The History of Parent Support Services

Parents Support Services Society began with the Anglican Social Action Committee of the Diocese of New Westminster. The Committee was constantly being made aware of parents in distress who wanted help with severe family problems, problems that often resulted in physical and emotional abuse of children. After obtaining literature and organizational material from many parent self-help groups including Parents Anonymous in the United States, Reverend Fred Thirkell and a member of his congregation, Chris Witaker, started the first Parents Anonymous group in North Vancouver in the Spring of 1973. William McFarland of the Vancouver Children's Aid Society provided training for their initial staff.

In April 1974, Margaret Ellis, the wife of the rector of St. Helen's Anglican Church in Surrey and Jean Cassidy a Surrey public health nurse got together a group of parents, which became the first Parents in Crisis (PIC) group. A group of experienced professional and lay people was organized as sponsors and as an ad hoc board. William McFarland provided training and backup. A grant of $100 seed money was donated by St. Helen's church. Gradually, groups developed in Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Aldergrove, Burnaby, Richmond and Chilliwack.

Mrs. Ellis continued to do the major part of the fundraising needed to keep the groups going and expanding. PIC was funded initially through donations from various Anglican Church diocesan and parish donors. The United Way then provided funds on a demonstration project basis. Initial grants from the B.C. government were coordinated through the Surrey Coordinating Centre until PIC was incorporated.

The Parents in Crisis organization incorporated as a Society January 22, 1976, with a formal board of directors. Local groups were trained in the principles of Parents in Crisis Groups. The philosophy of the organization was to encourage each group to obtain local funding and obtain local grants wherever possible.

In 1980 a mandate was received from the government of British Columbia to be an umbrella organization in B.C. for self-help groups for the prevention of child abuse. The Society's name was changed to BC Parents in Crisis Society.

The organization grew also on Vancouver Island and the Interior of B.C. PIC set up Steering Committees of local professionals and interested individuals in each community to assist the facilitators of each group. Given the enormous geographic distance between the provincial office and the communities, the Steering Committee became the lynchpin of the Parents in Crisis organization, maintaining the groups and providing support to facilitators. The provincial office concentrated on fundraising, developing new groups and providing quality training to the facilitators.