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Touchstone’s executive director Judy Valsonis (left) and director of services David Cooper in front of a mural made by a former student.

Photo courtesy Touchstone Family Association

Organization helps families get back on track

By Angel St. George

Published 2:26 PDT, Fri April 22, 2022

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Touchstone Family Association is a non-profit social services agency that has served Richmond for nearly 40 years.

Its mission is to strengthen families, provide low barrier counselling and child protection services, and provide intervention support to families struggling to manage stress and conflicts.

“We provide real, true support to families,” says Touchstone’s director of services David Cooper.

Touchstone has had success over the years helping families reunite and youths access the supports they need while navigating traumatic experiences and staying on the right track.

“I see success where families are able to develop skills and tools to help them communicate effectively and where kids who participate in our programs find a place they know they are supported,” says Cooper. “We’ve had youth that feel they’ve gained so much from the programs that they want to give back to the community.”

The organization works closely with the Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD), the RCMP, and various school counsellors to connect youth at risk with a variety of programs and supports.

“School counsellors call us directly if they
are concerned that a child may be at risk,” says Cooper. “Many counsellors try to contact families first to support (children) in referring themselves to our programs. When a counsellor determines that a family has significant issues, they will
alert the MCFD.”

When the MCFD receives a report about a Richmond family struggling to mediate internal conflicts, a social worker is sent to the family’s home to determine how severe the issue is. If there is enough concern, the ministry’s first point of contact is Touchstone. Staff help families by making community connections and providing information about community resources. Touchstone’s programs have been deemed an essential service and are available both in-person and virtually.

Counsellors work long hours, including weekends and holidays, so that they can be available to families in need. They each have their own vehicle to provide outreach and serve families in the comfort of their own homes.

“A lot of families have barriers to services, so home visits make a big difference in getting them to take the first step on their healing journey,” says Cooper.

Services are available in multiple languages and there are counsellors with specialized backgrounds to assist families who need to overcome cultural and religious barriers to reunite.

One of the unique programs offered is the Restorative Justice Program. It provides an alternative to the court system and is primarily focused on mediating cases where youth have committed minor offences in the community. The goal is to repair the relationship between the victim and the accused.

The program creates an opportunity to address mistakes and provides the potential for an encounter between both parties that may not take place in a court setting.

“Courts sometimes end up marginalizing people because the justice system is a victim-centred process,” says Haroon Bajwa, Restorative Justice Program coordinator. “Our program allows victims to express the impact of the harm they’ve experienced and have a say in what a resolution that meets their needs will look like. For youth at risk, it’s an opportunity to take responsibility to learn how to make amends and reintegrate into the community.”

The program intends to change public perception of what justice looks like and what is required to achieve it.

In addition, Touchstone offers free counselling services to anyone, regardless of their age or background, through its Front Porch Program. It is wholly funded through community fundraising and is valuable because it provides low-barrier counselling services to the entire community.

The organization holds an annual golf fundraiser to support the Front Porch Program. Every $100 raised goes toward a counselling session.

The 15th annual Tee Cup Charity Golf Tournament fundraiser will be held at the Mylora Golf Club in September after two years of being postponed due to the pandemic.

The event runs for the entire day on Sept. 15. The players tee off at 11 a.m. and then enjoy a banquet dinner and prize draws after the games. Tickets are $150 for a single admission and $600 for groups of four.