Block Parent Program
The distinctive red-and-white sign that appears in windows of Block Parent homes
|
|
| Type | Child safety organization based in Canada |
|---|---|
| Legal status | Active |
| Purpose | Advocate and public voice, educator and network |
| Headquarters | London, Ontario, Canada |
|
Region served
|
London, Ontario, Canada |
|
Official language
|
English, French |
| Website | |
The Block Parent Program (French: Le Programme Parents-Secours) is a large, volunteer-based, child safety and crime prevention program operating across Canada. Participants in the program (Block Parents) place signs on their homes indicating that the house is a police-screened, safe home for community members in distress, particularly children. If someone is in need of help and sees a block parent sign, they know there is someone home who can help them and call the appropriate emergency service if necessary.
The program now includes 300,000 participants.
History
The program began in London, Ontario in 1968. Independent programs began appearing across Canada until 1983 when a national committee was formed and the national Block Parents Program of Canada was created in 1986.
Local and regional decline
Some provinces and communities are discontinuing or proposing to discontinue the Block Parent program, for various reasons. Occasionally, regional programs have been revived after shutting down.[1][2]
- In March 2005 the British Columbia Block Parent Society asked volunteers to remove the signs from homes.[3]
- In Prince Edward Island in November 2006, the Block Parent Program was discontinued because it was "unable to recruit a provincial executive".[4]
- The program was discontinued in 2008 in the City of Ottawa.
- In the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, the number of participating homes when the program began in the area was over 3,000. Participation suffered an enormous decline until recently[when?] by more than 50%. There were less than 1,500 homes involved in the program, and many positions such as event coordinator and treasurer were not filled. This decrease has been attributed to the police checks that are now required for program applicants and those already participating. These factors nearly caused the program in the region to shut down in February 2009[5] until a group of volunteers revived it.[6]
See also
- Neighborhood watch
- National Safe Place (US)
- Safety House Program (Australia)
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
<templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>
 |
This article about an organization in Canada is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Articles with dead external links from March 2011
- Articles with dead external links from September 2013
- Vague or ambiguous time from July 2012
- Non-profit organizations based in Canada
- Civil crime prevention
- Child-related organizations
- Child safety
- Organizations based in London, Ontario
- Canadian organization stubs
