Our Place-Learning in Motion: Social Inclusion at Better Beginnings Better Futures

1. Our Place-Learning in Motion:Social Inclusion at Better Beginnings Better Futures 2006-2008 Funded by the Government of Canada- Social Development Partnerships Program

2. What is Better Beginnings Better Futures (BBBF)? BBBF is a community-based program that provides supports and services for parents and caregivers with children 0 to 5 years of age and pregnant women living in the Heatherington/ Albion/ Ledbury/Fairlea neighbourhoods of South-East Ottawa. BBBF is a program of the South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre.

3. Where is BBBF located? Community House 22-1485 Heatherington Road Ottawa, ON K1V 8Z4 Telephone: 613-523-2223 Playgroup 1495 Heatherington Road (In the Albion Heatherington Community Centre)

4. BBBF: Community Profile Total Population:7,342 0-4 years: 540 5-9 years: 565 Immigrants:39.4% Percentage of immigrants arriving in the last 5 years:24% Mother Tongue other than English or French: 41.5 % Percentage of Visible Minorities:49.6% Total number of census families: 1,840 Percentage of lone parent families: 36% Percentage of multi-unit dwellings: 89.2% Mobility Status- moved in last year:23.4% Mobility Status- moved in past five years: 46.5% Unemployment Rate: 11.2% Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census of Population.

5. BBBF: Program Goals • reduce the incidence of serious long-term emotional and behavioural problems • promote optimal social, emotional, behavioural and cognitive development • strengthen the ability of communities to respond to the needs of children and families

6. BBBF: Approach • The approach to program development is holistic, supporting the child and family consistently from prenatal through the preschool years. The intent is to ensure that children have “Better Beginnings” in all their social environments, commencing with family and including their immediate neighbourhood and local community. • A “management from beside” approach places an emphasis on the relationships between managers, staff, volunteers and community members. The characteristics of this management style include process orientation, people centeredness, hiring from within, democratic leadership, boundary diffusion and modelling.

7. BBBF: Three Program AreasAll programs are free.

8. BBBF: Three Program Areas • Family Visiting is based on a paraprofessional model. Family Visitors provide social support, information on pregnancy, childbirth, nutrition, child development and family issue, and linkages to other community services. • Parent Child Programs provide opportunities for parents to enhance their competencies and confidence in their role as parents, promote adult social interaction, education through modelling and optimal child development. Programs include: high quality playgroup spaces for children and parents/caregivers to mingle and play; a community nurse; well baby drop-ins; pre/post natal supplements; and a community clothing bank. • Community Programs promote cooperation and integration between the rich diversity of families in the community and promote healthy, safe neighbourhood environments. Programs include: a family park; Community Connections for newcomers; and a number of community events and celebrations.

9. BBBF: Outcome Measures Research demonstrates that the objectives set by the South-East Ottawa program are being met. • The rate of Low Birth Weight was 5.4 per hundred births, and the preterm birth rate was 7.5 per hundred births. • These rates are lower than the Ottawa average and the average for the lowest quintile. Source: Canadian Community Health Survey, combined data from the 2001, 2003 and 2005 waves.

10. BBBF: Outcome Measures • Children living in the Ottawa BBBF neighbourhoods show consistently higher scores in the Early Development Instrument domains of physical health and well-being, social competence, emotional maturity, language and cognitive development, communication skills and general knowledge when compared to a comparison group of children who do not have BBBF programs and to all but one of the Province of Ontario average scores. Source: Better Beginnings Better Futures: Project Sustainability, 2005.

11. Our Place-Learning in Motion: Research at BBBF

12. Our Place-Learning in Motion (2006-2008) • The Our Place initiative was funded over 2 1/2 years by the Government of Canada’s Social Development Partnerships Program • Projects were to explore models that promote place-based best practices and partnerships to help communities organize themselves to enhance the well-being of children under six and their families, especially those in disadvantaged circumstances.

13. Our Place: Goal of the Research The goal of the Our Place initiative was to identify barriers to participation in Better Beginnings Better Futures (BBBF) programs and services and to find ways to increase the inclusion and participation of families in the Albion, Heatherington, Fairlea and Ledbury neighbourhoods.

14. BBBF: Steering Committee2007-2008 • The South-East Ottawa BBBF program is overseen by a Steering Committee made up of 15 members including community residents and agency representatives. The role of the Committee is to guide the planning, delivery and management of the BBBF program. • The Committee was involved in all aspects of the Our Place Initiative, from hiring the project staff, providing input on the research questions and methodology, and reviewing the reports.

15. Primary Research Question How has BBBF contributed to the social inclusion of children and families in the BBBF community?

16. Community Defined Definition of Social Inclusion After a careful review of the literature, the Steering Committee adopted the following definition of social inclusion as they felt it best reflected the goals of BBBF. For families with young children living in the Better Beginnings Better Futures community, social inclusion includes having access to child development and parental assistance programs. Social inclusion provides the opportunity to lead productive, secure lives while developing the skills and knowledge necessary to participate fully in the community (2006).

17. Community-Based Research Ethics Board Early in the research process the decision was made that the South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre (SEOCHC) would establish its own Research Ethics Board (REB). With the assistance of the Research Ethics Coordinator at Carleton University an REB was created and was comprised of staff, volunteers, community members and local social service agency representatives. Terms of Reference were developed following the Tri-Council Guidelines.

