| AGM 2020-21 |
| October 19.2021 St. Leonard’s Community Support, Prevention and Residential Services |
| St. Leonard’s Community Support, Prevention, and Residential Services is a non-profit community agency, which is under the administration of a volunteer Board of Directors. It offers community-based justice-related programs for adults and young persons. St. Leonard’s Community: Previously known as COSP grew out of the visionary pursuits of a local judge who, in 1974 began using community-based sentencing as a meaningful alternative to fines, which were becoming an ineffective deterrent to shoplifting. What has evolved from the concepts and endeavors of many volunteers is a comprehensive response to many justice programs. St. Leonard’s Residential: Provides residential services to males between the ages of 12 to 17 years old who are in conflict with the law under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Services and supervision are provided for youth in custody and detention who have been ordered by the court to serve time in custody, as well as youth who have been detained pending further court appearances. St. Leonard’s Home provides a safe, secure, healthy, and supportive environment. Within this environment, a range of integrated, evidence-based programs, an on-site satellite school (Sec. 23 CTCC), and services to help address specific risks and needs of youth, thereby promoting positive outcomes for youth, families, and the community. Ultimately, the primary goal is to ensure public safety and promote the successful reintegration of youth back into their community. Board of Directors: The Board of Directors came together as seamless as the organization amalgamated. They did not let the covid pandemic stop them from meeting and doing the work that kept the new organization on track. Sadly, we bid farewell to our long-term chair and Secretary. Bernie and Lynn who both dedicated years of service to youth in conflict with the law and we will forever be grateful for their time and support. To the remaining board members and members to come, we thank you for without all of you there is no us… Chair – Bernie Belanger (retired) Vice Chair – John Boulton Treasurer – Wayne Speck Secretary – Carolyn Weese Member – Phil Howlett Member – Tom Deakin Member – Shawn Rushlow Member at Large – Aloise Muskiluke Lynn Shoniker (Retired) From the Director: As we near the completion of our second year as a new organization, I am sad that our team could not launch the new entity or celebrate the achievements that comes with an amalgamation in a pandemic at year one, despite the challenges we faced, we stayed the course. I really want to thank and acknowledge the clients we serve, their families and our amazing employees for their patience, kindness, creativity, and support during this pandemic. As you might guess, this has been an exceptionally difficult time for everyone – but the unwavering dedication of everyone at St. Leonard’s Community Support, Prevention and Residential Services has made sure all our programs were protected and supported and this has given me hope that we will have better days ahead and the ability to gather and celebrate our new beginning. Kelly Nolan Executive Director |
Financials:
Residential
The overall program seemed more like secure, given Covid had shuttered our clients and it made it difficult to prepare for discharge in our usual manner. Everyone worked tirelessly to keep the home clean, safe and our clients healthy.
We had to be creative in our approach to make sure our clients were engaged and learning while dealing with Covid. Our youth became aware of the Covid situation and took the program changes in stride, not easy for them but it was manageable. Our numbers remained low as most of the province was under a stay-at-home order throughout the year.
Clients served through Apr.1-Mar.31, 2020/21 – 22
Total days in care 1,176
In March of 2021 the Ministry closed 26 facilities across the province. This means we are only one of three open custody/Detention facilities left in the Eastern region. Although we were off to a slow start
our numbers have steadily increased, and our numbers have more than doubled from the same time last year.
I am grateful that we were saved from the facility cuts, and it would appear the viability for this program will move forward with confidence.
Community
Intersections
Intersections is an evidence-informed, early intervention program that focuses on navigation and coordination of services for young people who are at risk of becoming justice-involved. Intersections helps police redirect children, young individuals and/or their families to the right support, by the right provider, at the right time. Intersections is not an alternative to diversion; not a way to fast track waiting lists; not a mandatory program; and not a crisis response program.
Intersections is a voluntary program for young individuals 8-17 years of age who come into contact with police, and it’s decided that the young person’s behaviour is not criminal in nature. A police officer will refer a young individual to Intersections if they suspect the young individual is engaging in risky or troubling behaviour and/or could use extra individual or family support because of mental health, substance use and/or developmental disabilities.
For the 2020-2021 fiscal year Intersections received a total of 83 new referrals from 6 different detachments: Quinte West OPP, Centre Hastings OPP, Belleville City Police, Prince Edward County OPP, Lennox and Addington OPP and Trenton Military Police. A caseload of 51 was carried forward into April 2020 but are not counted in the fiscal statistics. Reasons for referrals were most often for mental health concerns, conflict at home/school, substance use or abuse concerns and lack of pro-social engagement. A total of 91 files were closed over the year, which allowed the program to run at more sustainable numbers. All detachments platoons were given training for Intersections except for Prince Edward County OPP, due to COVID 19 restrictions,
Staff: Kyle Binnie, Coordinator
SEED and Youthreach (now known as Youthreach)
Youthreach is prevention programs for youth, 12-17 years of age, who may be having trouble at home or school or socializing with a negative peer group, displaying low self-esteem and/or be at risk of committing an offence. Programs incorporate videos, guest speakers, and interactive activities on topics affecting teens today, aimed at enhancing the lives of the youth. It is a safe non-judgmental program that offers real talk with real answers and allows each youth to bring their own feelings, experiences, and emotions to the group.
