we will hear from a CMSM that has been successfully incorporating these approaches to enhance their common assessment tools.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Heidy Van Dyk, Acting General Manager, Health & Social Services, County of Norfolk
• Maya Ingrao, Housing Support Worker, Homeless Prevention Services, County of Norfolk
• Louise Lovell, Program Manager, Homeless Prevention Services, County of Norfolk
• Megan Phillips, Registered Psychotherapist, Phillips Psychotherapy Services
• Monica Riutort, Manager, Peel Institute on Violence Prevention, Family Services of Peel
• Sandra Rupnarain, Executive Director, Family Services of Peel

Presented by the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres (OFIFC)

The 2021 National Action Plan (NAP) was developed in response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the many demands to eliminate violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGTBQQIA+ people. This plenary lead by Gertie Mai Muise, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres, and member of the Urban Sub-Working Group for the NAP, will introduce participants to the urban chapter of the NAP entitled Urban Path to Reclaiming Power and Place, Regardless of Residency. Participants will be Informed on who the USWG is, hear important highlights of the work around the National Action Plan for MMIWG2S+ and how to responsibly move the work forward in a good way.

Speakers:

• Gertie Mai Muise, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres & Member, Urban Sub-Working Group, 2SMMIWG Urban National Action Plan

Unconscious bias can influence decision-making and health and wellness and organizational performance, and thus have a profound effect on the service users that CMSMs and DSSABs are assisting. This plenary session will introduce you to essential strategies for identifying biases and mitigating their impact. It will be facilitated by Catherine Chambers, a social researcher and organizational development consultant. Catherine will provide an overview of structural and cognitive biases while elaborating on specific actions that can be taken to reduce their impact on staff development and the provision of human services. She will also share relevant insights from her work with organizations in a number of industries and sectors.

Speaker:

• Catherine Chambers, Economic Development Researcher and PhD Student

In this presentation, you will hear MCCSS funded service providers provide insights about supporting the housing related needs of specific vulnerable populations, namely, survivors of human trafficking, survivors of domestic violence and adults with developmental disabilities. This session, highlighting both challenges and opportunities, will share leading collaboration and practices with service system managers.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Craig Cooper, Director of Housing Stability Services, City of London
• Deborah Everley, Chief Executive Officer, Kenora Association for Community Living
• Tom Fortier, Manager, Housing Programs, County of Simcoe
• Haily MacDonald, Director of Operations, Huronia Transition Homes
• Sarah Stevenson, Director of Integrated Social Services, Kenora District Services Board

Last year‘s OMSSA Exchange brought together several presenters in a plenary series to discuss anti-Black racism and workplace equity in broad terms. These presentations dealt with foundational issues of race and representation, strategies for equity and inclusion, and the importance of psychologically safe spaces for racialized workers. But what programs have been implemented by OMSSA members that have made measurable change? In this session we will hear from CMSMs and DSSABs that have developed effective programs that can be emulated by other members who are still seeking to enhance their work around anti-Black racism and workplace equity.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Heather Tillock, Manager of Community Partnerships & Support Services, York Region
• Kojo Damptey, Executive Director, Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion
• Jenna Dolly, Policy and Project Development Specialist, York Region
• Moira Eichenberg, Program Supervisor – Youth Inclusion Program, Recreation & Culture Division, Community Services Department, City of Thunder Bay
• Marci Gray, Chief Executive Officer and Lead Psychotherapist, Gray Matter Health
• Jabari Lindsay, Manager, Employment and Social Services, City of Toronto
• Hanna Samater, Program Manager (A), Addressing Anti-Black Racism and Inclusion Initiatives Strategies and Partnerships, Community and Health Services Department, York Region

Access to appropriate mental health and addiction services continues to be a significant barrier for many clients throughout the province. And while supports from the provincial government need to be maintained or increased, this panel will focus on the innovative programs that have been implemented by CMSMs and DSSABs as they have sought to overcome the challenges related to better assisting these vulnerable clients. Experts will provide insights into how to effectively mobilize limited resources to provide mental health and addiction support for service users. Additionally, this panel will include lived experience insight from a former client.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Stuart Beumer, Director of Ontario Works, County of Wellington
• Denise Andrea Campbell, Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration, City of Toronto
• Martine Creasor, Circles Canada & Lambton Coordinator, Homelessness Prevention and Children’s Services, County of Lambton
• Ashley O’Brien, Manager, Integrated Care Hub, Trellis HIV and Community Care
• Jessica Plain, Circles Leader and Student