18. Methodology: Participatory Action Research (PAR) • Action research is defined as doing research with and for people, rather than doing research on them. It focuses on working with people to identify problems, implement solutions, monitor the process of change, and assess outcomes. Action research incorporates three elements: participatory methods; equality between researchers and participants; and reflection and action. The strength of action research lies in its ability to influence practice positively while systematically collecting data. Regular feedback makes it possible to evaluate the accuracy of the data collected and to change the process over time (Cave & Ramsden, 2002).

19. Our Place-Data Collection The project used a multi-method research strategy made up of five parts: 1) individual interviews 2) focus groups 3) observations 4) archival research 5) photographs

20. 1) Individual Interviews • Eighty-three individuals participated in two rounds of interviews. • Community members were trained to conduct interviews with other community members in Arabic, English, French, Spanish and Somali. • The Researcher conducted the interviews with staff, volunteers, the Steering Committee and service agency representatives.

21. 2) Focus Groups Fifty-six individuals participated in two rounds of focus groups.Community members and staff participated separately. The focus groups were an opportunity to keep the community informed about the research. Participants were asked to disseminate information back out into the community. The Researcher also used the groups to ask more specific questions about issues arising in the initial interviews. Barriers to participation were identified and possible solutions discussed. The groups were held at the Community House and conducted in four languages.

22. 3) Observations Over a period of two years, observations were conducted on over forty separate occasions in the community, at Playgroup and at the Community House. The Researcher used a participant/ observer approach where she actively engaged with the community members. and . The Steering Committee believed that establishing a trust relationship with the community would be crucial to the research.

23. 4) Archival Research • The researcher reviewed research reports and documents on BBBF covering the first 15 years of the program. • The Researcher also assembled a clippings file providing a record of newspaper reports on the community between May 2007 and July 2008.

24. 5) Photographs • The photographs were primarily used as illustrations to enhance the written text. They also provided another opportunity for the community to see themselves reflected in the research. • The Consent for Use of Photographs Form was revised to accommodate new forms of media and Right to Privacy legislation.

25. Our Place- Participants Participants were drawn from all areas within the BBBF geographic boundaries and from a variety of language and cultural groups. Research participants included: • Past and present participants of the BBBF programs • Staff of the BBBF programs • Members of the BBBF Steering Committee • Volunteers • Service Providers

26. Findings: Barriers to Inclusion at BBBF • Concerns about privacy/confidentiality • Stigma around receiving help • Lack of information on program/services • Language barriers • Hours of operation too limited • Perceived lack of Cultural Competence • Lack of space for children to play at Community House

27. Strategies to remove barriers to inclusion • Held focus groups on the Confidentiality Policy at BBBF • Introduced new welcoming practices at the Community House and Playgroup • Redesigned the web site to make information more accessible • Basic program information was translated into Arabic, French, Somali and Spanish • Provided on-going cultural competency training for staff • Obtained 1-year funding for a Dads & Tots playgroup

28. Findings: What elements support inclusion at BBBF? • Welcoming atmosphere • An openness to different cultures • Everybody gets help equally • Non-judgemental staff • Consistency in staff and services • Flexibility in the programs • Free programs and services • Opportunities to participate

29. What BBBF means to me. Participants have their say.

30. Homelike My friends and I call the play group the big family home. We go to playgroup many times especially on Friday since back home on Friday all of us visit together the family house and spend the whole day together. We do same thing to compensate and to feel the same feeling as in our country.

31. Welcoming The Community Celebration brings people and different cultures together. It feels like my family because I can go anytime take coffee and chat with anybody there. Its like home- being greeted with a smile, offered coffee. It puts me at ease because I feel I’m welcome.

32. Encouraging By feeling more secure myself, I can better serve my child. Having someone I can depend on who encourages me when I have difficult times. BBBF helped me in finding a good relationship.

33. Respectful There are no restrictions between the workers and parents. The feeling that I’m involved. The way I’m treated with respect. Like an equal.

34. Supportive I feel for me BBBF is a good place. I am proud of what BBBF is doing for me and the community. Family visitor who speaks my language and is familiar with my traditions makes everything easy for me and breaks down obstacles. When I see different faces and people with different languages, I feel BBBF for all of us not for some.

35. Sources • Canadian Community Health Survey 2000/01, 2003, 2005 Combined Share Files, Statistics Canada. Cited in http://www.neighbourhoodstudy.ca • Cave, A. & Ramsden, V. (2002). Participatory action research. Canadian Family Physician, October, 1671-1672. • Nelson, G., Pancer, S. M., Peters, R. DeV., Hayward, K., Petrunka, K., & Bernier, J. R. (2005). Better Beginnings, Better Futures: Project Sustainability. Kingston, ON: Better Beginnings, Better Futures Research Coordination Unit Technical Report. • Statistics Canada. 2007. Census tract profile for 0001.01, Ottawa - Gatineau, Ontario (table). 2006 Census Tract (CT) Profiles. 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 92-597-XWE. Ottawa. Released May 1, 2008. http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/ct/Index.cfm?Lang=E (accessed June 23, 2008).

36. Contact Us Better Beginnings Better Futures 22-1485 Heatherington Road Ottawa, ON K1V 8Z4 Tel: 613-523-2223 Email: www.betterbeginnings.ca South-East Ottawa Community Health Centre 1355Bank Street, Suite 600 Ottawa, ON K1H 8K7 Tel: 613-737-5115 Email: www.seochc.on.ca