About Us

Chamomile has been serving the high needs population since 1985 but our story of caring for children in need really began in 1983, in Jamaica.

The Slocum's: Richard, Marilyn, and infant Sarah, were living in Kingston, Jamaica. They asked around about homeless Jamaican children they interacted with on the streets. Within a week of their arrival, a taxi driver unexpectedly delivered his 5 year old niece to their door. 

Little M had been living in the country with 6 brothers and sisters and her 24 year old mother who was pregnant with her seventh child and not able to cope. Though this young girl was 5, she was 2 years under growth. She had a distended abdomen full of large white worms which urgently required treatment. 

A month later, her 3 year old brother F arrived at the Slocum's home with bruising reportedly inflicted during a rage by his father. The Slocum's began their life helping care for children in need. They nursed M and F back to health, and when departing Jamaica made the difficult decision that they would have a better chance at happiness remaining in their own culture, rather than being adopted and moving to Canada. The Slocum's set up a financial support system for the children within their own extended family.

When the Slocum's returned to Canada in 1984, they began researching the needs of children in the Ottawa area. Within a few months, they had 7 children living in their home (officially called an Assessment-Receiving Home) for the Ottawa-Carleton Children's Aid Society (CAS). They provided this service from 1985-1989, learning a great deal about helping displaced children. They birthed 2 more daughters, Julianna and Elmira, during this time. In 1989, upon the advice of CAS, they became licensed as independent residential operators (as an Outside Placement Resource) with the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services.

In 1993, they found that combining their own children's noise and activity with the needs of the autistic children too conflictive to provide a calm and predictable atmosphere. The client base had shifted 100% to dual-diagnosed & autistic children. Still wishing to keep the family-role model concept for the home, and feeling blessed for the excellence of staff working with them that understood their parent like role in assisting the children, they moved their own children to a house next door. This move allowed them to continue day-to-day monitoring of the residential program for the 7 children, while also meeting the needs of the Slocum girls. 

In 1996, the Slocum's moved to the Chamomile's "Solid Rock Farm" near Merrickville to further develop the site to be a therapeutic farm full of miniature ponies and goats, a swimming pool, nature walks, hay rides, and more. During the summer months, the clients spent much of their time at the farm enjoying the care of animals and recreational activities. 

In 1997, the Ministry recognized that our client population had changed from children and youth with emotional trauma to autistic and developmentally challenged children and youth who were too high needs for their families to care for them. The Ministry changed our staffing ratio to 1 staff per 2 clients. Although our license did not have a high enough staffing ratio to take on extremely dual diagnosed clients for whom 1:1 staffing is essential, we always had 1 or more very high need clients who took enormous resources that were supplied through special rate agreements. Over the years, the organization had developed skills to work with these clients and had developed a reputation for being able to stick through the rough years and return these individuals to a more balanced self. 

According to our discussions with the Children's Aid Society (CAS) of Ottawa, the clear need for a specialized home serving dual-diagnosed children/youth was identified, and Chamomile was encouraged to make an application to the Ministry for a new program with adequate funding to do the job. In order to accomplish the running of this program (as it was needed immediately), we were given permission to receive additional resources through the approval of a series of Special Rates with CAS. 

We noticed incredible results moving these youth into our home with our long-term, higher functioning clients, then ages 18-23. They were wonderful role models and helped the new clients settle in a lot faster than normal. Our older clients were so at home, they were able to completely ignore the endless hours of the new clients' negative behaviors, tantrums, restraints, and attempts to get everyone around them mad, or to join them in being mischievous. Our older group were clearly able to tell them that they would get over this, just as they had, and get on with having a more happy and productive life. Our new clients looked up to our older group. 

As requests to serve high needs dual-diagnosed children increased, we did take on a new license and went for a higher staff ratio. By the autumn of 2006, we opened Chamomile Country Project Incorporated for 6 clients with a staff ratio of 2 staff to 3 residents. 

In re-shaping the Main House for these children, we were asked to move our adults. Our remaining adult population moved to the house next door with a staffing ratio of 1 staff to 3 clients. Thus, the "Adults Transitional Residence" and "Semi-Independent Apartment Program" were officially born. Our adults are in various stages of learning how to live semi-independently someday, if possible, to live independently (some with partners) in apartments within Osgoode and Ottawa. Though all are not yet ready for independence, they have the potential to within a community that knows them. Happy for us, 2 of those young adults were still nearby to continue their proud service as role models to current clients. 

As new clients in the dual-diagnosed youth program aged into adulthood, they needed to be transitioned to adult services before they were ready for independent living. The proximity of the adult services means these transitioned aged youth were still able to follow programs developed with them at the Chamomile Main House. As they grow more ready, they move on to a semi-independent apartment program. 

