Volunteer Coordinator Services – Fraser Valley Community Corrections

1.1 BACKGROUND

To achieve this objective, the Federal Task Force on Community and Institutional Programs, in its final report, recognized that:

the community has a responsibility to assist in the reintegration of offenders, and the Correctional Service of Canada will actively seek the support and participation of the community during the sentence and encourage the provision of ongoing support to offenders after the sentence has expired.

Effective coordination of volunteer services in the Fraser Valley Community Corrections’ Area will demonstrate that this goal can be best achieved through the use of volunteers. Citizens will be recruited and trained to provide as wide a range of services as possible. Through their activities, volunteers will perform a vital role in educating members of the public about Correctional Service of Canada initiatives.

1.2 OBJECTIVE

To provide a volunteer service that will address recruitment, orientation training, monitoring and implementation of volunteer activities to meet offender needs.

1.3 TASKS

Recruitment

The Contractor must:

1. Conduct information sessions with a broad range of agencies, organizations, officials and educational facilities within the Fraser Valley Area as a means of informing them about volunteer opportunities in Community Corrections that are available for individuals.
2. Conduct presentations and information sessions.
3. Interview potential volunteers.
4. Verify volunteer references and ensure Reliability Status Clearance before individuals are accepted as volunteers.
5. Establish a broad recruitment base, including Indigenous communities, local service groups, chaplaincy and faith communities, universities, colleges and volunteer centres.
6. Facilitate availability of volunteers to federal offenders placed at local Community Residential Facilities, the Chilliwack Community Correctional Centre (CCC) and the Temporary Detention Unit (TDU).
7. Focus the volunteer base to reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of local communities and offender population by extending recruitment initiatives to various cultural organizations.
8. Actively develop contacts with agencies, including mental health service providers, faith communities and ethno-cultural societies where these agencies can provide service and support to the offender.
9. Actively recruit volunteers with second languages; maintain a record for use in identifying volunteers with various linguistic profiles.
10. Recruit, screen, train, supervise, and support between 15 and 20 volunteers to provide outreach support to mentally disordered offenders (e.g., offenders with major mental illness, brain injured offenders, dual diagnosis offenders, aging/elderly offenders, and/or low functioning offenders).

Training

The Contractor must:

1. Maintain an accurate, detailed log of all volunteers who are providing services to the Fraser Valley Community Corrections’ Area.
2. Schedule and facilitate a volunteer orientation program for new volunteers regarding volunteer roles and responsibilities, including the Code of Conduct, Access to Information Act, Privacy Act; confidentiality; PPE and Covid procedures; and facilitate access to other training as required and available.
3. Ensure that each new volunteer has completed orientation training prior to providing services.
4. Identify and arrange, in cooperation with the Parole Officer Supervisors, Mental Health Team, and Psychologists:

a) Orientation training required for these volunteers, including training focusing on helping volunteers to develop knowledge around diagnosis, course, and treatment of mental illness, and the recognition of positive and negative symptoms of particular disorders.

b) Any other necessary ongoing training for volunteers.

Projects and Activities

The Volunteer Coordinator is responsible for developing new projects and activities for volunteer involvement on an on-going basis, including those targeted at offenders with mental health illnesses.

Community Education and Outreach

• Assist in organizing community events to educate the public about CSC; liaise with community groups to heighten CSC profile in community.
• Organize and assist in promoting CSC Community Corrections and volunteering through community events such as Victoria Day, Canada Day, BC Day, and Labour Day celebrations. As well organize and promote CSC Community Corrections and volunteering through shopping mall displays.

Reintegration Activities

• Screen appropriate volunteers for one-to-one or group contact; and assign to specific projects.
• Seek volunteer referrals from parole officers, halfway house/CCC/TDU staff and program deliverers.
• Coordinate the volunteer activity with the offender, volunteer and offender’s Parole Officer. These activities may include, but not limited to, in-reach to the institutions for pre-release assistance planning, preparation of documents (i.e. for identification/medical/taxes), assistance in wellness/reintegration activities (i.e. walks, hikes, social gatherings), assistance in connecting with community groups and networks (i.e. churches, community groups), and any other activities that may be benefit an offender’s reintegration.
• Provide enhanced documentation and identification assistance for offenders who did not receive ID Coordinator services prior to release or subsequent releases.
• These services mentioned above must occur at one of the Fraser Valley Area Parole Offices/CCC or a local CRF or institution and must serve offenders on release or being released within the Fraser Valley Parole Area.
• Ensure services being provided to offenders do not overlap contracted services already in place in the Fraser Valley Parole Area.
• Conduct an initial meeting with each volunteer, the offender and the offender’s parole officer, to develop an action plan for activities.
• Conduct regular follow up with the volunteer, parole officer, and offender.
• Assign and supervise volunteers to operate the resource centers/bulletin boards located at CRF’s or Parole Offices to assist offenders on site at those locations.

Research Projects

• liaise with research heads to find ways for volunteers to assist in research as projects are identified;
• screen and assign volunteers to the various projects;
• follow up with researchers and volunteers concerning projects.

Transportation Services

• Recruit and coordinate volunteers interested in providing transportation services to offenders, which may include transportation for supervision transfers, attending programs or intervention appointments, attending medical or dental appointments, making contact with community supports, attending social or community activities or any other activities/appointments that benefit the offender’s reintegration to the community.
• Organize reimbursement of expenses volunteers may incur when using a GMV to transport offenders, including, but not limited to such items as parking and ferries.

