40th ANNUAL REPORT April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011
Mission Statement We respond to the needs of our clients by linking them to community and government programs and services.
Vision As the primary provider of information in Hamilton about programs and services, we enable people to participate more fully in the life of their community.
We value accuracy diversity leadership
accessibility expertise partnership
accountability integrity the people we serve
Guiding Principles We collect, manage and provide accurate, complete and up-to-date information. We respond quickly, efficiently and effectively to our clients. We respect, and are sensitive to, our clients’ needs We provide leadership and advocacy for community needs. We build responsible relationships with others in the community in order to increase our capacity to respond effectively. We ensure ongoing development of our capacity and expertise in information technology for the benefit of our clients, partners and staff. Under the leadership of our Board of Directors, and with the support of our funding partners, we strive to accomplish our mission through our inquiry service; electronic database and other resources; community consultation, collaboration and education; publications; social reporting and co-operation with other community and information agencies. CIH also provides specialized child care information and referral services through Child Care Information Hamilton.
Report from the Chair and the Executive Director This year was particularly vigorous for the staff and Board of CIH. We saw dynamic changes to our staff group and in our activities, through our partnerships and new developments in the Information and Referral sector. With this, we continued our success in providing service to the community while we witnessed significant change in our city - in its leadership, its institutions and organizations and in its focus on particular community needs and trends. Our steadfast performance and resilience is a credit to our resourceful staff, our funding partners and our dedicated Board of Directors. In 2010, Lesley Russell ended her 22 year tenure as Executive Director of CIH. It is with tremendous gratitude and admiration that we recognize Lesley for her years of dedication and her fostering of the organization. Her wisdom and highly-skilled abilities along with her congenial way of sharing and caring truly made a difference in the lives of those within and outside of the organization. The success of CIH is a result of Lesley’s tireless commitment to linking people to the services and resources they need. Thank you, Lesley! This year, we also send our best wishes to a long-time staff member who has been with CIH for over three decades, Lilian Erskine, Resource Coordinator and to Mark Winfield, Information Services Coordinator. Both remain close to CIH, but bid farewell to our office during the year. Thank you to them both for their contributions and dedication. In the fall, 211 Ontario was launched in our region. This three-digit phone number has the potential to change how we access information and referrals in Ontario profoundly. It means 24/7 access to finding programs, services and resources and is available in 150 languages. At CIH, we’re pleased that 211 Ontario uses our comprehensive and well-maintained data of the Inform Hamilton database for the information it provides on all that’s available in our city. Our 40 years of data collection and management contribute significantly to the 211 service in our region. Lesley Russell continues on as a CIH staff member ensuring the coordination of data to this initiative. We look forward to the year ahead with as much vigour and enthusiasm as we illustrated in the one that has passed. The CIH Board of Directors will embark on a strategic planning (ad)venture and the staff will continue to meet the needs of the community, linking people to the services and resources they need, while responding to fast-paced developments in technology. Thank you to all of the staff and directors of the board, past and present, and to our funders and community partners for bringing us to our celebration of 40 years at Community Information Hamilton. Respectfully submitted, Judy Travis, Chair Pauline Kajiura, Executive Director June 22, 2011
Our Services Information and Referral An important aspect of our work provides information and referral to the public and to service providers in the City of Hamilton. Responding to requests and questions by phone, e-mail and inperson, our staff responded over 3,465 times with accurate and comprehensive information that addressed the inquirers needs. Notable increases in the use of our Inform Hamilton online database is coupled with a decline in the number of inquiries we receive in our office. When individuals and organizations are able to “self-serve” the information they need, our staff resources at CIH can be focused on those who are may require assistance to access information or who are dealing with complex circumstances. We are also able to concentrate attention on improving and enhancing our information and tools that are available online and create special purpose data collections.
The Inform Hamilton database inform.hamilton.ca Our electronic database continues to grow in importance as a critical source of information for the community. In 2010-11, records in our database were viewed over 4,600,000 times, an 11% increase over last year. An average of more than 60,700 unique visitors used our online information collection.
Feedback from Inform Hamilton users is consistently positive. In our November 2010 online survey, 88% indicated they were either “very successful” or “fairly successful” in finding all or most
of the resources they were seeking. 93% reported that it was “very easy” or “fairly easy” to navigate and search the online database. Over 70% of respondents were repeat users. The public can use ready-made specific collections at the Inform Hamilton site on certain topics such as those for Ontario Early Years Contact Hamilton Older Adult Programs & Services Diverse Hamilton Hamilton Immigration Partnership Strategy We work with community partners to create special collections for their internal use including: Ontario Works Community Care Access Centre Hamilton Family Health Team Contact Hamilton
Data and Publications The shift to almost ever-present access to the internet led CIH to stop producing a printed version of the Red Book, our directory of community services, and prompted us to explore innovative strategies for print products. This includes a self-serve option that allows organizations or individuals to print their own customized resources as needed. This is available for some specialized collections. CIH is able to provide data in electronic and paper formats customized to meet the needs of specific requests. Electronic products provide customized online datasets sourced from the larger Inform Hamilton database. It is a significant support to government agencies and organizations in Hamilton ensuring that we are connecting people with services and working effectively with community partners.
