What support does your Family Support Program provide and who takes advantage of it?

The Family Support Program provides one-on-one support to women and their newborn babies. There are three Family Support Workers (FSWs) who connect the women with community resources, promote healthy child development and help to administer the money available through the program to buy high priority items for babies. The FSWs each work with about three women for an average of six months.

The Family Support Program is an unmatched resource for women who have just had new babies. Most of the women are trying to cope with moving to a new country and face immigration difficulties. Many of them are marginally-housed, isolated or facing abuse. Having a baby can be further isolating, and can create an additional financial burden with which they are ill-prepared to cope. FSWs accompany women to appointments, help with translation and provide housing and immigration resources.