Over the years, many of our youth have graduated and moved to independence as adults. Most previous residents have remained a part of the Chamomile Community, though many live a distance away. One graduate of our very early program grooms prize Olympic horses at Canada's most elite Equestrian Centers, travelling internationally with the horses to shows. She helped us set up our equine program and provided us with years of encouragement to our residents to ride and get to know the healing value of horse relationships. Another graduate lives in Boston where she completed her Master of Expressive Arts Therapy and is now a clinician in a program that works therapeutically with some of Boston's most wounded children and their families. She continues to keep us informed on the latest methods and research coming out of Boston. 

In 2014, we were at the stage where our last youth was turning 18. As of autumn of that year, our therapeutic service for an adult population only began. Today, we employ approximately 50 staff to serve the adult population. We now have a management team, informed in all they do by the Nurtured Heart Approach (see the section below to follow on these wonderful individuals!).

The purpose of the programs are to provide a safe and secure place to serve complicated, difficult to manage, dual-diagnosed adults who are burning out their care givers at home and at school. Here at Chamomile, we build specialized programs to help each client learn good things about themselves within a highly structured environment. We help them (1) to feel safe, (2) to be able to get their own behaviors in hand, and (3), we begin to help them feel hopeful about themselves and their chance to be loved, respected, and capable of developing many talents and skills. Over time, we help identify the challenges facing each (i.e. difficulties processing information, some getting over early abuse or abandonment which rules their actions, difficulty learning how to read, fear of touch and change, etc. 

Chamomile Adult Services is a social therapeutic community specializing in nurturing environments for dual-diagnosed/developmentally challenged young adults. We are a medium- to long-term residential care service, that allows for service in a shared home or semi-independent apartments if that is the client's choice and ability. We provide on-going guidance and often full day programs for graduates who are able to live semi-independently or independently. We also provide in-home and respite care services for young adults still living at home with their parents. 

Most important is the effort made to re-establish relationships with the client's natural family, helping them return home or to live near their family home if possible. From the beginning, if there are no protection issues, we involve the natural family in all decisions and establish as much contact and time at home for the client as possible. We contact each client's natural family about the child's life at Chamomile and try, if possible, to have the primary caregivers come spend time with their adult child, helping with normal routines within the house. We involve the family in our team meetings and inform them of, and involve them in, all programs. If the resident's family are willing and it seems to be a positive idea, we teach them to do their program at home as well. 

Ours is a community-oriented, normalization program. Many of the staff at Chamomile Adult Services live within the local community and work closely with their natural families, social workers, therapists, and teachers. Thus, staff take a personal interest in the residents, and decisions regarding treatment are never made out of context of the home, school or day program, or work life. Where appropriate, if recreational or vocational facilitates exist at a staff member's home (i.e. riding facility, riverside recreation, apple orchard, etc.), we encourage residents to visit. This also provides a feeling of extended family and community. 

Plans of Care, through a 6-month ISP (Individualized Service Plan), are developed for each adult on the basis of their needs and consultation with our community of workers, the client's primary care worker, natural parents and extended family if possible, as well as other health care professionals. Our Plans are always prepared with respect for the client's cultural heritage, religious and historical regional beliefs, and patterns of behavior. The general therapeutic atmosphere in the home has developed through an eclectic approach that encompasses contributions from The Nurtured Heart Approach, traditional therapies (such as psycho-dynamic, cognitive behavioral management, and collaborative problem solving models), and models of spiritual practice in line with all religions such as meditation and time for contemplation in nature.

There is a balance between vegetarian cooking and meat-based dishes with a belief in fresh, unprocessed foods. We believe in plant based eating, however for all those that wish, meals may include some grass fed animal meats and wild caught fish, as well as fresh fruits and very low sugar addition to meals and snacks. We do not condone pop at the community houses, but do not deny it on special outings if it is the client choice of a treat with their own funds. Likewise, for health, we encourage physical movement, walking, exercise, bike riding, swimming, and sports of interest to residents.

Chamomile staff are encouraged to share a variety of experiences with the adults in our care. These are broad in range and include: cooking, baking, care of animals, woodworking, painting, speaking/communication, play, drumming, musical training (both vocal and instrumental), singing, adaptive physical education (gymnastics, sports, swimming, horseback riding, martial arts, dance and exercise classes), group and individual home-based work projects (lawn care, building forts, vegetable gardens, etc.). 

In summary, The Chamomile Adult Services community consciously works to establish a sense of security, rhythm, social development, and responsibility. Our homes provide a warm and beautiful environment with spacious and tastefully arranged rooms for the adult clients. As staff share their lives together with the clients, working at Chamomile often does not constitute a job so much as a way of life. The homes celebrate community activities, festivals, and special events together.