Going into April 2020, this program was carrying a caseload of youth, who were on-hold from the March Break program, as mandated shutdowns prevented the groups from running. Once able to return safely to in-person and group work, programming resumed, with groups running in July and November 2020. Groups ran at a limited capacity; each group was broken into two smaller groups with multiple days of programs ran by the facilitators.
This was the first year SEED/YR was encompassed into the MCCSS budget. While no targets were established with the new funder – the previous funder, UWQ, had a collective target of 30 youth serviced in a year – SEED received 14 new referrals and YR received 15 new referrals.
Staff: Jody Bain, Coordinator/Facilitator, Erin Brinklow & Rhonda Lummiss-McCleary, Facilitators.
Positive Alternative Student Support (PASS)
PASS (Belleville & Trenton locations) accepts students 12-17 years of age, for up to 20 days, and focuses on continuous learning and relevant life skill development in support of a smooth return to school. St. Leonard’s aims to support students in safe, structured learning environments which provide one-to-one support from a qualified Educational Assistant. Students are encouraged to work at their own pace to achieve success.
This year, a dedicated support staff was added to the Belleville PASS class, which mirror the support offered at the Trenton site. During mandated shutdowns (April – June 2020 & January 4-22, 2021), E.A.’s continued to support referred students via phone call and offered video conferencing. In the winter of 2021, schools returned to in-person instruction while the offices were closed due to province wide state of emergency Stay-at-Home order. During that time, our support staff and Board staff worked to continue to provide in-person support as essential workers at both locations as needed.
The total number of referrals received from Apr. 2020 to March 2021 were 26 for the Belleville program, far from its target of 75, and 11 for the Trenton program, nearing its target of 15. Lower referral numbers were a direct result of COVID-19 restrictions, e.g., mandated and optional virtual learning.
Support Staff: Erin Brinklow & Roman Muskiluke
HPEDSB Staff: Cindy Henderson & Darlene Lewis
The Belleville & District Youth Justice Committee
The B&DYJC is an alternative approach outside the traditional court system which aims to repair the harm done by a young person to those who have been harmed. The volunteer Committee Members play an essential part in restoring relationships between the person(s) harmed, the young person, and the community. Referrals to the Committee are made by police (Pre-Charge) or by the Crown Attorney (Post-Charge).
In 2020-21, 10 new cases were received; 7 were Pre-Charge police referrals and 3 were referred as Post-Charge clients by the Crown. While not counted towards total clients served, 11 cases were carried forward from the previous 2019-2020 year. Closures for the year total 12, with 10 successful completions, 1 Pre-Charge referral returned to the police because of new charges, and 1 transfer out. All client agreements focused on a Restorative Justice component which included a letter of apology combined with community service, written reflections, restitution, or information sessions relating to the referring incident.
Staff: Rhonda Lummiss-McCleery, Coordinator/Facilitator
Volunteer Committee Members: Brian Vincetine (Chair), Pat Mulvilhill (Vice-Chair), Darlene Jackson, Julie Lesage, Maureen Vincetine, Marlene Pollock, Darlene Brennan, Judy Adamson, Sally Fremr, Maryann Brooymans & Sarah Keelan-Bishop
Extrajudicial Measures
EJM is an alternative to formal court proceedings under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. As a pre-charge police referral, EJM is offered in Quinte West and Bancroft.
In 2020-21, 3 clients were carried forward from the previous year and the Quinte West OPP made 3 new referrals to the program; A total of 6 clients received services. Of those clients, 4 clients completed successfully.
Clients participated in information-based programming relating to their offences and consistent with their risk factors for reoffending. They were additionally required to complete letters of apology or offer reparation in the form of restitution or community service work.
Staff: Rhonda Lummiss-McCleery, Coordinator, Erin Brinklow-Facilitator (Quinte West) & Mary-Lou Ziebarth Facilitator (Bancroft). Ainsley Gregory, Facilitator on Maternity Leave.
Extrajudicial Sanctions
The EJS program is an alternative to formal court proceedings, under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. EJS allows a young person to take responsibility for their (post-charge) offence without being sentenced by a Judge. In 2020-21, 7 EJS clients were carried forward from the previous year with a total of 36 new clients in the reporting period; a total of 43 clients received services. In that period, 27 were successfully closed, including 5 transfers. As part of their EJS programming, all client agreements included information-based programming focusing on specific areas relating to Victim Empathy and making pro-social choices. Of the 3 cases referred with Sexual Assault offences, all participated successfully in the 6-8 week one to one Boundaries and Consent program.
