Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support

Officially launched in 2015, the Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support (OCPS), operates under the Ottawa Child and Youth Initiative umbrella. It is a community of partners working together to build resilient families that can support their children’s healthy development, feel empowered, and are able to cope with the ups and downs of everyday living.

Why a Collaborative Strategy?

In Ottawa, a collaborative approach has been selected to address the need for parenting support. A collaborative approach will potentially allow for improved access to services while maximizing resources in an attempt to better support families. The community support strategy for parents derives from a strong base of literature showing that parental involvement within the social and academic aspects of their children provides them with a better chance of future success in those areas.

Guiding Principles for our Strategy

A Strategy which Highlights Potential: A positive approach to parent support, which encourages parents to take on responsibility, which is founded in family and community strength and support, an which encourages parent engagement and participation in their child's development.

A Strategy Founded in Evidence-Based Practices

A strategy which is based in research, experience and expertise, as well as data literacy and the ability to make effective use of community data resources. This strategy will aim to develop a common messaging around parenting in Ottawa, and a common evaluation for the institutions and services in our community which are designed to support parents to help their children to grow up great.

An Inclusive Strategy

Transparent, accessible services adapted to the needs of the parents in the Ottawa community, as well as supporting resources which reflect the diversity of the parents and families in Ottawa.

A Durable Strategy

A long term strategy to which many community organizations and services are committed and engaged, which is malleable and flexible - capable of adapting to new parenting needs in Ottawa as they arise.

Our Strategy Objectives:

Our Collaborative Parenting Support Strategy aims to:

Engage parents in their child/youth's social and academic development
Model and support best practices to ensure that programs and services designed to support parents in Ottawa are of the highest quality
Provide parents with the necessary means and information to access services and resources available to them in the community
Expand and develop current information resources available, to ensure documents provided to parents/clients are clear and appropriate.
Facilitate access and orientation to services for parents which are best suited to meet the needs of their family

The Ottawa Collaborative for Parenting Support is proud to share the Just Ask Poster which supports our strategic goal to enable access to programs and services by strengthening information resources. To request a poster for your agency please email us at info@growingupgreat.ca

Just Ask Campaign