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Summit II Presents Exciting Evolution for Military Family Services

The Canadian Forces (CF) Family Services Summit II drew together almost 300 Military Family Services stakeholders in Ottawa, and they did not disappoint: thoughtful presentations netted knowledgeable feedback, challenging conversations led to innovative ideas, and intriguing questions produced useful responses.

The Summit II was held at the Westin Hotel from 23-25 January 2009. It was attended by military family members, Military Family Resource Centre (MFRC) staff and board members, Director Military Family Services (DMFS) staff, as well as members of the military leadership and their spouses. Chief of the Defence Staff General Walt Natynczyk, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff Vice-Admiral Denis Rouleau, Chief of the Maritime Staff Vice-Admiral Drew Robertson, Chief of the Air Staff Lieutenant-General Angus Watt, and Senator Lucie Pepin were just a few of the Summit II’s distinguished attendees.

It opened with a presentation from the Chief of the Defence Staff. General Natynczyk heartily welcomed everyone to the conference, and gave an address full of personal anecdotes which demonstrated his own understanding of the unique challenges that frequent postings and deployments place on military families.

“Your CF leadership is here to support you,” General Natynczyk stressed to the crowd. “We recognize that Bagotville is different from Comox, is different from Ottawa, is different from Gander. We need to find solutions for families that give strong national guidance and respect local differences.”

Major-General Walter Semianiw, Chief Military Personnel, echoed General Natynczyk’s statement of CF support. He emphasized the integral role that the well-being of military families plays in the operational effectiveness of the CF, and expressed his confidence that the continuing evolution of family services would prove a successful transition.

Following the opening addresses, Commodore Andy Smith, Assistant Chief Military Personnel, took the stage to present the proposed enhancements to the local and national governance of the MFSP.

“At the end of the day, governance is all about people,” Commodore Smith said. He outlined proposals to enhance local governance by strengthening the partnership between MFRCs and the CF, and keeping governing bodies accountable to families. He explained that national governance will be enhanced by a new CF Family Secretariat and CF Family Advisory Panel, to give families clear avenues to have their voices heard.

The duration of the weekend was dedicated to presenting the work of the CF Family Advisory Committees and Working Groups for child care, mental health and social supports, education, health care, deployment and reunion, relationships and protocols, and employment. Advisory Committee and Working Group members presented the work they have conducted over the past several months, and highlighted their short, medium and long term recommendations for moving ahead.

To encourage feedback and facilitate discussion, each of the presentations were made in small break-out sessions of 25 people. Large comment boards were posted in each of the break-out rooms and in the main conference areas so that participants could record their thoughts, questions and opinions throughout the weekend, and build on one another’s responses.

At the close of the Summit II, Major-General Semianiw thanked the Advisory Committees and Working Groups for their clear, original and feasible recommendations. He also thanked the participants for their thoughtful responses, as the feedback gathered at the Summit II will further clarify and strengthen the work that lies ahead for DMFS to begin enhancing its policies and programs.
 
“We are now ready to move forward with the next phase of our work,” Major-General Semianiw said. “And we thank all of you for your energy and efforts.”