Component: IHWS – Crisis Intervention

Legislation: Ministry of Community and Social Services Act

Service objectives

  • Provide an effective and coordinated approach to crisis response to decrease the impact of trauma on victims and survivors, and reduce the incidence of suicide and family violence in northern and remote First Nations
  • Address the crisis situations of youth suicides occurring in NAN territories and other surrounding Independent First Nations in the remote north, and
  • Respond to the recommendations from the Inquest of the Seven Youth Death in Thunder Bay Report by assisting youth from remote First Nations required to relocate to Thunder Bay to attend the Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School

Service description

  • The Crisis Team Program is a First Nation community-based program which includes the recruitment and deployment of volunteer community members to respond to crises in the community. The Crisis Team is led by the community’s IHWS Crisis Coordinator who provides a range of client-specific services and participant-based activities
  • The Crisis Teams may receive additional coordination and intervention support from Regional Crisis Coordinators and other volunteer Crisis Teams located in other First Nations, as needed and appropriate. Regional Crisis Coordinators also deliver training and client-specific services as required
  • The NAN Flexible Crisis Fund will be distributed to northern/isolated First Nation communities that have been impacted by a crisis and require one-time funding to provide local immediate and short-term therapeutic interventions
  • NAN Crisis Coordinators will support the provision of an effective, coordinated response to people in a crisis or emergency that are experiencing incident-related trauma, with a primary focus on suicide and family violence

People served

  • Crisis team members will provide services in northern and remote First Nations
  • Regional Crisis Coordinators may provide support to individuals (including community members in urban centres), Crisis Teams/Coordinators, and community leadership in northern and remote First Nations

Program / Service Features

The program/services contracted by the Ministry will reflect the following features

  • Indigenous cultural approaches are reflected or used as a part of the activities and services

Specific service provided

Client-specific services

  • The Crisis Team Program provides 1-on-1 client-specific support services to people in a crisis or emergency that are experiencing incident-related trauma, including suicide, family violence, bullying/cyberbullying, historical trauma, lateral violence, post-traumatic stress, sexual abuse and sexual abuse disclosure, addictions, and the impacts of an event of a traumatic nature (e.g., sudden death, fire, evacuation)
  • A client is a person who receives services from IHWS-funded programs, and for whom case-records or service notes are maintained. A “family” may also be a client, for example, an abused woman and her children or the immediate family members of someone who attempted/ died by suicide
  • Types of client-specific services may include
    • Crisis intervention
    • Suicide prevention/risk reduction (e.g., escorting an “at risk” youth to a safe location)
    • Case management and coordination of services
    • Safety planning and supports
    • Home visits
    • Peer support
    • Advocacy (e.g., securing receipt of specific services for clients such as safe housing and mental health assessment)
    • Coordinated transportation
    • Referrals to other services such as addictions and mental health counselling, shelters/safe houses, legal and social services
    • Help with forms

Training

The provision of training activities to individuals and teams to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to prevent and respond to crisis situations, such as Critical Incident Stress Management, training on suicide prevention and response (e.g. ASIST), mental health training (e.g. First Nations Mental Health First Aid), and training on providing trauma-informed care

  • Programming may include self-care training and activities for frontline workers and volunteers who are responding to crisis to address issues of vicarious trauma and burnout. Examples may include crisis debriefing, care-for-the-caregiver models, land-based healing and cultural activities, resiliency and coping skill-building activities
  • Training may address job-related or professional practice-related requirements and/or professional development opportunities to build knowledge and skills
  • Training may include how to complete reports, case management, job skills, communication, case notes, budgeting, and crisis intervention (among others)

Crisis response planning and coordination

The provision of crisis response planning and coordination services, which may include

  • Provision of support to local Crisis Teams by NAN and Regional Crisis Coordinators to respond to community crises. This may include securing and coordinating resources for the community such as:
    • Arranging transportation, lodging and meals for mental health workers, counsellors, crisis team volunteers and individuals who are impacted by the crisis but live outside of the community
    • Organizing conference calls for the community with supportive resources (e.g. governments, service agencies, Tribal Councils) to provide a coordinated response and address emerging needs
    • Coordinating volunteers to support with crisis management, including volunteers from within the community and other First Nation communities
    • Development and coordination of local volunteer Crisis Teams, including recruitment, screening and training/onboarding of volunteers
    • Developing or supporting communities to develop crisis response and emergency management plans
    • Organizing debriefing sessions with those involved in responding to the crisis
    • Developing inter-agency protocols and referral processes to support communities during times of crisis
    • Establishing regional crisis intervention processes and coordination procedures

Group activities

Activities are provided in a group-based setting and oriented towards reducing and preventing suicide, family violence and improving Indigenous healing, health and wellness by

  • Increasing awareness of specific issues, risks or concerns in the community or group
  • Providing education and information to improve
  • Promoting positive change in values, attitudes and behaviours
  • Fostering healing and enabling individuals, families and communities to achieve and enjoy a healthy and balanced life

