Family Resources

Family Resources and Services

Family Support Workers and local Counsellors offer support and access to family resources for vulnerable families. We work with families on an individual basis to build success and promote strengths. The SGINH works to ensure that all children across the SGIs have a healthy start in life.

In all our programs we offer a safe and welcoming environment to help support children in reaching their full potential. Our current partnerships are designed to promote positive child development, support school readiness skills, introduce families to resources and supports in their community, and provide individual support and advocacy for families.

Family Resources is a growing area, we currently offer :

Mediation (family communication)
Individual and family support.
Navigation and referral to community resources.
Mentoring and coaching.
Discretionary and time-limited emergency resources such as food and or transportation.
Please call the SGI Neighbourhood House at 250-629-3665 for referrals to Counsellors and further family assistance.

Additional Family Support Programs

Craft and Care Kits

DIY Craft Kits are also available for seniors and children of low-income families. The kits, prepared and distributed by volunteers across all islands, will include paints and paper etc., craft supplies such a glue and fabric material or wool for knitting depending on the nature of the interest – they will also include child friendly puzzle books, reading books and games.

Puzzle Libraries

Free Jigsaw Puzzle Loaning Libraries are being created on each island, this resource is sure to provide hours of entertainment for children and adults alike! Puzzles are currently available at the Pender Island CRC Office.

Pender Island Puzzle Library

Grandparent Storytelling

Many of the Islands’ seniors are eager to pass on stories of their youth on the islands and a new ‘Grandparent Storytelling’ project allows senior volunteers to share their stories. In collaboration with the podcast ‘The Stories That Brought You Here‘, Penderites give one-on-one interviews with host, Chris Wakaluk, about what brought them to Pender Island, B.C. – Discover the stories that brought them to this amazing little island and also the stories that brought them to this point in their lives.

Check out the stories here!

Family Counselling

Online supportive counselling services are available for families and individuals, as well as support groups for seniors and people with disabilities.

A relatively new program, the Family Counselling Program promotes family and community capacity to protect and support children and youth and their families through access to supportive counselling, crisis intervention, mediation, outreach, and referral. The aim of the program is to build upon the family’s strengths and improve family relationships and family development. The service is based on ability to pay and is offered by professional Counsellors in partnership with the Community Health Centre.

Counselling, education and mediation services can benefit everyone by strengthening relationships and improving family dynamics. Available services include:

Parent Education

  • Teach parenting skills to parents of babies, toddlers, preschoolers, school age children and teens
  • Teach families about managing screen time
  • Teach parents how to improve communication with their teen-aged children, (includes information on adolescent growth and development)
  • Provide school PACs education evenings on the above topics

Family Mediation

  • Provide Parent-Teen Mediation services (where communication and trust has been broken and both parent and youth want to restore or improve their relationship with one another)
  • Provide Intergenerational Family Mediation (where there are difficulties in communicating between the generations in a family or household)

Conflict Coaching 

  • Provide one on one conflict coaching and teach communication skills that help to navigate a difficult situation where there is an interest in an improved relationship (in the community, work, home or friend group)

Youth Education 

  • Teach on topics such as: Self-Care, Healthy Relationships, Managing Anxiety and Communication skills

Contact: Brook Parkin – Family Mediation