Broader Partnerships

St. Mary's Home is a founding member of the Young Parent Support Network (YPSN) in Ottawa.

St. Mary's Home has demonstrated leadership in program development locally and within the province of Ontario, through ONTCHILD / YPRO, a Provincial Association of Young Parent Resources in Ontario.

St. Mary's Home is an active participant in the following local collaborative community planning forums:

Child and Youth Mental Health Network of Ottawa
Success By Six
Best Start Ottawa
Best Start Ottawa-Vanier
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Coalition
The Ottawa Network for Children
Child and Youth Health Network of Eastern Ontario
Perinatal Partnership Program of Eastern and Southeastern Ontario
Early Childhood Development Addictions Project
Champlain Maternal Newborn Regional Program
Red Flags

On behalf of YPSN, 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 (Community Action Programs for Children [CAPC])
Buns in the Oven (Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program [CPNP])
ON THE MOVE: Mobilizing Youth and Communities to Reduce the Teen Pregnancy Rate in Canada (National Projects Fund of CAPC / CPNP)

St. Mary's Home is committed to contributing solutions to address the broader issues of teen pregnancy and teen parenting.

St. Mary's Home has been actively involved with each community development process in Ottawa impacting on teen parent families.  Three examples from past years include:

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 Development 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.