Broader Partnerships
St. Mary's Home is a founding member of the Young/Single Parent Support Network (YSPSN) in Ottawa.
St. Mary's Home has demonstrated leadership in program development locally and within the province of Ontario, through ONTCHILD and the Young Parent Resources of Ontario.
On behalf of YSPSN, St. Mary's Home is the sponsoring organization of three projects funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
- Brighter Futures for Children of Young Single Parents
- Buns in the Oven (Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program (CPNP) )
- National Project on Mobilizing Youth and Communities to Reduce the Teen Pregnancy Rate in Canada
St. Mary's Home is committed to contributing solutions to address the broader issues of teen pregnancy and teen parenting.
Over the past two decades St. Mary's Home has been actively involved with each community development process in Ottawa impacting on teen parent families. Four examples:
The Learning, Earning and Parenting (LEAP) initiative of Ontario Works has enhanced the ability of pregnant and parenting youth to stay in school, to live independently with some support services and to have opportunities to become contributing members of society. As a member of the LEAP Advisory Committee, St. Mary's Home was able to contribute to local priorities for LEAP in Ottawa. As a trustee on behalf of LEAP, St. Mary's Home is in the position of linking these young Ontario Works recipients with appropriate supports and services developed uniquely for them.
Healthy Babies / Healthy Children involved the creation of a significant system of home visiting services to new mothers across Ontario. As a member of the Healthy Babies / Healthy Children Advisory Forum locally, St. Mary's Home offered expertise related to the particular vulnerabilities of pregnant teens. We advocated for the assignment of specific consistent home visitors for teen parent families. Professional trust and mutual respect have characterized our strong relationship with Ottawa Public Health. St. Mary's Home provides office space on site for a Public Health Nurse and Family Visitor with Healthy Babies / Healthy Children.
The Early Childhood Addictions Project of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care is aimed at providing addictions treatment to pregnant women and women with children under age 6. St. Mary's Home represented the YSPSN on the Champlain District Advisory Committee. Locally, this initiative is housed at the Teen Parent / Child Outreach Centre and is carried out in collaboration with Rideauwood Addictions and Family Services, Amethyst Women's Addictions Treatment Centre, the Children's Aid Society of Ottawa and St. Mary's Home.
The Children's Mental Health Fund was announced in 2004-05. As a member of the "CEO GROUP" which was asked by the Regional Office of MCYS to provide advice and support in the community planning for deployment of these funds, St. Mary's Home advocated for particular resources to support the children of teen parents.
