Thunderwing Project

Brief Description

Thunderwing is a Community Mobilization Initiative that aims to increase community safety and improve individual and or family well-being in the North End of Winnipeg. The Thunderwing Hub (Hub) and Thunderwing Support Teams (Support Team) mobilize and coordinate existing resources across sectors to give individuals/families the support they need so they can prevent and permanently stabilize crisis situations.

Goals

Thunderwing aims to improve community safety and family well-being within the Thunderwing neighborhood by:

• Increasing community safety;
• Enhancing the well-being (belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity) of families living in the Thunderwing community;
• Improving the relationship between service providers and the coordination of services provided in the Thunderwing community; and,
• Improving the relationship between families and systems.

Clientele

You can refer an individual/family if:

• They live within the North End of Winnipeg;
• There are escalating safety concerns – if something doesn’t change soon someone might get hurt, get arrested, a child might be apprehended, or someone might become homeless;
• They are involved with multiple systems;
• There are barriers within these systems that are getting in the way of the individual/families success; or
• They are Isolated/not connected to any services and could benefit from some support.

Core Components

The Thunderwing Coordinator is responsible for the facilitation and organization of the Hub Committee and Support Team meetings and overall project implementation.   

The Hub Committee meets twice a month and is responsible for:

• Holding system mobilization and resource discussions, based on the referred individual/family’s identified goals;
• Identifying policy and system barriers.

The Thunderwing Support Team is a group of direct service workers from various agencies identified as important supports for the participant to reach their goals. The participating individual/family is an equal member of the Support Team. The Support Team is responsible for:

• Developing and implementing the Action Plan;
• Using the Thunderwing Collaboration Model as a guide for working together and with the individual/family.

Implementation Information

Some of the critical elements for the implementation of this program or initiative include the following:

• Organizational requirements: A program coordinator Multi-sector collaboration and commitment from various partner agencies.
• Partnerships: Thunderwing Hub Committee members represent the various multi-sector partner agencies and organizations. Including Government departments (Justice, Education, Health, Families), Community Based Organizations, Law Enforcement, municipal government, mental health and addictions services, etc.
• Training and technical assistance: Limited information on this topic.
• Risk assessment tools: Limited information on this topic.
• Materials & resources: Limited information on this topic.

International Endorsements

The most recognized classification systems of evidence-based crime prevention programs have classified this program or initiative as follows:

• Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development: Not applicable.
• Crime Solutions/OJJDP Model Program Guide: Not applicable.
• SAMHSA's National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices: Not applicable.
• Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy: Not applicable.

Gathering Canadian Knowledge

Canadian Implementation Sites

Manitoba Justice provides funding to implement the Thunderwing Project in the North End of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Thunderwing was developed and implemented by The Block By Block Community Safety and Wellbeing Initiative, a multi-sectoral collaborative.

Main Findings from Canadian Outcome Evaluation Studies

The Evaluation covered the period of September 2014 to August 2017, using a single group design approach. The Evaluation explored the impact on partner agencies, direct service workers and project participants. The Evaluation was completed by Heather Leeman. 

• Participant Outcomes:
• 39 of 67 participants had reduced calls for police service. 
• 95% of participants agreed that due to their involvement on a Thunderwing Support Team, they had improved relationships with the agencies involved in their lives.
• 18 of 159 children were returned to parents care.
• Service Provider Indicated:
• There is value in service providers coming together to plan with the family (93%).
• They felt more supported in their work with the family (80%).
• Participating on a support team saved them time (77%).

Cost Information

A Social Return on Investment (SROI), completed in September 2017, showed that for every $1.00 invested, $5.01 in social value was created (including direct cost savings to systems; Leeman, 2018). 

References

Leeman, H. (2018). Block By Block Community Safety and Wellbeing Initiative Evaluation Report . [Unpublished report]. 

For more information on this program, contact:

Cassandra Dokken

Telephone: 204-794-3716