Halton Family Services was established in 1954 by a group of Oakville citizens who felt there was a need for a professional, not-for-profit counselling service in the community to help individuals, couples and families. Beginning with one part-time social worker, and a budget of $5,000, the agency today has offices in each of Halton's four municipalities, and a regular staff of twenty three (plus group leaders). Highly trained clinical staff, all of whom have a masters of social work degree or the equivalent, provide a wide variety of counselling to more than 2,500 individuals, couples and families a year. Our Credit Counselling program helps hundreds of individuals and families each year to find solutions to their financial problems.

Halton Family Services is funded by a wide variety of sources. The greatest proportion of our funding comes from the four Halton United Ways:

• Burlington, Greater Hamilton,
• Halton Hills,
• Milton and
• Oakville.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services provides funding for our Services for Abused Women and Safety Zone (for children who have witnessed violence). In some of our programs, fees are charged on a sliding scale depending on ability to pay. Services for Abused Women and Safety Zone are free.

Halton Family Services is currently completing the self-study for its reaccreditation. The self-study involves a thorough review of all aspects of the agency's functioning - administration, board governance, service programs, finances and community feedback. Reaccreditation is done every five years. Halton Family Services has been accredited by the Canadian Family Services Accreditation Program since 1983. The Halton Consumer Credit Counselling Program run by the agency is also accredited through this process. The on-site visit by the accreditation team is scheduled for the end of May 2010 with a final decision the following fall.

Mission Statement

Halton Family Services is dedicated to helping the people of Halton cope with life's challenges.

Ends Statements

What we seek to accomplish:
• INCREASED COMPETENCY AND SKILLS to enhance self-confidence and self-esteem, to equip individuals and families with resources to solve problems, make healthy decisions, and cope with daily life stresses.
• EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING through improved ability of individuals and families to have effective interpersonal relationships and to handle crises.
• RELATIONSHIPS FREE OF VIOLENCE in a community which does not tolerate violence in the home or the community.
• STRONG COMMUNITIES capable of meeting their own needs, and working together in social action.
• EXPANDED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS for service providers and the community at large to increase understanding of families and community and the effectiveness of interventions.
• PUBLIC POLICY framed on social justice which strengthens individuals, families and communities.

Principles and Values

Principles and Values have three roles within a strategic Plan. First, they help to further articulate key components of the Mission Statement. Second, they identify the values by which the organization will operate on a day-to-day basis. Third, they initiate the identification of key areas of accountability that they organization needs to develop, measure and report on.

The following Principles and Values have been developed for Halton Family Services.

We believe...

• In treating all people with respect, dignity, fairness and equity by accepting diversity, being non-judgmental and constantly encouraging clients in all dimensions of their lives.
  

• In delivering quality programs that respond to the evolving current and future needs of our clients and the community, that are based on best practices, ensure positive experiences for clients, and are provided on a timely basis.
  
  
• In delivering programs and services that are responsive and flexible with a focus on individual client needs and the situations within a client's life.
  

• In establishing a starting point with each client that is based on their strengths as individuals and providing an environment that is safe, non-judgmental, and respects their right to privacy and confidentiality.
  

• In being accountable for the services and programs provided to the community, the effective and efficient use of all the resources provided to the organization and being ethical in all the organization's interactions with individuals, organizations and the community.
  

• In creating an organizational culture within Halton Family Services that provides a safe workplace, encourages participation by staff and stakeholders, nurtures innovation and ensures that staff are contemporary in their skills and capacities.

Treating all individuals with respect, dignity, fairness and equity, and being accepting of diversity are seen as fundamental principles in effectively engaging individuals. These interactions also need to occur in non-judgmental environments that build on the strengths and needs of each individual, not on their weaknesses. Additionally, privacy needs to be protected and enhanced to facilitate trust and confidence.

The organization is committed to quality service delivery. HFS recognizes that the service field is constantly changing and developing new approaches and service strategies. The organization needs to sustain its quality through best practices and the ability to introduce new approaches.

A fundamental principle of HFS is to support individual clients through holistic service strategies that are flexible and responsive and focus on the client's individual needs. It is not appropriate to work on individual problems, but rather, the client needs to be seen in a holistic context, as many of the issues and problems are interconnected and need broader servicing approaches to affect a positive outcome. As well as commonly accepted counselling strategies, the provision of material and financial assistance may be used in helping the client.

Developing an organizational culture that ensures a safe workplace, encourages stakeholder participation, nurtures innovation and allows staff to stay current and contemporary in their skills and capacities is seen as vital to the ongoing success of the organization in working with individuals in the community.

HFS identifies a responsibility to be accountable to the community, funders, and others for the services that it provides relative to the needs of the community, how effectively and efficiently it uses its resources and the ethics by which it operates on a day-to-day basis.