CEO Message, October 15, 2020
Hello and welcome to a fall update from the General Authority (GA).
I’d like to start this message by talking about our annual general meeting, which was held virtually for the first time ever on Sept. 30. We received numerous compliments on the event, especially related to our guest speaker, Dr. Michael Yellow Bird, dean of the faculty of social work at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Yellow Bird spoke on trauma, neuroplasticity, the proposed work of the Centre for Mindful Decolonization and Reconciliation and the training curriculum project he and Ms. Dawn Macdonald are leading in collaboration with the General and Metis Authorities. As his presentation spurred numerous requests for another lengthier session, Dr. Yellow Bird has agreed to host a webinar at the General Authority, during which he will speak in more detail on these topics.
We presented this year’s Kim Thomas Award (which recognizes a leader in the area of community engagement and creating connections with child and family services) to Florence Okwudili, chair of the board of the Coalition of Manitoba Cultural Communities for Families (CMCCF). We were honoured to have Ms. Okwudili join us in person to accept the award and to speak about the work of the CMCCF. The General Authority looks forward to a renewed relationship with the CMCCF to support newcomer families.
All materials from the annual general meeting, including a welcome message from Families Minister Heather Stefanson, a recording of the event, our annual report and the audited financial statements can be found via the home page of our website, https://generalauthority.ca/.
In other news, we are pleased to announce the establishment of a new data analytics and evaluation unit at the General Authority. We look forward to the work that will be done by the unit in the coming months, including data analysis for the GA and helping us move forward in our goal of becoming a more data-driven organization.
We are also happy to announce that we have hired a new Wendy’s Wonderful Kids adoption recruiter who comes to us from the Winnipeg Child and Family Services Branch. Our new recruiter will be an asset to the GA in helping us achieve our goals of increased permanency for children and youth.
Turning to the topic of COVID-19, the Directors’ Leadership Table (DLT) continues to meet via weekly video calls in order to ensure collaboration on various matters related to the pandemic and other pressing issues.
Please keep safe as we move through the fall season. We know that our staff are working hard to ensure the highest levels of safety and connection for our children and families as we go about our work.
We will continue to provide you with updates and information via these messages and on our website.
Best Regards,
Jay Rodgers
CEO, General CFS Authority