OPEN LETTER – The Great Week for Toddlers is a great opportunity to reaffirm the extent to which the proximity of services and direct support to families, in their living environment, give positive results and concretely reduce the risk of neglect. can suffer our toddlers.
I hear you say: “What is outreach work for families?” ”
Anick, mother of a young child, would answer you this: “When you’re in a whirlwind, you’re ashamed, you don’t know who to turn to, you don’t have the strength to looking, that you don’t have the courage to knock on the door, ask for help, fill out forms, get naked in front of a stranger, well, that’s exactly the moment that outreach work becomes essential! Proximity work is a smile that helps you get out of your isolation, it is the non-judgmental approach that allows you to open up to your reality and your needs, it is the outstretched hand that you need to finally straighten up and get into action. ”
Because yes, it takes a lot of courage to knock on a door or give a phone call for help. And again, you have to know where and who to call! It is in these pivotal moments of a more often difficult life that outreach takes on its importance.
The outreach worker goes to meet families, directly where they live, in their environment. It is this immediate presence that makes all the difference.
The outreach worker listens to parents, accompanies them and informs them about the appropriate services available, while respecting their pace and their hesitations.
Proximity work is also a gateway to a living environment whose richness is invaluable for the well-being of parents and that of their children. It is the transmission belt that creates links between families, services, organizations, citizens and traders. Proximity work contributes to the living environment. It creates a network of mutual aid and benevolence that brings families out of their isolation.
The proximity of services to support families has proven itself in the field of social intervention, particularly at La Maison des Familles in Mercier-Est. Outreach work is part of the solution to providing a solid social fabric and preventing child neglect. It must not only be recognized by the government and the main early childhood bodies, but also be part of the action strategies financed by the government.
If you still have doubts about the usefulness of outreach, I invite you to visit the Fragments of human spaces exhibition at the Maison de la Culture Mercier, until December 12. You will understand the need to have local workers to support families in our neighborhoods.
Annick would tell you this again: “The outreach worker recognized me for what I am. She gave me the courage and the confidence to get the help I needed to take care of my son. ”
Véronique Coulombe, Executive Director, La Maison des Familles de Mercier-Est
Taï Cory, General Manager, Solidarité Mercier-Est
Affected sites
The Big Week for the little ones
La Maison des Familles de Mercier-Est
