RETIRED PROGRAM

Male Engagement Worker Pilot Program

Engaging struggling dads in Toronto with services and support to keep children and families safe

What is The Male Engagement Worker Pilot Program?

Last year, 22.5% of referrals to the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS) stemmed from children and youth being exposed to violence between caregivers. This groundbreaking, father-focused strategy, piloted at the CCAS, was created to support men involved with child welfare due to intimate partner violence (IPV) with dedicated male social workers offering timely, anti-racist and trauma-informed support. Your donations enabled the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation (CCAF) to fund the development, testing and evaluation of the Male Engagement Worker Pilot Program. This program was so successful that it is being expanded to other child protection agencies and funded by the Ontario government.

How it helps:

Dads can play an important role in children’s development. Yet data shows that, previously, child welfare services focused on identifying harmful fathers without consulting with dads or acknowledging their needs and experiences. Many dads in the Male Engagement Worker Pilot Program said it was the first time that anyone had reached out to them.

Through one-on-one conversations, safety planning, and the Catholic Family Services of Toronto’s “Being a Dad” program, fathers gain skills to foster safer home environments—crucial to reducing rising rates of IPV and family violence in Ontario. Fathers learn about emotional intelligence and regulation and parenting skills to help them understand and address their own issues and rebuild trust and support with children and partners.

Your impact:

Boosting safety and family connection

Throughout its pilot phase, this program enabled 168 fathers to connect with CCAS Male Engagement Workers and services. With provincial support, now even more families will benefit from this leading-edge transformational approach, made possible by your donations.

“The MEW program provides a safe and engaging environment for men to come together in a supportive way, which also holds them responsible for their actions,” says Michelle Cross, the Ongoing Family Services Director of CCAS. “We believe that when fathers and men are engaged in safety planning, it can lead to better outcomes for children.”

Note: This pilot project is now complete and no longer being funded.