Fort Frances will be losing its “Block Parent” program, which provides safe haven for children who feel threatened, at the end of the month because of a lack of interest.
“Not many people are showing an interest in becoming new ‘Block Parents,’” said Sandra Whalen, chairperson of the local Block Parent Association. “We just weren’t getting the number of applications back that we hoped.
“It’s been hard.”
Whalen, who became chairperson of the program in 1998, said she’s watched the number of participating households drop from 173 the year she took over to about a dozen in 2002.
The major barrier to getting people to volunteer to be Block Parents has been the screening process, Whalen noted. People who wish to do so first must undergo a criminal background check.
“It’s a free service provided by the OPP,” she explained.
The prospective volunteer must fill out a form, listing all members of the household who are over the age of 12, and submit it to the OPP for checking.
The OPP then would give the results to the Block Parent executive committee, who made the final decision as to whether or not to accept the volunteer.
Whalen said it was rare that someone would be turned down. The problem has not been questions of people’s criminal records, but rather of people submitting the forms at all.
“We would only get so many back,” Whalen said of the forms.
The program also requires current Block Parents to be re-screened every two years to ensure the home is still safe.
“It’s really important that we re-screen our Block Parents every couple of years,” said Marianne MacBride, chair of the Ontario Block Parent Program. “We want to make sure it’s safe people living in the home.”
Whalen said she often made follow-up calls to encourage participating families to renew their participation in the program and be re-screened, but only a fraction submitted the forms.
The program policy states a volunteer cannot put a Block Parent sign in their window without the background check.
“It’s very important to stay on top of screening people,” Whalen noted. “We want to make sure everybody’s safe.”
“People are not taking the initiative to get themselves re-screened,” MacBride said. “If they don’t do that, we just can’t continue with the program.”
MacBride said this has been a problem in other municipalities as well.
“We have one that’s folding for that reason, and one that’s folding for that reason and another reason,” she noted.
In addition to a lack of volunteers, the program also has seen little use in recent years. Whalen said she recalled some incidents were reported in the first years of the program, shortly after it was implemented in the early 1990s.
Those cases generally involved children who were lost. Their parents were contacted, but police were not notified.
Whalen also said she could recall one bullying incident but, in recent years, “I’ve never had reports,” she added.
While closing down the program in Fort Frances is unfortunate, it is not unusual. “It’s happening all over the province, unfortunately,” Whalen noted.
Last year, the Block Parent program in Toronto closed down for various reasons, including a lack of volunteers. The one in nearby Brampton closed down the year before.
When asked if the waning popularity of the program could be attributed to children being more “street smart” than they were 35 years ago, when the program first began in Ontario, Whalen replied, “I would agree with that to some sense.”
She noted schools have taken an active role in educating children about safety, and nearly all schools in the district now run anti-bullying programs.
“Kids know to watch for signs of danger and individuals they think might be questionable,” Whalen said.
MacBride stressed it’s not just children who use the program. People of all ages, including seniors, make use of Block Parent homes for various reasons, including bullying, being lost, sick, or injured, being followed by a person or vehicle, or even caught in extremely bad weather.
In 2003, two victims of sexual assault sought refuge in Block Parent homes after their attacks. One was a six- to 13-year-old, and the other a 14- to18-year-old.
Despite the closing of the program, Whalen said she’s confident local residents will step in and help if they see a crisis situation.
Meanwhile, anyone in possession of a “Block Parent” window sign is asked to contact Whalen to arrange to have it returned as soon as possible. She can be reached at 274-9506.
“Once the program no longer exists within the community, the use of these signs will be considered illegal as they are the property of the program and must be returned upon demand or closure,” she noted.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
