| Meet the new home team | November 18, 1998 |
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Parents, police and social workers achieve results It was accepted for many years that police and social workers, often forced to work together, were regularly in subtle but discernible conflict. Their mandates were and are different, with social workers seen as "bleeding heart liberals" whereas the police take a law and order approach. Parents and police can also be in conflict: "He didn't mean to do it" vs. "He broke the law" In Parent Watch, police, parents and helping professionals work together to solve family, neighbourhood and, ultimately, community problems. The conflicts that flare on each other's turf don't occur in the neutral church rooms where Parent Watch meets. We have learned so much from and about each other in those meetings.  Not all parents are wimps. They do have the ability to set limits and take control, but lack strategies. Social workers have compassion and clinical training but they often need practical solutions to provide short, focussed assistance. Police can help draw the line, give advice and enforce laws where appropriate. In Parent Watch, police have the additional advantage of a forum where they can demonstrate their experience and understanding.Through working together in Parent Watch, parents, social workers and police have learned that we are capable of much more than we thought possible. Creative prevention strategies emerge from discussion at Parent Watch. Specific situations get a uniquely tailored, solution-focussed response. But even more, a sense of community is produced that works to sustain gains after the family crisis has passed. The group, which has included high school liaison officers, parents and agency members, has worked very hard to develop a sense of community that moves beyond individual and organizational agendas to foster partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding. The 'teams' formed at Parent Watch meetings have created real support and service solutions in the face of numerous agency cutbacks. Rather than complain about the limits of existing services parents, police and social workers learn to use resources in effective and strategic combinations, such as: Parents and police have met with children at school to respond to a behaviour problem. Police and social worker have made a surprise visit to an adolescent in his room to discuss his behaviour at home. Following the visit, parents noticed improved behaviour. Social worker and police escorted suicidal children from the home and into the hospital. Parent and social worker surprised children in school's 'smoking pit' which resulted in increased quality time together and an opportunity to meet the children's friends.The best Parent Watch solutions have input from all three groups. We cannot reach its full potential without all the players. There is truth in the notion that the sum of the parts is greater than the whole. Although Parent Watch is not a responsibility of police, government or agencies-nor should it be-it is a community forum that requires the consistent presence of police to sustain the synergy and creativity that produces truly unique and effective solutions. Police participation in Parent Watch is one example of community policing working the way it was intended. We believe that Parent Watch exemplifies the fundamental principals behind the belief that it does in fact take a village or a community to raise a child. The police are valued members of that village and of Parent Watch. In addition to the long-running Oakville group, we started Parent Watch groups in Burlington, Waterdown and Hamilton in the last two years. The Peel Regional Police Service have offered their support and committed an officer to attend each monthly Parent Watch meeting in their region. Niagara and Tillsonburg Police have attended Parent Watch meetings so that they can better understand the unique and productive process of the group. We have over 150 parents attending these four groups each month. Several community agencies are also represented at the meetings. The quality of the community development that occurs in these groups when police officers are present is incredible. We are working hard to create and sustain relationships with police services throughout Halton, Hamilton-Wentworth, Niagara, Tillsonburg, and Peel but we still don't have a consistent police presence in Halton. We ask that the district commanders for Oakville and Burlington consider Parent Watch as an opportunity to enhance a crucial and effective community partnership and therefore send the high school liaison officer to each of the two monthly meetings. We also invite the district commanders for Burlington and Oakville to attend a monthly meeting in their respective district and ask the parents how they view the officers' participation.  Back to the articles menu
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