Thank you for your interest in the Big Brothers Community Program!
We have information for Parents/Guardians looking to enroll a young person in our program, and also for individuals making a referral for a young person or family to our program. Please choose which best describes you by clicking the button below.
Parent/Guardian
We are excited to learn more about you and your family. The enrollment process for this program has different components to it that can take time, please review the steps below to learn more about what to expect and click the button at the bottom to get started.
1. Application Form
- Give yourself 15-20 minutes to fill out this form.
- The application form is a place to share basic information about your family and why you are interested in enrolling a young person in our program.
- Everything you share in the form will remain confidential.
- You will be asked to provide a reference (teacher and/or other professional) for the child. Our reference request email will be sent out to them as soon as you submit your application. Please let your reference(s) know about the email and kindly ask them to complete the reference form.
- Media consent and informed consent are also included.
- Once you submit the application form, our Intake Coordinator will reach out to sign you up for a guardian information session.
2. Guardian Information Session
- This session is about 2 hours long and takes place in a group setting either online or in person.
- Guardians learn more about the program, key safety concepts, roles of everyone involved in program, agency rules and guidelines, and what to expect throughout the enrollment process.
3. Family Interview and Pre-match Training
- Once you have attended the information session, one of our Family Assessment Coordinators will connect with you to schedule an interview.
- The interview will be completed either online or in-person, it typically takes about 2 hours to complete.
- The first component of the interview is with the guardian alone. Then, we have some questions for the child to answer.
- The child also participates in Pre-Match Training; in it they learn about key safety concepts (boundaries, voice and choice, secrets), what to expect in a match, and healthy relationships.
- After the interview is completed, the Family Assessment Coordinator will remain in touch with you for the remainder of the enrollment process.
4. Application outcome
- A letter will be emailed to you about your application outcome.
- If you are accepted into the program, a staff member will reach out with next steps.
- If it is decided this program is not a good fit for your family, alternative programs will be suggested to you instead.
5. Accepted families
- If the child is accepted into the program, they will be placed in a waitpool for the city they reside in. Each city has varying wait times for when the child will likely be matched with a Big Brother.
- Please note the waitpool is not on a first come first served basis, but children are intentionally matched with Big Brothers based on interests, location, compatibility and other factors.
**Note for families in Surrey – Unfortunately we are currently not moving forward with applications from Surrey as we are at capacity with the number of children in the Surrey waitpool. Surrey applications will be placed on hold. Once space is available, you will receive an email about continuing with the enrollment process.
Next step: Click the button below to fill out the Family Application Form.
Referral
This section is for professionals, family members, friends, and others to refer families to the program. Please review the steps below to learn more about what to expect as a referee.
1. Referral form
- Give yourself 5-10 minutes to fill this out
- The form asks for basic information about your relationship to the family, why the child would benefit from a mentor, and contact information for the family
- This is not the official application form for the program, the family will need to fill out an application from to begin the enrollment process
2. After submission of the referral form
- We will review the referral and reach out to you if additional information is needed
- We will connect with the family and ask them to fill out an application form to begin the enrollment process. Please note there may be a delay in contacting the family if they live in a city where waitpools are currently full.
3. Referee’s role after submitting the referral form
- Please note that any progression with the enrollment process after the referral cannot be discussed with the referee due to confidentiality and privacy practices. If you would like more information, you will need to communicate with the family directly or ask them to provide us with their consent for you to receive information.
4. General information about the enrollment process for families
- If the family can move forward in the enrollment process, the process includes: the application form, an information session for the parent/guardian to attend, an interview with the parent/guardian and the child, and an official acceptance into the program.
- If the child is accepted into the program, they will be placed in a waitpool for the city they reside in. Each city has varying wait times for when the child will likely be matched with a Big Brother. Please note the waitpool is not on a first come first served basis, but children are intentionally matched with Big Brothers based on interests, location, and compatibility.
Next step: Click the button below to fill out the Family Referral Form.