Surveying community to serve it better

By Steph Crosier

A survey from Children and Youth services is aimed at finding ways to make Prince Edward and Hastings counties the best place for families to live.

Hastings and Prince Edward counties were chosen by the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services to conduct a survey to see how well local agencies are taking care of the children, youth, and families in our area. Other communities chosen include London, Sudbury, and Toronto.

“What we really want to know is how the services are working for the community,” said Wendy Anderson, coordinator at the Hastings and Prince Edward Children’s services Network.

The Hastings and Prince Edward Children and Youth Services Network has already gathered information from its own network but say it is not enough. They have launched the “Community Engagement” to encourage other families to participate.  They are also offering eight $100 prices to whoever takes their survey.

“The main point that we want to make in the survey is that we can’t improve the services, we cannot improve access unless we know what the needs are in the community,” said Anderson “So that is why we have embarked on surveying the families of youth service providers and other community members.”

Anyone who works or lives in Hasting or Prince Edward Counties are eligible to take the survey and to win a prize. Participates can visit www.hpechildrenandyouth.ca to complete the survey. A brief one-hour focus group is also available; please contact Wendy Anderson at 613-966-3100 ex. 246 for more details or travel assistance.

With the information gathered from the survey and the focus groups Anderson said, “We are planning to plan.”