What is 'West Side Family Place?' (Overview & Summary)
Mission
West Side Family Place (WSFP) is a non-profit organization developed in 1973 by two mothers, Ellen LeFevre and Mary Lynn Burke, from Vancouver West (2). These mothers looked at society and realized they needed more support and guidance, allowing them to take active roles in their parenthood. They wanted to be informed about child development and not be left looking to professionals for every correct way. These mothers also had “the goal of building community connection and support for the well-being of local families” (2). These mothers took action and initiative by creating a safe, welcoming environment where parents could go to gain support in areas of need. In interviewing WSFP, we gained knowledge about their organization's mission, goals, and ways they help the community families in need. WSFP's mission is to encourage and empower parents to take an active role in their parenting (1). Parents spend the most time with their children and learn their unique attributes, boundaries, and ways of learning and connecting with others. Thus, parents know what is best for their children, and I am sure all parents agree. WSFP acknowledges this and supports parents to raise and socialize their children; happy and healthy. Although parents know what is best, many parents with young children (ren) and vulnerable families need assistance. Parents with children from ages 0-6 are the families WSFP aims to support, and it wants all parents to know that they are not alone in parenthood (1). WSFP chooses these families because they are the most vulnerable after recently birthing a baby. New parenting is always scary and comes with unfamiliar, difficult hurdles as our society is ever-changing and growing. With rising costs in Vancouver, this has become an even more significant problem as more families need more assistance (1). Young children's families are also chosen because WSFP is a small, non-profit organization. High costs, limited employees, technology, and space have kept their focus on only these families (1). However, WSFP hopes to expand its organization, assist more families, and strengthen their access to resources. To start their supportive parenthood journey, WSFP encourages parents to connect with other parents and resources in the community to support them. In this process, WSFP guides the path for the parent and sticks with them throughout their journey in early parenthood. Ultimately, WSFP's mission is to assist parents in their journey to be the best parent for their child(ren) and family. (1)
WSFP has numerous goals to achieve to help parents grow in their journey. First, they want to assist parents with child growth and early development (2). These are the most vulnerable years of parenthood because adapting and learning to care for new infants is challenging. The journey is difficult because parents must learn new skills and responsibilities while adjusting and balancing outside societal life. To address these goals, WSFP employs family support workers to teach parents about early childhood development and promote healthy nurturing (2). They encourage positive social interactions and early language learning to aid childhood development. Family support workers want to "provide parents and caregivers with family support, parent education, and information about other services in the community" (2). They aim to produce accessible programmes that promote growth and teach parents crucial skills to benefit their children's and entire families' well-being. The aim is for the programs to address parents' concerns, issues, barriers, and challenges they face in society. Workers can then connect parents with support programs for their areas of need and teach them coping strategies and skills to deal with their problems (2). Programs also aim to help the general public of parents with basic childhood skills such as infant and early adolescent behaviours, events, and expectations. Lastly, but perhaps most important, is that WSFP wants to make these programs accessible to all parents in the West Side community. One-on-one programs are available by phone for vulnerable parents or parents who have anxiety about group situations (2). Programs also provide drop-in services to assist the ongoing, chaotic lives of parents raising young children.
Check out our next post to see what important issues families in our West Side community are facing!
If you have any questions, feel free to comment below!
Because society is ever-changing, the needs of parents are also ever-changing. WSFP's mission has remained the same for 50 years but adapts its goals to reflect society's needs while maintaining the organization's fundamental values (1). Some present goals and issues that WSFP wants to address are but are not limited to;
Food services
Mental Health
Divorce/Custody Services
Medical services
Employment services
Housing services
Childcare services
Financial services
Alexander, A., & West Side Family Place WSFP. (n.d.). West Side Family Place. other. Retrieved April 2023, from audio1252567768-1.m4a.
West Side Family Place. (2023). About Us. West Side Family Place. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.westsidefamilyplace.com/aboutus/ourstory/
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