Media Release

Monday December 23, 2002

Brampton Block Parent Program Ending

Brampton, Ontario – On Thursday December 19, 2002, the Brampton Block Parent Volunteer Steering Committee, the Brampton Safe City Association and Peel Regional Police officially informed the Ontario Block Parent Association via written notice that they would be terminating their relationship with the program effective immediately. The decision to end the Block Parent Program in Brampton was based on a number of factors that have been carefully discussed and deliberated by the Program Partners for several months:

• The abundance of excellent child safety programs and initiatives in the City of Brampton such as: the Youth Education Unit – Safe Schools Program; the Risk Watch Program; the Peel Children’s Safety Village; the soon to be completed Fire Life and Safety Education Centre; the Internet Safety Program; the Drug Education Unit; the Crime Stoppers and Region of Peel anti bullying initiatives; Peel Police’s RAID – neighbourhood patrol unit; and the Safe Haven Program in all City of Brampton facilities have made the Block Parent program duplicative in its safety goals and objectives;

• Recent changes to the process required to screen program volunteers will make the administrative management of the program extremely onerous while acting as a barrier to new Block Parent recruitment, (see backgrounder attached);
• A dramatic lack of interest in the program, (despite numerous public appeals for involvement) has been demonstrated through a significant and steady decline in volunteer and child participation rates in the program, (Block Parent participation has decreased from over 900 Participants in the mid 90’s to less than 200 today);

As a process of closing the program, all Block Parent volunteers are urged to return their Block Parent window and door signs, as soon as possible, to either Peel Police Headquarters at 7750 Hurontario Street or the Brampton Safe City Association Office at 150 Central Park Drive, in Suite 019. For more information the public is invited to visit the Brampton Safe City Association Web Site at www.bramptonsafecity.ca or contact the Brampton Safe City Association at (905) 793-5484.

Media Contacts:

Paul Damaso,

Executive Director, Brampton Safe City Association: Phone - (905) 793-5484, Cell - (416) 526-5419

Roman Boychuk

Superintendent, 21 Division, Peel Regional Police: Phone -(905) 453-2121 (Ext. 2110)

…Backgrounder Follows

Backgrounder

History of the Brampton Block Parent Program

• The Brampton Block Parent Program formerly joined the Brampton Crime Prevention Association, (now Brampton Safe City Association) in 1992. Prior to that time, the program had been administered by a group of volunteers with assistance from Peel Regional Police. By 1992, the program was facing very serious sustainability issues and actively pursued the support of the Crime Prevention Association to assist it with acquiring administrative and financial support;
• Since 1992, Brampton Safe City, (with financial support from the City of Brampton) has provided the Brampton Block Parent program with: fundraising support; office space; administrative support; and paid part-time staffing support;

• The peak number of Block Parents in Brampton was just under 1,000 during the mid-90’s. The current active number of Block Parents, (those who have been actively re-screened since 2000) is 176;

How the Block Parent Program Works

• The Block Parent Program is a nationally and provincially incorporated program, which is registered and “owned” by the Block Parent Program of Canada. Specific communities operate the program under an annual “ licensing” agreement with the Provincial Block Parent Association;
• Local Community Programs, (i.e. Brampton Block Parent Program) maintain their local licensing agreement by submitting an annual registration fee, registration form, summary of incidents and a signed endorsement from the local Police Service;
• The Block Parent Program provides “safe havens” for children, (also youth and seniors) by creating a network of police screened volunteers who open their homes to children in the community who may be lost, injured or in danger. The screened volunteer is identified as a Block Parent and their “safe haven” home is recognizable by a Block Parent sign, which is prominently displayed in their door or window;
• There is also an education and awareness component to the program, which is offered in schools by a volunteer school liaison. The education component of the program focuses on issues such as: street proofing, the discussion of “safe strangers” and awareness building with regards to the Block Parent Program and Block Parent sign;

Block Parent Screening

• Volunteer Block Parents are required to undergo a comprehensive screening process prior to being registered as a Block Parent. This includes: a criminal background check for the prospective Block Parent and anyone over 12 years of age who lives in the home; an extensive application interview; and a site visit by program administrators to approve the Block Parent home. This re-screening process must be repeated for each of the volunteers, (and those living in their home) every two years;
• Only screened and approved volunteers are awarded a Block Parent sign and they are required to return the sign upon leaving the program;
• Previously, local police would coordinate criminal background checks for Block Parents without requiring volunteers to physically attend a police station. New changes this year require each of the individuals that need to be screened to physically present themselves to a police station in order to be re-screened.