Other Activities

• Organize CRF/CCC/TDU assistance program, including the development of social and wellness activities at the CRFs that are appropriate to meet the needs of the offenders, including those who are high risk, high needs, have mental health issues, aging, have gender considerations, ethnically diverse, etc.
• Provide volunteer support/assistance to identified correctional programs, including the attendance in Program Interventions held in the Parole Office and collaboration with Program Officers in the monitoring of offenders participating in Program interventions.

1. The Contractor may use a CSC motor vehicle for their contract work provided the Area Director has approved use of the vehicle. For all persons providing escort or accompaniment services under this contract, the contractor must provide the Project Authority with proof of a valid British Columbia driver’s license and a copy of the driver’s personal vehicle insurance and driver’s abstract for the past five years.
2. The Contractor must only use the CSC motor vehicle as specifically stated in the terms and conditions of the contract, and stipulated in the approval given by the Area Director. The Contractor must not drive the motor vehicle to their home or use it for any personal use.
3. The Contractor must return the CSC vehicle to the site designated by the CSC operational manager.
4. The Contractor must make the necessary arrangements for their own transportation to and from the Parole office.
5. The Contractor must use the most cost effective mode of transportation to attend meetings, training sessions or other volunteer activities as requested by the Project Authority.
6. The Contractor must provide or facilitate the transportation of offenders to attend various facilities, agencies, businesses or other locations as requested by the Project Authority.
7. The Contractor must provide the Volunteer Coordinator with a cell phone.

SUPPORT TO CONTRACTOR

The Department will:

1. Provide a fleet vehicle when and as required to transport offenders, for the use of the Contractor, approved sub-contractor or approved volunteers. 
2. Provide the contractor a workstation to be used as a primary location at one of the Fraser Valley Area offices.
3. Provide the Contractor with current CSC Fleet Operations and Maintenance Guidelines, Policy Bulletin 335, Section 9.
4. Facilitate the process of securing Reliability Status clearance for persons providing volunteer services.
5. Provide the volunteer coordinator and/or identified, trained volunteers with a briefing of each offender prior to their accompaniment of an offender.
6. Subject to the approval of the Project Authority and/or delegate, permit the Contractor, approved sub-Contractor or approved volunteer to use Crown vehicles, when available and in accordance and completion of the Contractors Use of Government Vehicles procedure form for the purpose of escorting inmates released on Temporary Absence or for any other purposes (e.g., accompanying / transporting offenders released to the Community), provided that the Contractor carries third party liability insurance where provincial legislation permits.

MEETINGS

The Contractor must:

1. Attend CSC meetings, as requested by the Project Authority.
2. Attend Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) meetings.

EXPECTED RESULTS:

The Volunteer Coordinator (Contractor) must develop and maintain projects and specific tasks for Fraser Valley Community Corrections in which volunteers from the community can be involved. The projects and tasks originate from both the Correctional Service of Canada as well as community residential facilities/CCC/TDU within the Fraser Valley Area. The Coordinator actively liaises between the different organizations to establish and maintain projects which focus on strengthening community resources for offenders on conditional release.

About half of this time will focus on offenders with mental health problems (including major mental disorders; developmental disabilities, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and brain injury with moderate to severe functioning impairment; and personality disorders with significant functioning impairment) and the other half on non-mentally disordered offenders within Fraser Valley Community Corrections. Both of these offender groups will have diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous offenders, and offenders of various ethno-cultural groups. 

1.5 DELIVERABLES

LEVEL OF EFFORT: the estimated level of effort for this contract is approximately (130) hours per month.

The Contractor must:

1. Ensure volunteer applications and security screening forms are completed for each volunteer and presented to the Project Authority or delegate prior to processing each through NHQ.
2. Ensure security screening for each potential volunteer is processed through NHQ.
3. Provide a monthly status report of volunteer hours and activities as well as program participation, to the Project Authority using the attached reporting template (see Annex D).

1.5.1 Paper consumption:

a. Should printed material be required, double sided printing in black and white format is the default unless otherwise specified by the Project Authority.

b. The Contractor must ensure printed material is on paper with a minimum recycled content of 30% and/or certified as originating from a sustainably managed forest.

c. The Contractor must recycle unneeded printed documents (in accordance with Security Requirements).

1. CONSTRAINTS:

1.6.1 Location of work:

a. The Contractor must perform the work at the:

• Abbotsford Parole Office (#100 - 32544 George Ferguson Way, Abbotsford, BC V2T 4Y1)
• Chilliwack CCC (45914 Rowat Avenue, Chilliwack, BC V2P 1J3)
• Chilliwack Parole Office (8990 Young Road, Chilliwack, BC V2P 4R8)
• Maple Ridge Parole Office (105 - 20110 Lougheed Hwy., Maple Ridge, BC V2X 2P7)
• Temporary Detention Unit (located within Pacific Institution at 33344 King Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 4P4).
• All CBRF/CRF’s located within the Fraser Valley Area

 b. Travel

1. Travel to the following locations will be required for performance of the work under this

contract:

• Kinghaven Treatment Centre (31250 King Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6C2)
• All CBRF/CRF’s located within the Fraser Valley Area

1.6.2 Language of Work:

The contractor must perform all work in English.