Child Care Information Hamilton Child Care Information Hamilton (CCIH) is a free and confidential service providing information and referral on child care and child-related programs and services. CCIH is the first point of access for parents, caregivers, child care centres, community service providers, government agencies and anyone else with a question. With more than 2,500 referrals as well as 4,500 community contacts in support of maintaining our information and promoting the service, the CCIH staff is always busy. We produce thousands of free customized parent information packages for our clients and respond to inquiries from caregivers and service providers. In addition, child care staff delivers public and small group presentations in the community.
CCIH provides a specialized child care search which is available online at cafcc.on.ca CCIH holds the Registry of Home-based Child Care which provides parents with another child care option. The Registry is a listing service that helps parents to connect with caregivers. Caregivers receive support and training through the services of Affiliated Services for Children and Youth (ASCY), our community partner. This partnership creates the Coordinated Access for Child Care initiative. As part of our collaborative work CIH supports and participates in the following: Best Start Network School Age Solutions Advisory Consolidated Municipal Systems Manager (CMSM) for child care Look for the new Child Care Information Hamilton brochure available in 2011!
Community Announcements Service Our well-known announcement service provides an economical way for service providers and notfor-profit organizations and initiatives to communicate their events and postings to other community agencies, organizations, and individuals. Approximately 850 registered subscribers receive announcements by email, while many more subscribe to the news feed (RSS) available on the site. Service demand is consistent and feedback about the service is exceptionally positive.
Partnerships Community Information Online Consortium (CIOC) CIH participates in the development of CIOC software (the underpinning of our database) by participating in the Community Information Online Consortium. CIOC continually supports its members in the information and referral sector through developments and enhancements. We are very excited about a major redevelopment of CIOC software made possible by the Ontario Trillium Foundation being released in 2011-12. Inform Hamilton Partners Group Along with our partners, Dundas Community Services and Flamborough Information and Community Services, we develop and maintain the Inform Hamilton database. Volunteer Hamilton We continue to collaborate with Volunteer Hamilton to support their use of CIOC software to display and match volunteer opportunities with people seeking to volunteer.
French Language Data Collection A selection of Inform Hamilton records were initially translated into French in the summer of 2007. Each summer since then we have continued to add to, refine and update this collection. The translated records are publicly available by clicking a link from the main search page of Inform Hamilton. Disability Information Service Helpline (DISH) We continue to support DISH with our database. Due to funding limitations, DISH is providing services only part-time. CIH supplies information and is able to provide referral services for people with disabilities. Older Adult Programs and Services and Community Care Access Centre Regional Collections We have provided leadership and coordination in the creation of specialized data collections for these services across the Central South region. In addition to data from Hamilton, these collections include information from our colleagues in Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk, Brant and Burlington. Provincial Data Collections Inform Hamilton has provided data to support provincial data projects including: 211Ontario.ca Settlement.org Ontario Association of Community Care Access Centres Ontario Aboriginal Calendar and Services Directory Access to Professions and Trades in Ontario Directory of Youth Justice Services in Ontario Directory of Justice Services and Resources in Ontario Inventory of Programs and Services Leading to Employment Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities Employment and Training Services
Board of Directors Judy Travis, Chair Jennifer Horwath, Incoming Chair Jagoda Kirilo, Treasurer Kit Darling, Secretary Sadhna Jayatunge, Past Chair Sonja Barnes Mary Ellen Cercone Michael Ciccone Lauren Comeau Sandor Illes Judith Purdell-Lewis Michael Wilson
Staff Pauline Kajiura Beth Lee Jack Lord Karen Maxwell Melissa McSweeney Eleanor Rosewell Lesley Russell Anita Thomson
Executive Director Child Care Counsellor Database Editor Administrative Assistant Database Editor Child Care Counsellor Regional Data & Information Services Coordinator Information Services Coordinator
We appreciate the ongoing support of our funders and partners 2010-2011 City of Hamilton, Community Partnerships Program City of Hamilton, Child Care Systems Support, Social Development & Early Childhood Services United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton Hamilton Public Library Ontario Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services/Children and Youth Services Allegra Hamilton FootPRINT Fund