Our Client Care Program supports people through intake and with navigating systems prior to accessing clinical services at SACE, and adds capacity to the clinical team by providing administration support and delivery of psychoeducation workshops.

The Client Care Program team provides the foundation for the clinical team. Client Care Specialists complete intakes with prospective clients, and ensure they are aware of community resources and programs they can access while on the waitlist for counselling services. For many, the conversations that occur at the time of intake can be one of the first times they disclose experiences of sexual violence. Client Care Specialists work to ensure that these conversations reflect respect and compassion while simultaneously gathering the information necessary to ensure the individual meets the mandate of SACE services. These early points of contact are integral to the development of a client’s perception of safety at SACE.

All clinical programs require the support of the Client Care Program, with this team completing initial intakes for the Adult, Child and Youth, Group, and Police and Court Support programs, as well as managing the waitlist, matching clients with counsellors, and scheduling first sessions. In addition to this, Client Care supports the development of clinical resources and content for group counselling, co-facilitates Skills for Change, and completes all associated administrative tasks, and coordinates the Police File Advocate Review.  

Continuing to Evolve our Practices

This year we have continued to develop our client care program and practices. We have reflected on how we provide clients information about their rights at the time of intake, and how their answers are documented. In order to uphold and demonstrate our commitment to a culture of consent, we have added a verbal consent component to the start of client intakes. Clients are informed of these limits to confidentiality, empowering them to make choices about what they share in their intake. As the client intake also becomes part of the client’s record at SACE, how information is recorded is an important consideration to safeguard their privacy in the event of a subpeona. The Client Care Specialists ensure that clients are aware that the information they share will become part of their client record in order support transparency in SACE services. We have shifted the way in which information at the time of intake is documented to reflect this risk.

Client Care Program Development

The Client Care and Community Support position is the first formal role to bridge the Clinical Department and Community Engagement Department. Clinical responsibilities in this role include completing child and youth intakes, developing clinical and community resources, and bringing forward ideas and questions about internal processes to the Clinical Directors. Community Engagement responsibilities include initiatives to promote accessibility and diversity, equity, and inclusion at SACE and acting as a bridge and point person between community needs and feedback, and SACE programs and initiatives. 

The Client Care and Clinical Support role was developed to increase capacity for SACE counsellors. This includes co-facilitation and responsibility for the administrative elements of Skills for Change, our psychoeducation group, as well as development of content for the Group Counselling Program, coordination of the Police File Advocate Review, and supporting Police and Court Support to ensure that all the requests for accompaniment can be met. Moving forward, this role will also include support with the administrative components of the Group Counselling Program, check-ins for clients on the wait-list, and provision of crisis sessions.  

Client Care Community Support

For the last three years prior to the winter closure, a Client Care Advocate has taken the initiative to create holiday bags to give to clients. Each year, she shops for and hand-makes each bag. This year she included a holiday story (Métis Christmas Mittens; an audio link was also included for those who may need/prefer this), a resource card focused how to take care of one’s mental health during the holidays, chocolate, candy, stickers, and a “jar of sunshine” (18 positive messages/jokes clients can read each day of the office closure). These bags were shared with child, youth, and adult clients who might need extra support during the holidays or while the office was closed.