Annual Report - The John Howard Society of North Island

Staff Profiles
Richard Williams
Richard Williams began his career in
social services in 1969. After
completing a Social Services
Certificate program at Vancouver City
College, Richard applied to work for
the Catholic Children’s Aid Society
where he had done his practicum. Not
only did they hire him, the CCAS gave
him an advance of two weeks’ pay.
“The supervisor said, ‘You’re a student
and you must be broke.’” Richard was hired into the youth
justice section and had a caseload of 15 youth. “It was a
really good job for a young guy to go into,” he recalled.
In 1974 all the employees in the children’s aid societies and
city social services were redistributed in a district office
model. Richard chose to go to Hastings Sunrise in East
Vancouver, where he worked as a Child Protection Worker. A
few years later these services were taken over by the
provincial government and Richard then became an
employee of the Ministry of Human Resources.
Seeking a different lifestyle, Richard, his wife Dorothy, and
their two young sons relocated from North Vancouver to
Courtenay in 1981. Richard was able to secure a transfer
within MHR. They moved from living on a city lot to a semirural
acreage. This was a positive change for his family and
where he and Dorothy continue to live today.
In 1986 Richard decided he needed a change from social
work and began selling real estate, a career that lasted 14
years. In the end the real estate business didn’t feel
comfortable for Richard. “I recognized that I’m a caregiver.
When my boys completed their university educations, I
decided I wanted to do that too. I graduated in 2003 with a
Child & Youth Care Degree.”
JHSNI was hiring and Richard landed a position as a Family
Counsellor/Support Worker at Mark R. Isfeld Secondary
School. In 2004 he moved into a position with the Intensive
Support & Supervision Program. “I really liked working with
the clientele in ISSP. The job took me back to my roots.”
In 2006 Richard switched to Youth Criminal Justice Act
(YCJA) Family Support, a position that now involves working
with youth half of the time and supporting the Youth Justice
Beds program the other half of the time. “It’s an enjoyable
role that offers me a lot of variety.”
Richard and Dorothy celebrated their 40th anniversary in
2012. Their sons are married and have Master’s degrees.
Richard and Dorothy have four grandchildren ages 2-7.
Richard believes that it is important for people to work at a
job they like and to have humour in the workplace. He feels
lucky to have both.
Natalie Meredith
Natalie Meredith was hired as a
Residential Youth Worker at the Challenge
Centre in 1999 and has stayed with JHSNI
ever since. “I love the agency and the
work that we do,” she said.
Natalie has held a number of positions
during her 14 years with JHSNI. These
have included Residential Youth Worker in
the Odyssey Drug & Alcohol Program,
Youth Support Worker in the Family Care Home Program,
Independent Living Counsellor, Young Offenders Act Family
Support Worker, Youth & Family Counsellor at Sandwick
School, Family Resource Worker for the Full Time Attendance
Program, and Family Group Conferencing Coordinator.
In August 2011 she successfully applied for the position of
Assistant Manager for the Intensive Support and Supervision
Program. “I enjoy this new role. It has taken me away from
direct client work but has been a new learning curve for me
supporting my co-workers, hiring staff, working on outcomes,
and being more involved in the accreditation process.”
Natalie has also taken on supervision of JHSNI’s Community
Living BC contracts in Campbell River. “I have enjoyed learning
about Community Living and the services available for clients,
and being able to interact with some of the clients.”
Natalie appreciates that there have been opportunities for
change and different career paths during her time at JHSNI.
She has a B.A. in Psychology but said her biggest learning
ground for this type of work has been as a single parent,
raising her three children to adulthood.
“Knowing firsthand the difficulties and challenges I have faced
in this role has given me empathy and understanding for many
of the families we work with who often have extensive barriers
and little support. Fortunately, I work in an environment that
recognizes the balance of work and family life. I have also
benefited from excellent mentoring and support from my coworkers
and managers throughout the years.”
Some of the challenges of the work are minimal budgets and
limited resources. “I am thankful that I have a team whose
members are positive, client centered, and willing to be
creative and share the successes they have.”
Natalie is an active member of JHSNI’s Case Record Review,
Continuous Quality Improvement, and Service Delivery
committees. She is impressed with the growth and change in
the agency over the past 10 years. “JHSNI’s ability to meet
increasing demands for accountability, changes in technology,
and diverse work sites and cultures has not taken away from
our ability to meet the needs of our clients. As we embrace
change we can better support our clients towards the changes
they are making in their own lives.”
The John Howard Society of North Island • 6 • Annual Report 2013