Childcare Support Access Project

Meeting and brainstorming with Family Outreach Workers

Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House – October 31, 2001

1. Where is better communication needed?

- Between team

- “How can I best share this information?”

- When workers are not at their desk

- Problem: multiple messages sent, an answer is mailing but faxes get lost

- Faxes go to the main system not to the target person

- If FOWs have a question they have to call a couple of different co-ordinators

- Phoning takes lots of time

- No access to computer

- Don’t get all the information from Westcoast – hasn’t seen a Wave in months

- A communication folder – something to go to (central information)

- Big time constraints

2. What information do you need to share regularly?

- Accessible to read and add to information received

- Other people’s ideas on professional development

- Upcoming events

- Workshops, training, neighbourhood events

- Conferences

- Newsletters from other child care resource and referral agencies

- Information from own site

- Handouts

- Advocacy events

- Debriefing

3. What issues come up that need to be resolved?

- Interpreting parent contracts

- Discipline, health

- Resources

- Licencing daycare suspension

- Dealing with childcare consultants

- Timely information on full/vacancy state of workshops

- Quick authorizations fro supervisors

- Links to Child care community in BC

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4. What would the ideal tool for family outreach workers look like?

- Email groups

- Need a system to use attachments – scan

- Software to read (fax system that works as a scanner)

5. What are the barriers to using Public Access Sites?

- time limits – space and waiting

- scheduling

- other people are gatekeepers

- Currently the terminals used by FOWs at Kiwassa, Colingwood and Mount Pleasant are not connected

- Westside Family Place is connected for 5 hours per month

- South Vancouver Family Place – limited connection – not a WC computer.