In 2018-2019 the FCHI team conducted a number of community engagement activities throughout Peel. These were the initial steps in FCHI’s longer-term commitment to collaborative, community-based approaches to both research and evidence-based program development for improving the health of families and children in Peel.
The FCHI engagement efforts came in two phases:
(1) Discussions and outreach with organizations across Peel whose work supports the health and well-being of families in our region
(2) detailed analysis of these discussions, outreach efforts, and events. A summary of this analysis can be found here in a brief report that we published in 2020.
Community Engagement is at the core of our work at FCHI. Our last major engagement activity included 26 focus groups and 36 interviews with representatives from 61 local organizations across public, private, and non-profit sectors. Participants included front-line service providers and leaders who work in the areas of education, healthcare, childcare, public health, social services, advocacy, and arts and culture. A preliminary draft of the findings was sent to all participants for an opportunity to edit and provide comment. The FCHI hosted a Community Networking Event on November 14th, 2019 for participants to meet each other, reflect on the engagement findings, and discuss our next steps. Attendees included 45 participants from 35 organizations across Peel.
PUBLICATIONS: Martel, S., Heidebrecht, C., D’Silva, C., Singh, N., Fierheller, D., & Zenlea, I. (2021). Building a community-based participatory approach to child, youth, and family health: Learnings from organizational engagement in the Peel Region of Ontario. Families, Systems, & Health, 39(3), 443–453. https://doi.org/10.1037/fsh0000622
Martel S, D’Silva C, Fierheller D, Heidebrecht C, Singh N, and Zenlea I, on behalf of the FCHI. Family and Child Health Initiative (FCHI) 2019 Community Engagement Report. Mississauga ON: Institute for Better Health, June 2020. https://familyandchildhealth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/FCHI_2019-Engagement-Report_June-2020.pdf