SUMMARY REPORT
BCFFPA STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AND OUTCOMES
June 2002

Introduction
The BCFFPA undertook a rigorous strategic planning process on June 21 & 22, 2002. The organization is at a critical juncture in its history. A number of internal and external issues cause the organization to reassess its role, function and future direction. This future direction is both short term and long term in its focus.

Overview
Through a facilitated process of strategic planning, the Board of Directors and Management identified and worked through a number of key areas of focus. The specific areas and sequence by which they were addressed are attached to this report as Attachment 1.

The participants worked and interacted in a highly professional and focused manner. They are to be commended for their efforts on behalf of members. Without their hard work the outcomes achieved would not have occurred. A variety of perspectives and opinions were expressed on most issues. Consensus was achieved on all outcomes.

This report will describe the specific outcomes achieved, the strategic issues identified, the action plans adopted and summarize the next steps for BCFFPA.

BCFFPA STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
SUMMARY OF OUTCOMES

There were a number of substantive outcomes of the planning session. These outcomes relate to:

• Organization's Statement of Mission and Purposes
• Prioritized Listing of Strategic Issues
• Board Structure
• Accountability to Members
• Financial Self Sufficiency

More details with respect to the outcomes and how they were achieved are contained in the narrative to this report under the respective headings.

These outcomes are defined in the documents identified as Attachment 2.

MISSION AND STATEMENT OF PURPOSES

Consensus was achieved on an amended Mission Statement. The current Mission Statement reads as follows:

THE BCFFPA REPRESENTS ALL FOSTER PARENTS WHO PROVIDE QUALITY IN - HOME FOSTER CARE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

The amended Mission Statement reads as follows:

THE BCFFPA REPRESENTS AND SUPPORTS ALL FOSTER PARENTS TO PROVIDE QUALITY IN - HOME FOSTER CARE IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

The Statement of Purposes as identified in the BCFFPA Constitution was also reviewed and confirmed. The listing of Purposes is attached to this report as Attachment 3.

PRIORITY STRATEGIC ISSUES

Consensus was achieved that the following are the strategic issues that must be addressed by the BCFFPA. They are listed in the order of priority as unanimously agreed by the Board of Directors.

1. Define and implement a new Board and Organizational structure
2. Establish and maintain a secure funding base
3. Define and develop a short term survival plan
4. Develop, implement and assess an accountability and outcomes measurement system

There were a total of twelve strategic issues identified by the Board. While the above noted four issues are the priority areas of focus, the other issues were either incorporated into these issue statements or tabled for future action and/or incorporation into an ongoing strategic plan.

For each identified priority issue, an action plan was developed identifying goals, objectives, accountability and timeframe for completion. A summary document for each issue is attached to this report as Attachment 2.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At the 2002 Annual General Meeting the membership of BCFFPA directed its Board to restructure in a manner that took into consideration the outcomes of focus group meetings held earlier.

The Board of Directors discussed at length a variety of options with respect to size, basis of representation, structure and mandate of a reconfigured Board. As a result of those discussions, consensus was reached that the following Board structure was the most appropriate.

Board Size
The Board will be comprised of nine members.

Board Structure
The Board will be structured based on the following methodology:

• Five regional members representing one from each of the redefined BCFFPA regions. The new regions will align with the Ministry of Children and Family Development newly formed macro regions. These representatives will be foster parents.
• The Executive Officers of the current Board will continue on an interim basis. For the sake of clarity, those members are the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. They are currently all foster parents.
• Efforts will be made prior to the next Annual General Meeting to recruit individuals to serve on the Board with specific skill sets to provide expertise in policy governance and to support the achievement of the key strategic issues outcomes. These individuals may or may not be foster parents.
• In all circumstances the Board will be comprised of nine individuals, the majority of which, will be foster parents.

Board Focus
The focus of the Board of Directors will be on policy governance, provincial coordination and broadly based advocacy issues. It is anticipated that operational and direct service delivery matters will be addressed at the newly defined regional level.

CONSULTANT'S SUPPLEMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS

1. That once finally constituted, the new Board of Directors engage in a Board Development exercise to maximize their collective ability to function effectively as a policy focused rather than an operationally focused Board.
2. That the recommendations of the Communications Study of February 2001 are reviewed and where possible and appropriate such recommendations be implemented.
3. That the adoption of sound business principles and practices be a priority in how BCFFPA conducts its business. As a business with in excess of $1 million of annual revenue this is a necessity.
4. That an ongoing strategy for both member and government relations be defined, developed and implemented. Fundamental underpinnings of such strategies must be demonstrated "value added", proactiveness and openness.
5. That BCFFPA and its members celebrate the successes as well as focusing on the challenges.

ATTACHMENT 1
BCFFPA Planning Session June 20-22, 2002

Key Areas of Focus

• Mission Statement
• Constitution
    - Statement of Purposes of the Federation
• Vision
    - In The Ideal World What Would BCFFPA Look Like
• MCFD Audit
• MCFD Reorganization
• Focus Groups Outcomes
• BCFFPA 2001/2002 Outcomes - Celebrate the Successes!
• Environmental Scan
    - Internal
    - External
• Define Strategic Issues Facing BCFFPA
• Prioritize Strategic Issues
• Develop Strategic Action Plans
• Revisit Vision, Mission and Statement of Purposes
• Communications Strategy

ATTACHMENT 2
B.C. FEDERATION OF FOSTER PARENT ASSOCIATIONS
2002/2003 STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN

ATTACHMENT 3
STATEMENT OF PURPOSES

As identified in the BCFFPA Constitution, the Statement of Purposes reads as follows:

• To be the collective voice for all foster parents and promote fostering throughout British Columbia
• To be a channel of communication between authorized child welfare agencies and foster parents in British Columbia in all matters pertaining to children and foster children in particular
• To work with authorized child welfare agencies and other community agencies and organizations to improve fostering and child care standards
• To promote and encourage the aims and objectives of each and every local foster parent association in British Columbia as the basic foundation unit of the foster parent association
• To promote and encourage the aims and objectives of each and every regional council of foster parent associations in each Ministry for Children & Families regional area of British Columbia
• To provide advisory help and assistance to foster parents, local associations and regional councils of foster parents associations
• To encourage local associations and regional councils, in cooperation with authorized child caring agencies and local school boards, university extension departments and post-secondary educational facilities, to arrange appropriate in-service training courses and other educational experiences to enhance the capabilities of foster parents