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Family Resource Centre (FRC)

Welcome - You Belong Here

The EL Shama Cares Family Resource Centre (FRC) exists to walk alongside families supporting loved ones with disabilities. We recognize that every family’s journey is unique, shaped by culture, identity, lived experience, and resilience. Our role is not to tell families what to do, but to support, inform, and empower them to move forward with confidence, dignity, and clarity.

​The EL Shama Cares Family Resource Centre provides capacity-building, navigation, and coordination supports to families accessing Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) and families delivering Family Managed Services (FMS) through Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD).

The Centre assists families to understand, implement, and maintain their FSCD and PDD FMS agreements, strengthens caregiver knowledge and skills through structured learning opportunities, facilitates peer connection and networking, supports planning for individuals and families, and provides practical assistance related to staffing and service coordination. Services are delivered in a culturally responsive and inclusive manner to promote stability, informed decision-making, and effective use of funded supports.

How We Help

Building an Inclusive, Supportive Community

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We meet families where they are, without judgment or pressure. Whether you are just beginning to ask questions or have been navigating systems for years, we walk with you at your pace.

If Your Loved One Is Age 5 or Under

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Early years can bring uncertainty, questions, and emotional weight. Our role is to provide calm, clear, and culturally safe support.

We offer:

  • Compassionate intake conversations to understand your story

  • Support to explore concerns, strengths, and next steps

  • Disability awareness and early learning workshops

  • Family mentorship and connection spaces

  • Guidance through early system navigation when families are ready

Our focus is on empowerment, not urgency, helping families feel supported rather than overwhelmed.

If Your Loved One Is Age 6 and Older

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As children grow, systems become more complex. Families are often expected to manage education, services, and planning without adequate support.

We provide:

  • A clear Caregiver Roadmap to help families navigate systems step by step

  • Learning opportunities and workshops for caregivers and support staff

  • One-on-one support with:

    • system navigation,

    • advocacy strategies,

    • problem-solving and planning,

    • finding community and natural supports

  • Family mentorship and peer connection

We help families build confidence to engage with systems while protecting their wellbeing.

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Our Purpose

The purpose of the EL Shama Cares Family Resource Centre is to build family capacity, confidence, and connection, with a strong foundation rooted in:

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  • Cultural representation and responsiveness

  • Dignity and respect

  • Caregiver wellbeing

  • Strength-based, preventative support

  • Equitable access to systems and opportunities

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Our FRC also serves as a natural pathway into our Youth Employment Hub, supporting individuals with disabilities, particularly those from BIPOC and immigrant communities, to access training, employment readiness, and meaningful work opportunities.

Who We Are

Our FRC team is made up of:

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  • caregivers and family members,

  • individuals with lived experience of disability,

  • culturally diverse professionals,

  • and community advocates.

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This lived experience informs how we show up: with humility, empathy, and accountability. We continually build partnerships and learning opportunities to ensure we remain responsive to the communities we serve.

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Family Resources

Workshops, Learning Circles, and Community Connections

Our workshops are designed to be accessible, culturally responsive, and practical. Families can attend individually or as part of a series.

Visioning & Life Planning

A supportive space to reflect on hopes, strengths, and goals. Families explore what a meaningful life looks like for their loved one and learn how to plan with intention, not fear.

PDD 101

A clear, plain-language introduction to Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD), including eligibility, services, and what families can expect when navigating the system.

FSCD 101

Inspire Change

An overview of Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD), helping families understand available supports, pathways, and how to engage with confidence.

Accounts & Claims

Transforming Lives

Practical guidance on organizing documentation, understanding claims processes, and reducing stress around financial administration.

Other Workshop

Workshops, Learning Circles, and Community Connections

Our workshops are designed to be accessible, culturally responsive, and practical. Families can attend individually or as part of a series.

Family Managed Services (FMS)

Focused learning for families managing services, including employer roles, expectations, and strategies to build sustainable support teams.

TAP Planning

Supportive guidance on Transitional and Adult Planning, helping families prepare for changes across the lifespan with clarity and foresight.

The Art of Difficult Conversations

Families and caregivers learn tools to navigate challenging conversations with schools, service providers, employers, and within families, while protecting relationships and self-worth.

Connector Plus

A facilitated peer connection space where families:

  • learn from one another’s experiences,

  • build leadership and advocacy skills,

  • explore topics such as education, employment, community inclusion, and government supports,

  • and strengthen collective voice and community resilience.

Our Commitment

At EL Shama Cares Foundation, our Family Resource Centre is more than a service, it is a relationship.

We are committed to:

  • honouring culture, identity, and lived experience,

  • reducing barriers created by stigma, racism, and system complexity,

  • supporting caregivers while nurturing hope,

  • and creating pathways to independence, employment, and belonging for individuals with disabilities.

You are not navigating this alone.
We are here, with you, for you, and alongside your journey.

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GET IN TOUCH 

Email 

INFO@ELSHAMACARES.ORG

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Land Acknowledgement

El Shama Cares Foundation acknowledges with deep respect that we live, work, and serve on Treaty 6 Territory, the traditional and ancestral lands of many First Nations, including the Cree, Saulteaux, Nakota Sioux, Blackfoot, and Dene peoples, as well as the Métis Nation of Alberta. 

We honour the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples on this land, past, present, and future, and we recognize their ongoing contributions to our communities and our collective well-being.

As an organization dedicated to healing, empowerment, and care, we acknowledge that true reconciliation begins with listening, learning, and building authentic relationships rooted in respect and understanding.

We commit ourselves to walking alongside Indigenous communities in the spirit of partnership, fostering pathways of equity, healing, and shared responsibility for the generations to come.

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