Right in the centre - Two First Nations communities are really on to something
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- Published on Thursday, April 9, 2015
By Ken Waddell
The Neepawa Banner
In a recent article in The Winnipeg Free Press, what may be a very innovative solution is being applied to cases where children are at risk. It was reported that 鈥淕rand Rapids will turn parents 鈥� not children 鈥� out of troubled homes under a new child welfare policy to be adopted on the northern Cree First Nation.
By making the change, Misipawistik First Nation, a northern community of about 1,100 located 430 kilometres north of Winnipeg, becomes the second First Nation in 水果视频 using a similar system to turn the tide on child apprehensions. Nisichawaysihk Cree Nation in Nelson House rolled out a policy of removing parents, not kids, from homes in 2002, resulting in a drop in child apprehensions.鈥�
It makes a lot of sense. Why uproot the kids? It鈥檚 the parents that are likely the problem, even if it isn鈥檛 a self-inflicted problem. The children will be more likely to recover from the trauma, whatever it may be, or be safer from danger if the parents are out of the picture for a while. It鈥檚 very innovative. The kids get to stay in familiar surroundings, stay in their own school, sleep in their own beds and stay together with their siblings. The first three things don鈥檛 happen under the white man鈥檚 situation of seizing kids and placing them in foster homes or hotels. Keeping the siblings together often doesn鈥檛 happen either when kids are placed in foster homes.
When you think about it, it isn鈥檛 kids who are the problem, at least not when they are very young. The parents are the issue. The reasons will be varied. The problem may be related to alcohol and drugs. It may be a penchant for violent or stupid behaviour. It may be something that the parents can鈥檛 help like physical or mental illness. The point is, it doesn鈥檛 matter on day one of an intervention. It鈥檚 the kid that need the front line protection and leaving them in their own environment may be the best solution. Maybe the house needs to be cleaned up and maybe it needs some immediate repairs but nonetheless, leaving the kids in their own home environment looks like a really good idea.
Having seen some of the problems that happen in homes and having had dozens of first hand reports over the years, I see that this system has a lot of merit. Again, the kids aren鈥檛 usually the problem, the parents are, so let鈥檚 fix the parents鈥� problems and not bring even more upheaval into the kids lives.
The other advantage of the 鈥渞emove the parents model鈥� is that it may well serve as a wake up call to the parents. They don鈥檛 get to stay in their familiar environment, they get their life shook up a bit and maybe that鈥檚 a good thing if the root problem is something that needs action on their part.
In the Free Press article, it indicates that this approach would only work on a First Nations community because the First Nations band owns the house and therefore has authority over who stays in their houses. I think that if kids are in genuine danger, then it shouldn鈥檛 matter. When kids are in danger, authorities should be able to remove delinquent parents and solutions can be provided as a follow up.
There is a danger and that rests in other first hand information that I have been offered. A few Child and Family Services workers are pretty dumb. Some appear to be jerks and are on a power trip. Not many, I鈥檓 sure but there is a risk. However, a 鈥渞emove the parents鈥� system is better than 鈥渟eize the kids鈥� model, again for all the above reasons.
It鈥檚 the kids that need protection first and in their own home is the best place to get it. It鈥檚 also a lot easier to keep track of kids if you know for sure that a particular home is supposed to have a certain number of kids. 水果视频 has a long history of murdered children to mark the downfalls of the current system.
Clearly, delinquent parents need help but that can come after the kids are safe. Parental help may take many forms from education, to dry-out, to money management and whole range of skill development.
I think that two of 水果视频鈥檚 First Nations need to be saluted for bringing a new approach to an old problem.
They should be encouraged and their approach needs to be looked at across the whole province.
