I wanted to share three things with you this week: the results of our ASPECT Learning Survey, an announcement about ASPECT's latest collaborative supervisor training project, and some free resources available to you through the Ministry of Mental Health & Addictions and the Canadian Mental Health Association.

ASPECT Learning Survey Results

During the last two months, we conducted a learning needs survey as we turned our attention to developing more professional development opportunities for the sector that are aligned with the national Competency Framework for Career Professionals.

Thank you to the 35 people who took our survey. Their responses show that current training priorities include everything from management and leadership considerations and working within the career development system, shifting to priorities in their future, which are trauma-informed practices and emerging practices related to technology and health and safety.

Many thanks to Cassie Taylor and Dr. Roberta Borgen at Life Strategies Ltd. for helping ASPECT with this project. Moving forward, we'll develop clusters of training in various formats. Some will be free, and some will be available for purchase. In the meantime, please register for the webinar series we have partnered with CERIC on called Culturally Integrated Storytelling: Empowering Diverse Clients for Life Transitions.

ASPECT Received a Grant on Behalf of the SSSRT Reference Group

With one-time-only funding, ASPECT is the project manager and developer to create supervisor training for the care economy on behalf of the Social Services Sector Roundtable (SSSRT) Reference Group, which comprises about 40 other umbrella associations in BC. The $990k fund from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction aims to identify needs, develop training, and deliver it through an expense reimbursement training fund. We have two years to complete this project.

The first round of internal consultations with SSRTRG members has been completed; we've identified an advisory group, and a service provider survey will be sent out to all our networks in September. We will also meet with trainers to learn about the training they currently deliver and gauge their interest in developing new training to meet the competencies outlined in the survey. It's a complex process, but our members may have opportunities to promote their existing training or send their staff for free training. The plan is to start offering training in January.

Mental Health Supports for Community Service Providers

On Thursday morning, I met with a representative from the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, who showed interest in the supervisor training project and shared some valuable mental health resources for community service providers:

Care for Caregivers: careforcaregivers.ca
Initially designed for private and independent home care providers, the services and webinars are now available to community social service providers.

Care to Speak: careforcaregivers.ca/caretospeak
This peer-based phone, text, and webchat service provides free, confidential support to BC health and social support workers, including those in employment programs. It's an excellent resource for discussing difficult client situations or for managers seeking ways to support their staff.

People Working Well: peopleworkingwellbc.ca/mental-health-for/community-social-services
This site offers articles and resources for various situations. Initially developed for the tourism sector, it now includes resources tailored for community social services.

Janet Morris-Reade, CEO
ASPECT BC