Health Canada Indian Residential Schools (IRS) Mental Health
Support Program - Bulletin March 2005
Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada
2005
ISBN: 1708-8348
HC Pub. No.: 3348
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Welcome to the second edition of the Health Canada Indian Residential
Schools (IRS) Mental Health Support Program Bulletin. The IRS Mental
Health Support Program provides mental health supports to all former
students of Indian Residential Schools who are resolving claims
against the Government of Canada through the Alternative Dispute
Resolution (ADR) Process or through litigation for abuse(s) suffered
while attending Indian Residential Schools. The IRS Mental Health
Support Program Bulletin continues to be published as needed to
provide information about the program. The focus of this issue
is the Resolution Health Support Workers and the invaluable services
they provide.
Background about Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada
(IRSRC)
Since 1997, Canada has resolved more than 1,952 (as of January
2005) of the approximately 13,000 Indian Residential Schools (IRS)
legal claims. Through this experience Canada has learned that claimants
often experience various emotional reactions when disclosing abuses
suffered while attending residential school(s). This has led the
Government of Canada to develop the IRS Mental Health Support Program
to meet the needs of eligible claimants.
Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada (IRSRC) was established
in June 2001, to resolve claims associated with the legacy of the
residential school system.
In December 2002, IRSRC announced the creation of a National Resolution
Framework. The centrepiece of the Resolution Framework is an Alternative
Dispute Resolution (ADR) Process which aims to administer, validate
and resolve claims in a safe and sensitive manner as an alternative
to litigation.
If you are interested in learning about how to apply to the ADR
Process, call the Indian Residential Schools (IRS) Help Desk at
1-800-816-7293 or visit  IRSRC's website
The National IRS Crisis Line can also be reached
24 hours a day at 1-866-925-4419.
The Indian Residential Schools (IRS) Mental Health Support Program
Health Canada's First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB)
works in partnership with Indian Residential Schools Resolution
Canada (IRSRC) to coordinate and fund a variety of services.
The IRS Mental Health Support Program provides access to mental
health, transportation services and emotional support services
for eligible claimants through the Health Canada FNIHB Regional
Offices. Eligible claimants may include any former IRS attendee
with a claim against Canada who is in the process of actively resolving
their claim through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Process
or the courts. Each FNIHB Regional Office has a Regional Coordinator
who helps eligible claimants access the services offered by the
IRS Mental Health Support Program.
Health Canada's infrastructure includes existing relationships
with mental health professionals and guidelines and policies for
the coordination and funding of mental health and transportation
services. In addition, claimants will have access to emotional
support services through community-based Resolution Health Support
Workers (RHSW) while trying to resolve their claim. The RHSW will
provide emotional support services to claimants before, during,
and to a limited extent, after their litigation processes or ADR
hearings have been settled.
The IRS Mental Health Support Program will coordinate the following
services for eligible claimants:
- 1) Mental health counselling - based on receipt
of a completed treatment plan (including the number of counselling
sessions recommended and their cost) from a mental health service
provider recognized by Health Canada and approved by FNIHB.
- 2) Transportation - to access individual/limited
family mental health counselling and/or Elder/Healer services
not available in the home community and approved by FNIHB.
- 3) RHSW emotional support services - are available
based on the needs of the claimant and will be provided by individual
RHSW's working through Aboriginal or Aboriginally affiliated
organizations funded by FNIHB.
Resolution Health Support Workers (RHSW)
Purpose
- To provide a variety of flexible "front-line" safety
support and coordination services directly to Indian Residential
Schools (IRS) claimants involved in the Alternative Dispute Resolution
(ADR) or court processes;
- The RHSW service can be accessed at any stage of the ADR or
court process (completion of an ADR application form, hearing,
court events, etc.)
Roles and Responsibilities
- Provide emotional support to IRS claimants during all phases
of the resolution process with a focus on ADR and litigation
processes when requested (e.g. on-the-scene emotional support
and/or telephone follow up);
- Identify claimant support needs offered within the IRS Mental
Health Support Program;
- Refer IRS claimants to existing community services and supports;
- When possible, remind claimants of their scheduled ADR or
court events and inform claimants that they may bring a support
person to their hearing session (funded by Indian Residential
Schools Resolution Canada (IRSRC) as part of their ADR process);
- Provide a liaison role between Health Canada, IRSRC and Aboriginal
communities in raising awareness about the National Resolution
Framework and the services available through the IRS Mental Health
Support Program (as described on the first page of this Bulletin)
and support the needs of former students; and
- Communicate with Health Canada in order to identify high claimant
activity areas and emergency situations.
Activities to Date
- Respond to claimants in distress and refer them to the IRS
HelpDesk,
National IRS Crisis Line or Health Canada IRS Regional Coordinator;
- Attend IRSRC outreach/information workshops, commemoration
events,
discovery hearings and adjudication hearings;
- Accompany Form Fillers (a trained person who assists a former
student in filling out the ADR application form) to ADR application
workshops and provide emotional support to claimants;
- Respond to calls from IRSRC Resolution Managers and outreach
staff, plaintiff's counsel, Adjudication Secretariat staff, Health
Canada
Regional Coordinator, Form Fillers, etc.;
- Prepare activity reports, participate in regular RHSW teleconference
calls; network with Aboriginal groups, communities and Aboriginal
Healing Foundation (AHF) funded projects.
Accessing RHSW Services
A former IRS attendee or family member may request RHSW services
through any of the following methods:
- By calling the Health Canada IRS Regional Coordinator directly
(see list on back of this Bulletin);
- An IRSRC Resolution Manager can make a request for support
on behalf of a claimant or as a safety measure for an upcoming
ADR or litigation processes; or
- A third party (e.g. IRS Help Desk, lawyer) may refer and assist
in accessing RHSW services.
For additional information or to access counselling, please contact
the Health Canada IRS Regional coordinator in the FNIHB Regional
Office in your province/territory from the list provided on the
next page. More information about the Indian
Residential Schools Mental Health Support Program is available
on the Health Canada website.
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB)
Regional Office Directory
Atlantic Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Maritime Centre
1505 Barrington Street
15th Floor, Suite 1525
Halifax, NS B3J 3Y6
1-866-414-8111
Québec Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Guy-Favreau Complex
200 René Lévesque Blvd. West
East Tower, 2nd Floor
Montréal, QC H2Z 1X4
1-877-583-2965
Ontario Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Emerald Plaza
1547 Merivale Road
3rd Floor, Postal Locator 6103A
Nepean, ON K1A 0L3
1-888-301-6426
Manitoba Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Stanley Knowles Federal Building
391 York Avenue, Suite 300
Winnipeg, MB R3C 4W1
1-866-818-3505
Saskatchewan Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Château Tower, 18th Floor
1920 Broad Street
Regina, SK S4P 3V2
1-866-250-1529
Alberta Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Canada Place
9700 Jasper Avenue, Suite 730
Edmonton, AB T5J 4C3
1-888-495-6588
Pacific Region
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Federal Building
757 West Hastings Street, Suite 540
Vancouver, BC V6C 3E6
1-877-477-0775
Northern Secretariat (Yukon)
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Elijah Smith Building
Suite 100 - 300 Main Street
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2B5
1-800-464-8106
Northern Secretariat
(Northwest Territories and Nunavut)
First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
Health Canada
Sixty Queen Building
14th Floor, Postal Locator 3914A
60 Queen Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9
1-866-509-1769
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