Donna Cona wins Crisis Line Counseling contract with Indian and Residential School Resolution
Background
Indian Residential Schools Resolution Canada (IRSRC) is a federal department that was created to achieve a fair and equitable resolution of long-standing claims of abuse at Indian residential schools
The Canadian federal government became involved in the Indian residential school system. Schools were located in every province and territory except Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
In its 1996 Report, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) brought the abuse experienced by some students in the Indian residential school system to national attention. In November 2003, the Canadian Government launched the National Resolution Framework, which included a litigation strategy, a Commemoration Program, an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process and an IRS Resolution Health Support Program (MHSP).
The central goal of the MHSP is to put in place a set of complementary mental health support services that IRS claimants and former students and their families of residential schools can utilize to safely resolve an IRS legal claim against Canada. One of three support services of the MHSP is the IRS Crisis Line service.
On May 10, 2006, the Government of Canada announced the approval of a final Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA). The settlement provides for a Common Experience Payment (CEP) - a lump sum payment will be available to former students who lived at one of the listed residential schools. Payments will be $10,000 for the first school year plus $3,000 for each school year attended after that. The Settlement Agreement also includes an Independent Assessment Process - a process which will allow those former students who suffered sexual or serious physical abuses, or other abuses that caused serious psychological effects, to apply for compensation.
There are now over 12,000 claims against the Canadian government, 90% of which allege physical and sexual abuse.
Donna Cona's role
IRSRC has engaged Donna Cona to provide a state of the art call centre facility offering toll-free 24-hour 7 days a week Crisis Line Services, to be accessible to residential school legal claimants, former residential school students, their families, and other individuals who are supporting residential school legal claimants while they are in the process of confronting their individual residential school experience.
We are working with Resolve, an industry leader in Call Centre solutions.
How can you help?
We are currently recruiting Crisis Line Councilors and would welcome any referrals you may have. Details of the qualifications we are looking for can be found on our website under Hot Jobs.