Group activities may include

  • Workshops (e.g., suicide prevention, healthy relationships, life skills, bullying and cyberbullying, youth programming)
  • Public presentations
  • Public awareness and education campaigns
  • Community and cultural events, including feasts Healing/cultural teaching circles and/or support groups
  • Memorial ceremonies or services to commemorate those who have passed
  • Prayer and healing walks
  • Youth camps
  • Fitness and/or recreational activities
  • Land-based activities

Flexible crisis fund

  • The funding recipient will administer a flexible crisis fund that can be accessed by member communities and other First Nations (as appropriate) who require additional one-time supports during times of crisis (e.g., counsellors, mental health workers, transportation, meals, fuel, supplies, program materials, minor capital – e.g. to create safe spaces for youth)

Reporting requirements

Year-end report

  • The agency will submit a year-end report that lists the name of each community that accessed the flexible crisis fund throughout the year, the number of crisis events, and the total amount of funding provided. A reporting template will be provided by the ministry for completion

Service data:

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final stage. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.

Service Data Name

Definition

# of Individuals: Received Client-Specific Services: Crisis Response

Unique, or unduplicated, count of individuals who received/accessed client-specific services through the IHWS Crisis Response Program during the reporting period. Client-specific services may include: suicide prevention/risk reduction, peer support, case management or coordination of services, home visits, safety planning and supports, advocacy, crisis intervention, coordinated transportation, referrals, help with filling in forms. See Service description for further details and examples of client-specific services.

Each unique individual who accessed client-specific services delivered through the Crisis Response Program is only counted once, even if they accessed multiple services throughout the reporting period. If the individual carries into the next fiscal year, the individual is counted again in the new reporting period.

A “family” may also be a client, for example, an abused woman and her children or the immediate family members of someone who attempted or died by suicide. For the purpose of reporting, if the family is the client, they are counted as 1. If multiple family members receive intensive, individualized support they should be counted as “individuals”, rather than “a family”.

If client-specific services are not provided through your IHWS-funded program, put “0”.

# of Suicide Intervention Services: Crisis Response

The total number of times an individual received suicide intervention/response services. This includes services provided to respond to suicide ideation, suicide attempts and completed suicides. Each service provided or intervention should be counted as 1. For example, if a Crisis Coordinator provides suicide intervention/response support to an individual five times during a fiscal year, the count would be five.

If suicide intervention services are not provided through your IHWS-funded program, put “0”.

# of Trainings: Crisis Response

The total number of training sessions delivered by IHWS-funded Regional Crisis Coordinators and/or NAN Crisis Coordinators during the reporting period. Each individual training activity should be counted as 1. If training is not provided through your IHWS-funded program, put “0”.

See Service description for further details and examples of Training.

# of Individuals: Received Training: Crisis Response

Unique, or unduplicated, count of individuals who received training provided by an IHWS-funded Regional Crisis Coordinator, NAN Crisis Coordinator or funded through the NAN Flexible Crisis Fund during the reporting period (e.g., individuals who received mental health training that was funded through the flexible crisis fund).

Each unique individual who accesses a training activity should be counted once. If training is not provided through your IHWS- funded program, put “0”. See Service description for further details and examples of Training.

# of Group Activities: Crisis Response

The total number of group activities delivered during the reporting period. Each activity held in the reporting period should be counted as 1. If a group activity is jointly organized/funded with another IHWS program, only one program should report the group activity (to be decided by the service provider). The program that reports the group activity should also report the total number of individuals who attended that group activity under the “Number of Individuals: Accessed Group Activities: Crisis Response”.

If group activities are not provided through your IHWS- funded program, put “0”.

See Service description for further details and examples of group activities.

# of Individuals: Accessed Group Activities: Crisis Response

The total number of individuals who took part in group activities delivered during the reporting period. The same individual can be counted more than once if they participate in more than one group activity in the same reporting period. The total number of unique participants for each group activity is added to calculate the total number of individuals who took part in group activities in the reporting period. For example, if an individual attends four group activities in a reporting period, count four (4).

If a group activity is jointly organized/funded with another IHWS program, only one program should report the group activity (to be decided by the service provider). The program that reported the group activity (to be decided by the service provider) is responsible for reporting the total number of individuals who accessed the group activity under this data element. Do not include participants of the group activities that were not reported in “Number of Group Activities: Crisis Response”.

If group activities are not provided through your IHWS- funded program, put “0”. See Service description for further details and examples of group activities.

# of Communities: Accessed Flexible Crisis Fund: Crisis Response

The total number of communities that received financial support through the flexible crisis fund during the reporting period. Each time a community accesses funding should be counted as 1.

# of Responses: Crisis Situations: Crisis Response

The number of community crisis support requests received and responded to by Regional Crisis Coordinators and NAN Crisis Coordinators during the reporting period. Each request for crisis supports from a member community that is received and responded to (e.g. crisis coordination support provided) is counted as 1. For example, if a Regional Crisis Coordinator fulfills 20 requests for crisis support from member communities during the reporting period, it would be counted and reported as 20.

Ministry-funded Agency Expenditures: Crisis Response

Total ministry-funded expenses for the Transfer Payment Recipient to administer and/or deliver the Crisis Response program in the reporting year (cumulative).