Burnside Gorge is a family resource centre that responds to the needs of families in the area, including counselling and outreach. Family support and education programs include Parent and Tot (P&T) activities, Triple P Parenting Program, Community Hot Lunch and Family Dinner Drop-In.   If you require futher information about our Family Centre programs please click here to email our Family Centre Coordinator. 

The C'NEX program keeps children in the care of their families by providing intensive education, support and help in building a safe, social network. We provide school-based Youth and Family Counselling to the Spectrum family of schools.

Our Youth Centre provides afternoon and evening drop-in activities and skill based programs, as well as outreach and support for local teens.

C'NEX Project

C'NEX was designed for families in Burnside Gorge whose children are in the care of the government or at risk of being taken into care. By using an Integrated Case Management Model, the C'NEX program builds parents' capacity to assess their family needs and strengths. As well, parents and children are assisted in accessing and creating the appropriate supports.

The program is unique in that it is successful in working with resistant families, nurturing their willingness to change.

C'NEX has a proven success rate in reducing the number of children in government care, as well as successfully supporting children to safely reside in their home communities. With obvious exceptions, we know that with the proper supports, children are better raised in their own families and communities, as opposed to within the government system. By keeping children out of government care, costs to the Ministry are reduced.

The basic objectives of the program are:

• To maintain children in their family home, who have been deemed at high risk of coming into care;
• To assist with family reunification, where children are in care;
• To assist families in achieving a permanent parenting plan for their children in a timely manner.

With this integrated approach, the C'NEX program is better able to connect children and families to support that exists in the community. We believe that with proper support in place, families are better able to raise children.

In cases requiring preventative measures, children are better able to stabilize in a healthy and familiar environment. Rather than creating a dependency on a program, the goal is to facilitate interdependency within the neighbourhood. This is accomplished by providing resources for parents and children to build healthy relationships with other families and with the community, ensuring that families do not face isolation when the direct program supports are concluded.

Family Development Response Outreach

The goal of the Family Development Response (FDR) Outreach program is to assist parents in keeping their children safe and to strengthen the families' ability to care for their children in the community. FDR builds on families capacities by strengthening connections within families and community help networks. 

The FDR worker provides:

• Individualized support to families;
• Assistance to families in reducing risk to their children;
• Support to the family as a whole to empower them to increase strengths, and to develop the capacity for long-term positive parenting;
• Referrals to community services and programs that best meet the family's needs;
• Crisis intervention;
• Assistance in meeting basic needs;
• Telephone support.
  

Triple P

Triple P is a Positive Parenting Program that promotes good communication and strong relationships between parents and children.

This positive approach to parenting helps parents promote their children’s development and manage their children’s behaviour in a constructive and caring way.

Triple P helps parents recognize causes of common child behaviour problems and encourage desirable behaviour in their children.

Triple P offers suggestions and ideas to help parents:

• build positive relationships with their children
  
• praise and encourage behaviour they like
  
• teach children new skills
  
• set rules and give instructions their children will follow
  
• respond to misbehaviour immediately, consistently and decisively
  
• use discipline strategies that work
  
• take care of themselves as parents
  

The April 2010 session is full.
To place your name on a waitlist, please call reception at 250-388-5251

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Youth & Family Services Staff | 250-388-5251

Correen Coons | ext. 242
Integrated Youth & Family Services Team Leader

Shauna Eiriksson | ext. 248
Family Programs Facilitator

Shaun Devore | ext. 227 
Child & Family Counsellor & C'Nex Program

Debbie Francis | ext. 240
Child & Family Counsellor & C'Nex Program

Copyright © 2005 Burnside Gorge Community Centre. Site designed by Sunpreet S. Jassal.