Earlier this year, we shared a very exciting announcement. Cedar Centre was accreditated by Imagine Canada, a prestigious milestone that highlights Cedar Centre’s unwavering dedication to transparency, accountability, and excellence in its work in the Child & Youth Mental Health, Adult Mental Health and Addictions, Violence Against Women, and Anti-Human Trafficking sectors.
We are immensely proud to have received this accreditation. It is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff, Board of Directors, volunteers, and supporters who make our mission possible. This is an important achievement especially as we look to expand our impact and reach within the community with the development of York Region’s first Child & Youth Advocacy Centre.
Please join me in congratulating our staff, Board of Directors, volunteers and supporters for making this happen.
DASA/YRP Pilot Program
In our fall newsletter we shared the results from our first 6months of the DASA/YRP pilot program. The information collected included case counts for physical and sexual assault, referral source, age of the child/youth, and investigation status. Both DASA and YRP have continued to collect this data to help guide planning and resource allocation for the future CYAC. We hope to share results of our first year of collecting data with you in our next newsletter.
Welcome Jacqueline Davis!
Jacqueline joined our team in February to manage Project Hope for the upcoming year, stepping in while Samantha Ward enjoys her maternity leave. We extend our gratitude to the York Region Children’s Aid Society for generously providing Jacqueline on secondment.
Jacqueline has over 22 years of experience in Child Welfare, with over 19 years at CAST. During her time at CAST, she was a CYAC CAS Intake worker for Boost CYAC in Toronto. Her experience with Boost makes her an ideal addition to our team. Jacqueline’s primary focus in the coming year will be to lend her support to the DASA/YRP pilot, the Child & Youth Advocate pilot, and to put the finishing touches on our business plan.
Please join us in welcoming Jacqueline aboard! We’re excited to have her with us.
Mental Health Week
How do traumatic experiences impact mental health? Studies indicate that traumatic events, particularly those endured during childhood, are associated with various behavioural and chronic physical health issues. Substance abuse, mental health disorders, and risky behaviors have all been associated with such experiences.
This year’s Mental Health Week is centered on the healing power of compassion. In a world plagued by suffering, we want to emphasize that kindness is equally intrinsic to our humanity.
Mental Health week is May 6 – 12th and we’d like to invite all our friends and followers on social media to share images of kindness and what kindness means to them.
We wish you all an enjoyable summer and look forward to updating you in our next newsletter.