In 2020-21, there we a total of 49 new clients referred for diversion programming at SLCSPRS. Because of COVID-19 concerns and provincial restrictions, client engagement and programming quickly and very successfully transitioned to a remote format that incorporated all the requirements of in-person programming. As a result, diversion clients were able to safely engage with staff without interruption, and actively participate in program sessions via Zoom. Successful outcomes during 2020-21, when the pandemic posed many unexpected challenges, are directly attributed to the flexibility of Diversion Program staff and Youth Justice Committee volunteers who demonstrated an unfaltering dedication to program goals.
Staff: Rhonda Lummiss-McCleery, Coordinator/Facilitator, Jody Bain, Facilitator (Belleville), Erin Brinklow, Facilitator (Quinte West) & Marylou Ziebarth, Facilitator (Bancroft). Ainsley Gregory, Facilitator on Maternity Leave.
Attendance Centre
The Attendance Centre offers evidence-based programming to youth on probation aged 12-17 years. Our one-to-one facilitation aims to directly address criminogenic factors identified by a Risk/Needs Assessment, and where possible, address the underlying factors which disrupt positive growth. We empower youth to be responsible young adults, challenge them to examine their thinking and decision-making, assist in further development of their strengths, and teach new skills in order for them to reach their personal goals and avoid future involvement with the youth justice system.
With an annual target of 45 referrals, the Attendance Centre served 29 this year: 19 male and 10 female. Attendance Centre referral numbers were on par for the previous years, meaning COVID-19 did not have a huge impact on program referrals. Over the course of the year, programming was offered both in-person and virtually, aligning with COVID-19 protocols. Virtual programming allowed facilitators to connect and continue to provide programming effectively.
Programs are categorized into six general themes: life skills and cognitive behavioral interventions, substance, anger, employment, education, and other. The most accessed programs this year were life skills/C.B.I., anger awareness, healthy relationships, and coping with stress, with 24, 14,7 and 4 clients respectively enrolled in these programs. It should be noted that 4 clients successfully completed 3 or more core programs. The Attendance Centre closed a total of 14 clients; 8 successfully discharged, 3 withdrawn, and 3 terminations.
Staff: Kerry Cole & Stacey Egan, Coordinator/Facilitator, Jody Bain, Chantal Allore, Erin Brinklow & Rhonda Lummiss-McCleery, Facilitators.
Reintegration – Community
Reintegration Workers act as mentors and advocates in support of rehabilitation and reintegration for youth, 12-17 years of age. They assist the youth to overcome personal obstacles such as emotional and academic concerns, navigating community resources, creating a resume, job search, obtaining I.D. and basic life skills. This work is all done in support of the youth complying with a court order. In addition, transportation is also a large role under the Reintegration program. Covering all of Hastings and Prince Edward Counties, youth may require transportation on an on-going basis to weekly appointments or programming, or on an at-need basis, such as assessments.
During 2020-2021, a total of 19 youth received services through the Reintegration program. While COVID-19 did take its toll on programming preventing one-to-one engagement and transportation for a portion of the year, youth were still engaged to connect with community services (i.e., employment), provided transportation to specialized programming, and engaged in positive recreational activities and mentorship. A total of 7 youth were exited from the program.
Staff: Kerry Cole, Coordinator, Roman Muskiluke & Scott Williams, casual Reintegration Workers
Reintegration – Residential
Residential Reintegration Worker provides services to youth leaving custody/detention and offering a way to support youth in their community until they are stable. The Reintegration Worker meets with the youth while at the facility and together they establish the needs while in custody/detention as well as after release. This connection is made early to build a positive working relationship for the youth future needs. The Reintegration Worker can transport youth for RL’s and reconnect them in their home communities as needed.
Community Service Order (CSO)
The Community Service Order program, frequently referred to as the CSO program, is St Leonard’s only program that works exclusively with adult clients. Clients are ordered by the court to perform community service hours as a condition of their Probation Order. This is usually done by placing, montoring and supporting their progress while performing their CSO hours at not-for-profit-organizations/agencies within the community. Placements are determined by several factors: the client’s interest, skills, work schedule and transportation. Clients ultimately choose where they would like to perform their hours.
In 2020-21, there were 60 new orders and 69 closures. A caseload of 53 was carried forward into April 2020 but are not counted in the fiscal statistics.
COVID-19 could have impacted the CSO program, however due to out-of-the-box thinking, home projects replaced the community placements and the program continued seamlessly. Home projects included: bird houses/nesting boxes, live edge tables, benches, bat houses, Indigenous traditional items, cat trees, cat toys, paintings, 3D puzzle statue, crochet/knitted lap and cat cage blankets, turtle nest protector boxes, dream catchers and fairy doors. Clients were required to complete detailed tracking records along with a brief description and photos of their work in progress. All items were donated to not-for-profit organizations for fundraising. The home projects were well received by many of the clients. The most frequent comments from client were that they had never had a hobby before; they found something that eased their anxiety; it took them away from their problems for a while; they learned new skills; they felt a sense of pride; and several felt it was a win-win situation – they had created something that would be use for fundraising and the person that buys it, will enjoy it.
Staff: Cindy Henderson, Coordinator