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Did you know that a new initiative has been created to help the Canadian Armed Forces serve military personnel and their families better? We have heard from you that we need to ask you what you need, and that is just what we are doing.
Military Family Services, a division of Canadian Morale and Welfare Services, has introduced the Military Family Panel Process to encourage discussion with families like yours about the challenges and experiences you face as a military family member. It’s important to us that we remain family focused in everything we do.
The Military Family Panel Process is a direct response to reports released in the fall of 2013 by the Canadian Armed Forces Ombudsman and Chief Review Services. “We as an organization recognize that we need to do a better job listening to families and we need to communicate more with them.” Lieutenant General David Millar, Chief of Military Personnel.
The Panel Process has been set-up to hear from as many families as possible to improve services, tailor programs and advise senior leadership about the issues that matter most to families. This is your opportunity to keep the Canadian Armed Forces leadership, and policy makers informed on how military service is affecting your family.
The Military Family Panel Process does not replace the Canadian Armed Forces member grievance process; rather, it is a way to get feedback directly from families on all issues related to military life. The national and systemic approach of the Military Family Panel Process complements the work of the local Military Family Resource Centres (MFRC) and the MFRC Community Needs Assessment, which is intended as a local tool to help identify the gaps between the services provided and those needed at the local level.
One common misconception is that the Military Family Panel Process will simply become a “complaint centre.” This is not the case. We welcome all forms of feedback — from critique to success stories. The desired outcomes of the Panel Process are very positive. We want to make things easier for families to offer feedback on the programs and services available to them; to connect them with the appropriate service partners as well as each other; and to report back to families on how issues are being addressed.
As a Canadian Armed Forces family member, you can participate in this process by phone, email, social media, tele/video conference, or virtual meeting rooms. Join the conversation today by calling the 24/7 bilingual and confidential Family Information Line – the primary service for collecting your thoughts and feedback at 1-800-866-4546, or by communicating with us by email at [email protected] or [email protected].
You can find out more about the Military Family Panel Process and how your feedback will be considered on our Facebook page or www.familyforce.ca.
Plan to join us for our first virtual sessions the week of 16 February. Choose a time and date that works for you at www.familyforce.ca under “Military Family Panel Process”.
