Evidence of meeting #16 for Veterans Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was osiss.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Manager, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program, Department of Veterans Affairs
If they didn't and the peer support individual has a suspicion, again it's their duty to report. If you suspect child abuse, there is a duty to report under legislation.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative David Sweet
Thank you, Mr. Stoffer and Madam Darte.
I want to make a quick assessment. We have some committee business at the end.
Madam Crombie has some questions.
Mr. Clarke, do you have any questions you want to ask?
Okay. We'll need to make these two rounds pretty tight.
Madam Crombie, you'll have five minutes, and then we'll go to Mr. Clarke.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Thank you for the opportunity to be here today, and thank you to Scott for allowing me to ask his questions.
I'm just fascinated. I came in at the tail end, so I'll try to make it brief.
How well do the two departments work together?
Manager, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program, Department of Veterans Affairs
Yes, 2002.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
And how well do you work together, coordinating?
Manager, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program, Department of Veterans Affairs
And very well, I think. Hopefully, today you've heard us as almost one voice. It's as if Major Le Beau speaks and I speak; we're like one person with two voices.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Mr. Stoffer asked about RCMP officers being brought into the OSISS program. What about regular police officers?
Maj Mariane Le Beau
Some are accessing our services. As Ms. Darte said, we don't turn anybody away.
Clearly, there are differences. If Cyndi is trying to offer peer support to a military member or a veteran, we have a lot more resources we can refer them to, which is not necessarily the same for a police officer or an RCMP officer. They need to be reconnected to the services they have in their organization.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Are families brought into the OSISS program as well? Do parents—not just spouses and children—receive counselling as well? And to what degree, and how long does it last?
Family Peer Support Coordinator, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program - Mississauga, Department of Veterans Affairs
I work with a number of parents within my area, and that's reflective of the coordinators across the nation. They are entitled to access services as long as they're required, just as the other people who are accessing the program are. The nature of what they're seeking support for is individual. Some of them might want to understand possible signs and symptoms, or how they can support their loved one and help them through the recovery process.
I want to reiterate what Kathy said, that the program doesn't turn anyone away. Essentially, whether it's a best buddy or a grandmother or a parent or a sibling, we'll provide support to them, however they may require it.
Liberal
Family Peer Support Coordinator, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program - Mississauga, Department of Veterans Affairs
Both sets of parents are quite supportive; I have some husbands I'm supporting, and the children indirectly through the parents—we provide support and resources to the parents to assist their children.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Of course.
Ms. Foote brought up the peer counsellors. How long does a peer counsellor last in a position? I would imagine there's quite a bit of stress involved with just being a counsellor.
Maj Mariane Le Beau
We don't call them counsellors. We avoid the term, because it has a clinical overtone, and they don't do counselling; they do peer support.
We have some peer support coordinators—we have two of them—who have been with us since the beginning. They were some of the first hired.
Maj Mariane Le Beau
I don't have a rate. One reason we've been doing so much staffing is that we are growing, more than because of turnover. But there are some people who have come and gone, there's no doubt.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
I was also very interested in the decompression location in Cyprus. Could you tell us a little more about it? And are peer coordinators involved there as well?
Peer Support Coordinator, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program - Calgary and Southern Alberta, Department of National Defence
Yes. I had the opportunity to go to Cyprus two summers ago. They split our tasking. It's an eight-week tasking, and from OSISS we were split, so that there were four of us who took half the time, because if we stayed there the whole time, it would be too much.
We go there, and it's really good. The guys come back from Afghanistan and they turn in all their stuff. They relax and do educational briefings for five days and then go home. During that time, they're told about all the services they can access, for them and their families, once they get home.
It's a great, great program.
Liberal
Bonnie Crombie Liberal Mississauga—Streetsville, ON
Does the peer support start right there in Cyprus?
Peer Support Coordinator, Operational Stress Injury Social Support Program - Calgary and Southern Alberta, Department of National Defence
Absolutely, the peer support starts right there. OSISS is part of five briefings that are given over the course of five days. When I was there—and this is my own experience only—OSISS's was the briefing most attended by the soldiers, who have a choice of briefings. Our briefing was the one attended by the most people.