For all the negatives that have been brought on by the pandemic of the last two years, there have also been a few faint positives that have come from this crisis. In particular, important lessons have been learned about how to bring health and human services together. This plenary will draw on the experiences of several CMSMs and DSSABs to provide a pathway towards meaningful integration between health and human services, including through innovative best practices and the development of Ontario Health Teams.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Sutha Balasingham, Head, Strategic Initiatives, Community and Health Services, York Region

• Bill Bradica, Chief Administrative Officer, District of Thunder Bay Social Services Administration Board

• Jessica Logozzo, Executive Vice President, Regional Transformation and Integration, Thunder Bay Regional Health Services Centre

• Diane Walker, Chief Executive Officer, Children’s Centre Thunder Bay

With some CMSMs and DSSABs reporting that the past two years have seen significant turnover and retirement of staff, it is evident that the mental health toll of the pandemic has been a key driver of this trend. In this session, mental health expert Françoise Mathieu will guide both leaders and frontline staff through ways to recognize burnout and exhaustion in both themselves and others. Her talk will also offer practical tools on how to refuel and recalibrate to counter the effects of isolation and other challenges brought on by the pandemic. This forward-looking session will offer participants evidence-based strategies to help refuel, repair and recalibrate for the path ahead.

Speaker:

• Françoise Mathieu, Psychotherapist and Executive Director,TEND Academy

Over the Day 3 break, attendees are invited to participate in a demonstration led by Day 2 Keynote, Catherine Chambers. The recent and unexpected migration from brick-and-mortar to distributed, online workplaces required organizations to rethink vital operational processes, and practices. Although digitization became a major theme for communication and workflow, hands-on experiences have emerged as a key component of team-building. The interest in hands-on experiences at work is consistent with the surge in hobbies, and the growth of the DIY economy during the global pandemic.

As the founder of Let’s Make It, a makerspace studio that opened in 2013,  and a researcher whose work focuses on the theorization of DIY and crafting, Catherine Chambers has amassed extensive data on linkages between the handmade movement, economic development and innovation. Through physical representations of handmade artifacts, and a hands-on demonstration, Catherine will share perspectives that explain why crafting is ubiquitous and as such, a vital component of social prescribing, team-building, employment, and education.

This session focuses on what role municipalities have in creating and planning affordable housing by looking at successful projects that have been completed or are underway. Experts will discuss successful projects focused on modular housing solutions, projects that help train OW recipients, as well as other programs that can be used to both train staff and educate the public about housing needs in Ontario. This panel will also include insight from a housing client that has benefitted from a unique project in Sault Ste. Marie.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Rebecca Carman, Housing Services Manager, Northumberland County Housing Corporation, Northumberland County
• Dawn Lebrun
• Stewart Lazarus, Communications Specialist, Region of Peel
• Jennifer McLaughlin, Manager, System Performance, Housing Services, Region of Peel
• Jennifer Murdoch, Manager, Housing Programs, Region of Waterloo
• Mike Nadeau, Chief Executive Officer, Sault Ste. Marie DSSAB and OMSSA Treasure
• Amy Osika, Manager, Housing and Client Services, Region of Waterloo

This session lead by the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres will introduce and explore the how-to’s of relationship building, policy engagement and co-development, service planning, design and delivery, and evaluation through the lens of Indigenous Cultural Competency.

Speakers:

• Nicole Meawasige, Interim Post-Secondary Director, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres
• Lorena Garvey, Interim Continuous Learning Director, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres

It is increasingly understood that a more holistic look at the needs of individuals receiving Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program benefits can improve outcomes. Efforts to develop a program around life stabilization have shown promise in the early stages, allowing individuals to better prepare for employment and find independence. Now, as the program expands and transitions towards ensuring stability supports, what has been learned from the experiences of the prototype regions? This session will bring together some of the prototype members to discuss employment services transformation in the context of their practical and day-to-day work. Among the topics to be covered in this session are common assessment, coordination with Employment Ontario, and staff training.

Speakers:

• (Moderator) Susan Evenden, Director, Family and Income Stability, City of Brantford
• Becky Lala, Manager, Family and Income Stability, City of Brantford
• Deborah Semiwolos, Team Lead, Family and Income Stability, City of Brantford
• Jim Watts, Service Coordinator, Family and Income Stability, City of Brantford
• Amanda Rocha-White, Program Support Analyst, Region of Peel
• Irene Rushworth, Caseworker, Region of Peel
• Paula D’Angelo, Supervisor – Client Services, Region of Peel
• Cheryl Parlett, Manager of Programs, Employment, District Municipality of Muskoka
• Jennifer Morey, Client Services Worker, City of Peterborough