Our Vision

The Serenity Child & Parent Society is a non-profit registered charity responding to the identified needs of young parents and their children in the Cowichan Valley. Our central commitment is to support, sustain and enhance the relationship between mother and child at times when this bond is threatened through the lack of personal, educational, social and financial resources. For all children, the quality of this primary relationship establishes the foundation for healthy development, but where breakdown and separation occur, the consequences are far reaching and the pain can last a lifetime – for both parent and child.

In other words, our commitment is to the most basic form of early intervention and primary prevention.

Having spent over two years examining the difficulties faced by young parents in the Cowichan Valley, the Serenity Child & Parent Society is now engaged in developing programs to address the identified needs. Our immediate priority is to create a nurturing ‘relational’ residential environment where the most vulnerable young mothers and their children can benefit from the very best professional care and ‘state of the art’ parent-training approaches. This proposed facility, providing 24 hour a day care, has been designed to prevent or minimize the bonding and attachment disruptions that generally occur through multiple placements and enforced separation of mother and child.

Incorporating the most recent advances in developmental psychology and child-care practices, “Serenity House” offers a unique opportunity to re-direct the course of young lives from chaos and desperation into a solid and sustainable foundation for the future. Particular attention will be given to assisting the residents to stabilize their lives and discover their potential to become competent, loving and responsible caregivers. Working in collaboration with other community professionals, every effort will be made to support them in renewing and strengthening their connections with their own extended family.

The “Serenity House Project” has been identified as a “priority” in numerous reports and local needs assessment surveys, with documented expressions of support from the Regional Council, the School Board, professional service providers, and the community at large, has been overwhelming. Having created effective working partnerships and established a defined place within the network of services, the Serenity Child & Parent Society urgently requires capital funding, or favorable long-term lease agreements, to make this unique residential facility a living reality.

The start-up costs are relatively modest, but with the current restrictions on Government spending, it seems highly unlikely that they will be covered through public funding. This means that the Society must now seek initial financial assistance from the community it wishes to serve. After reviewing this website, we sincerely hope that you will pledge your support in whatever form best suits your inclinations and resources.

Throughout the two years of research and planning, the Serenity House Project has received overwhelming support from all sectors of the local community, including the City Council, School Board and related Social and Health Service organizations. It has been identified as a “priority” in numerous community reports and need-assessment surveys.

Download our HELP Document here (132k)

See pages 4 and 5 of the Serenity House Proposal for a full description of our vision or pages 1 and 2 of the Executive Summary. The Executive Summary will shortly be updated.

Growing Together Child and Parent Society said; “ There is a desperate need for housing/homes to meet the needs of young mothers and their babies in the Cowichan Valley. As a result mothers who are deemed homeless are being separated from their babies.”

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