Indigenous Perspectives Society: Centre of Excellence in Community Education (IPS) offers Prevention and Capacity Building Training for non-Delegated and Delegated Staff members working in the area of Indigenous Child and Family Services. These training courses support the professional and personal development of participants to be effective in their roles, working collaboratively both in and with Indigenous child and family support teams. Participants of these training courses may be working in or alongside both Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations throughout British Columbia and across Canada. A minimum of 10 participants and a maximum of 35 is recommended for all private deliveries. If you are interested in scheduling a delivery of any of these or other IPS training workshops, please contact:

IPS Client Services Coordinator: Tasman Fitzmaurice: TasmanF@ipsociety.ca

Prevention & Capacity Building courses offered:

Colonization

The purpose of this module is to describe and reflect on colonization from an Indigenous and ally perspective. It provides insight into the underlying dynamics of present-day Indigenous communities and social issues. Participants will be grounded in concepts that inform and assist in the decolonization of their practice.

Length: 2 hours

Connection & Support

Placing a child in care is only used when no other option is available. The purpose of this module is to provide insight into the planning process for finding alternate living arrangements for a child and the social worker’s role in preparing both the child and caregiver. This module explores Indigenous perspectives on the history of children in care in Canada. It will critically reflect on the impact that separation and alternate living arrangements have on children, identifying the stages of grieving, responses to trauma, and the ways in which an inclusive, culturally centered approach could minimize the trauma and disconnection experienced by children as they navigate through the child welfare system.

Length: 2 hours 30 minutes

Family Care Homes

The purpose of this two-day module is to examines the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved with the placement of a child and the Family Care Home team. In addition, it introduces the role and functions of a Voluntary Care worker with respect to the development of Family Care Homes, including but not limited to: types of Family Care Homes, including out-of-care options; types of Family Care Home agreements; the Family Care Home development process; the provider’s rights, role and responsibilities; and agency staff’s roles and responsibilities.

Length: 2 days

Family Violence

The purpose of this module is to provide insight into the issue of family violence. The following factors will be explored: the definitions and context of violence, factors contributing to family violence, the impact on the child and family, and its occurrence in Indigenous communities.

Length: 3 hours 15 minutes

Hope, Help & Healing: Suicide Prevention

Though suicide and suicidal ideation take place within the context of a person’s life, it also occurs within the context of a family, a community and the larger society. It is acknowledged that historical, political and economic factors have contributed to the disproportionately high rates of suicide among some Indigenous peoples. The purpose of this module is to discuss suicide prevention, intervention and postvention information. Suicide touches many of our Indigenous communities and it is thus critical for anyone working with Indigenous families and communities to be aware of possible child/youth stressors, risks, suicide warning signs, assessment methods, safety planning and referral options. Safety planning is addressed in detail in this module.

Length: 3 hours

Investigative Interviewing

The purpose of this module is to focus on general as well as investigative interviewing techniques for interviews with Indigenous families. Experiential opportunities will provide space to practice conducting some interviewing techniques with children and youth and follow-up interviews with parents and caregivers. There will be opportunities to deconstruct the interview process will also be provided.

Length: 7 hours

Lifelong Connections

Culture is not static or permanent; culture is dynamic, fluid and ever-changing. The purpose of this module is to provide an overview of fundamental information about permanency planning in social work practice, as it strives to facilitate a positive outcome for children and youth in care. The topic of permanency will be approached sensitively, given the historical and current context for Indigenous families and communities. It will focus on the importance of maintaining connections to culture, families and communities whenever possible. The module will facilitate an overview of MDFD’s concept of permanency, an understanding for factors to consider in permanency planning and a review of the common misconceptions of permanency planning for older youth. Additionally, there will be opportunities for participants to explore and challenge their values and beliefs around permanency.

Length: 6 hours

Resilience in Children & Youth

The purpose of this module is to provide insight into resilience within the context of the Indigenous children and youth. It identifies the relationship between resiliency, protective and risk factors, and the importance of preserving and promoting a child’s Indigenous cultural identity as it is essential to building resilience. The module encourages learners to demonstrate knowledge of resilience and identify ‘risk’ factors, protective factors and strategies that focus on enhancing resilience.

Length: 3 hours

Resilient Practitioners

The purpose of this module is to enhance understandings of resilience and why developing resilience is important to professional practice. It will define and contextualize resilience; describe ways in which resilience is developed; and illustrate how resilience protects workers from the impacts of work-related stress. This module will also review burnout, secondary or vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue; as well as strategies for developing resilience to aid in prevention, and recovery. Participants will be given the opportunity to develop a whole person wellness strategy which they can use within the context of their work.

Length: 3 hours

Residential Schools

The purpose of this module is to share various perspectives on the residential school experience. The learning in this module will be supported by both live and recorded guest speakers who will share their experience with residential schools and its ongoing impacts on their lives, family and community. By listening to the stories, participants will gain deeper understandings for the multi-generational impacts that residential school experiences continue to have on Indigenous children, families and communities, as well as within the child welfare system. This may include the sharing of traumatic experiences and some participants can find this content triggering. This module highlights challenges and opportunities of working with families and communities impacted by residential schools.

Length: 9 hours (delivered as 3 half day sessions)

Substance Misuse

The purpose of this module is to review the impact substance misuse has on Indigenous families and communities. This module will introduce various themes on substance misuse as it relates to working in an understanding, respectful and strengths-based way with Indigenous families. The module defines the language used to describe substance misuse, explores factors that contribute to substance misuse, and explains the indicators and myths that surround it. It also references the legislation, standards and policies that could apply when working with people whose lives are affected by substance misuse.

Length: 3 hours

Trauma Informed Practice

The purpose of this module is to introduce trauma-informed principles in social work or social service work practice. Indigenous worldviews are incorporated to show the holistic link between trauma-informed practice and Indigenous ways of being and knowing. The Circle of Courage will be introduced and explored to inform practice.

Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

Truth & Reconciliation

The purpose of this module is to explore and reflect on the truth-telling of Canada’s history and the development of Truth and Reconciliation. Recent events have revealed more truths in the history of Canada and seem to have generated a larger interest and uptake in truth and reconciliation by non-Indigenous civilians. The actions of individuals, businesses and governments have resulted in some visible efforts towards truth and reconciliation. This module will also explore how truth and reconciliation can be incorporated into your work practice. We will examine the past, the present and the hopes for the future of truth and reconciliation.

Length: 3 hours

Working Together

The purpose of this module is to illustrate effective communication skills as the foundation of strong collaborative and culturally relevant practice. Deepening understanding of strength-based, collaborative and culturally relevant practice processes provides a foundation for supporting children, youth and families in moving forward together. This module aims to: Identify effective communication and listening techniques; describe various helpful, collaborative processes; and articulate cultural considerations and their impacts to service work practice.

Length: 3 hours