Our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan honours the legacy of PAIL Network, established by families who had experienced pregnancy and infant loss, and builds on the progress we have made since becoming a provincially-funded program in 2016.   

Accomplishments under the guidance of our 2017-2020 Strategic Plan include:

• Growing the number of peer support groups offered in Ontario from 18 to 28, with a broader geographic spread, along with new types of groups to offer support online, specific to the type of loss experienced
• Increased the number of families receiving peer support from 450 people in 2017/18 to 882 people in 2019/20
• Engaging with families to better understand the unique needs of partners, people who identify as LGBTQ+, and families who lose a baby suddenly and unexpectedly
• Ongoing learning and building relationships with families, professionals, and leaders in indigenous communities about how to facilitate valued traditions and teachings after a baby has died
• Partnered with Ontario Health-Quality (previously Health Quality Ontario) to develop a quality standard for early pregnancy complications and loss
• Developed 3 videos for health care professionals to demonstrate the impact of their care when a family experiences pregnancy loss or infant death
• Created 4 new booklets, and built an online library of resources for health care professionals to support the care being provided to families at the time of their loss
• Published the first research of its kind about families’ experiences of pregnancy and infant loss in Ontario
• Presented our work across Canada, and at the International Conference on Stillbirth, SIDS and Baby Survival
• Supported communities to host Wave of Light events across Ontario on October 15^th
• Advocated at the federal level for a national strategy that would support bereavement leave for parents
• Created a referral process to increase the likelihood of healthcare professionals telling families about PAIL at their time of loss and connecting consenting families to PAIL
• Introduced a province wide Community of Practice for health and service professionals who provide bereavement care and support
• Implemented evaluation metrics to measure the quality of our peer support program and the impact of our Compassionate Care Workshops on the care practices of professionals

It is upon this foundation that we look forward to building the next three years.

As PAIL Network embarked on the planning process for our 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, we committed to casting a wide net for advice and ideas, honouring our provincial mandate and our commitment to be guided by the lived experiences of families who have lost a pregnancy or infant and those who care for them.

• We conducted an online survey to ask families and healthcare providers for feedback on PAIL Network’s progress to date and advice on where we needed to focus going forward.
• We held in person consultations with families in several communities across Ontario.
• We reviewed the feedback we had received from families and health care professionals who had received support from and participated in PAIL Network programs.
• We consulted with our volunteers and staff about what PAIL Network could do better and new ideas for the future.
• And finally, we engaged our Advisory Committee for advice and direction several times through the process.

All of this input and feedback was collated and directly informed our decision-making about the goals, strategies and initiatives captured in our new plan. A summary of the feedback we received from families during these consultations is available HERE.

Decisions about our future directions and priorities were also guided by our commitment to align with the 2018-2021 Strategic Plan of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre of which we are a part.

PAIL Network would like to thank the many people who contributed to the development of this plan. We are excited about the path it sets out for the next three years and we look forward to working together towards achieving its goals.

• Develop and implement a plan to expand digital resources for families
• Expand written resources based on identification of gaps and specifically family needs
• Enhance equitable access to PAIL supports for families

• Adapt current Compassionate Care Workshop content to new learning formats
• Expand training and continuous learning opportunities and resources for health care professionals
• Establish mechanisms to recognize health care professionals who exemplify compassionate care for families during loss
• Support implementation of the provincial Quality Standards for Early Pregnancy Complications and Loss

• Evolve our approach to supporting and delivering events through third parties wherever possible
• Continue to expand awareness of PAIL Network through public speaking, partnerships and networking
• Plan and deliver PAIL Network’s first conference in 2023

• Maximize our internal resources, including volunteers, to expand programs and support across Ontario
• Expand collaboration and relationships with other organizations aligned with PAIL Network’s Vision and priorities
• Grow the role of Regional Representatives
• Continue to build a culture of evaluation and continuous improvement
• Articulate and embed a commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism