Family Care Collective MTL

The Family Care Collective (FCC) is a community organization for families in Montreal which offers advocacy, access to information as well as spaces that build community and provide social support. Our aim is to offer support to individuals, families, and other groups in Montreal to help navigate needs related to reproductive health, mental health, medical care, childcare, work, housing, and other useful social programs and activities. Our hope is that these programs contribute to mitigating some of the physical, mental and emotional health challenges posed by starting a life in a new country. We collaborate with multiple organizations – including community centers, non-profits, universities and hospitals - to work towards equitable access to health and social services services. 

FCC emerged with a focus on supporting mothers and their families in the perinatal period of life. It was borne out of anecdotal reports of challenging, isolated, traumatic birth experiences and difficulties receiving care. It also responded to research on racial disparities in experiences of pregnancy and birth as well as health outcomes for babies. The cornerstone of our work is a goal to create channels between research and community-based initiatives, to bring voices from community-led work into the realm of research, and research insights into everyday practices. Central to our work – in the form of peer support groups, alternative healthcare clinics, research projects and community garden events – is a focus on creating the conditions for community and belonging, particularly in light of increasing mental health consequences of loneliness. Our mandate has expanded to include other vulnerable communities such as seniors and caregivers.

Challenge

We recognize that for many people accessing healthcare (physical and mental) is immensely challenging. The healthcare system in Quebec struggles to meet the needs of many individuals and families, due to overtrain and overuse, lack of education and resources.

Goal

Our goal is to offer alternative sources of care that are freely accessible, and create a network of practitioners, researchers, mental health professionals and advocates, community members and healthcare workers to support and promote family health and wellbeing with access to information, resources and community. We pay particular attention to meeting the needs of folks who are marginalized and experience difficulties with mainstream healthcare services.

Approach

Maternal health is complex, multi-faceted, and affects the whole family, extending into deeply impacting our communities as well. We bring a person centered, interdisciplinary and integrative approach to support maternal health and the wellbeing of the family at each generation, drawing on a strong network of healthcare practitioners, activists and researchers sharing knowledge and skills. We cultivate a mutually enriching relationship between the lived experiences of the communities we work with and research studies that capture and analyze these voices, and simultaneously maintain links with policy processes. Our values of equity, dignity and integrity are at the heart of our work as we advocate for culturally sensitive, respectful care.