Community Action Programme for Children

Goals & Objectives

CAP-C is designed to strengthen off-reserve families and communities, and to support community development and healing. The programme assists organizations to design and deliver community based, culturally relevant programmes throughout Ontario that aim to improve the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being of off-reserve Aboriginal children 0 - 6 years.

Programme Summary

CAP-C focuses on making off-reserve Aboriginal families stronger by encouraging the development, dissemination and evaluation of community-based and culturally appropriate services to support the healthy birth and development of young children.

Focus on Success

"At the beginning of the year a former client returned back to the programme after an absence. She started to feel comfortable and started sharing the abuse she and her seven children were experiencing. With the support and assistance of the programme she was able to become independent and move away from her partner. Two of the children were mentally handicapped and had very high needs and it was hard to get proper services for these children. Her teenage daughter was pregnant and needed help also. I hired the daughter as the relief worker at the programme, this helped her learn skills, build up a resume, learn about children, ways to care for a baby and contributed to the family income. Through the year the mom and the teenage mom to be was able to build her self esteem, became more secure to see that they needed better services, especially for the two children that were handicapped. The mom was able to get assistance to go to a local college where there were also services for the children. This move also provided a programme for the teenage daughter that was pregnant to go back to school with the baby. So even though the family had to move they were able to better their situation through services provided through the programme. They still e-mail at times."

Development

CAP-C Programmes have been recently renewed and will operate until March 2011. Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada through the Aboriginal Management Committee (AMC) the CAP-C Programmes are administered through Ka:nen - Our Children, Our Future.