Howard Hurwitz

With about 480 mental health professionals and lawyers taking part, we realized that people are thirsty for knowledge, said Howard Hurwitz, director of childrens services at JF&CS.
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Hurwitz said they chose this years topic because there is a lot of confusion about how to work effectively with families in which children are alienated from one parent.

as any other community:' Howard Hurwitz

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"We're not immune," acknowledges Howard Hurwitz, director of children's services for JF&CS."We have the same social problems as any other community in Toronto."

As proof, Hurwitz reports that the agency, which boasts 37 workers who deliver child welfare services, currently has 85 children under its care.These youngsters live in foster homes, group homes and institutions such as hospitals, jails and detention facilities.

"These are children who, for one reason or another, can't live with their biological families," says Hurwitz."All these kids have specialized treatment needs.Many have some kind of psychiatric, behavioural, emotional or developmental problem."

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"We feel that by providing preventative services to the community, it may reduce the number of crises that we have to respond to," says Hurwitz."We place a very strong emphasis on providing treatment and preventing child abuse from recurring, and that makes us different from other children's aid societies.We believe strongly that the prevention services are essential in keeping kids safe."

The agency also offers counselling, play therapy and other follow-up treatment services for children and their families.

More extreme cases of physical abuse and neglect demand a higher level of intervention, sometimes involving the courts.
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"The rabbi was very helpful in having the parents co-operate with us," says Hurwitz."The child got the surgery and the case was closed."

Sometimes, JF&CS workers act to alleviate difficult situations.For instance, they were called in to assist the parents of a 10-year-old girl with serious behavioural and developmental problems.

"The parents felt they were at the end of their rope and unable to provide care for her any longer," Hurwitz says."They were totally frustrated by her behaviour and felt they needed a period of separation from her."The agency arranged for the child to go into a group home on weekends for several months, thus giving the parents at least part of the respite they needed.