[Yhjusticenet] Our story from Lac La Biche

[Athabasca United Church]

This seems to be a local story that could be reviewed, challenged, or asked
about to our MLA's .

 

 

Bruce Jackson DM

Athabasca United Church

Ph 780 675 2341

e-mail: athabascaunitedchurch at telus.net

4817 - 48 St.

Athabasca, Ab.  T9S 1R3

 

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From: YiYi [mailto:ydatar at shaw.ca] 
Sent: October 5, 2006 1:26 PM
To: bruce jackson; Carolyn Pogue; Bill Phipps; Lyle Keewatin Richards;
Cecile Fausak; tomsawyer at telusplanet.net; Kathy Hogman
Subject: Fw: RE: Our story

 

 

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Maggie <mailto:mmercredi at hotmail.com>  Mercredi 

Sent: Friday, September 22, 2006 12:54 PM

Subject: FW: RE: Our story

 


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From: Madeline Belanger <mbelanger23 at yahoo.ca>
To: Maggie Mercredi <mmercredi at hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: Our story
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 13:00:42 -0400 (EDT)

If you have any connections to raise awareness it would be appreciated

 

 

ABORIGINAL AGENCY GETS PUT BACK IN IT'S' PLACE BY GOVERNMENT

 

"Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Metis Child" was produced by the
National Film Board of Canada detailing the life events within the Alberta
Child Welfare system, that led to his death by suicide at the young age of
seventeen.  Richard experienced 28 different placements between the ages of
4 to 17 years of age.  His sudden death prompted a review of child welfare
polices and administration and the "acknowledgement that native people can
care for their own children."

 

At the time of his death in June of 1984, aboriginal children made up 37.5 %
of the children who were wards of the government of Alberta.  Today,
aboriginal children now make up over 70% of the child welfare caseloads.
Recent studies have also demonstrated that aboriginal children are coming
into care sooner and staying longer than non-aboriginal children.  The North
Central Alberta Child and Family Services Authority (Region # 7), has the
third largest aboriginal caseload following the two urban centre regions of
Edmonton and Calgary.  The Lac La Biche District Office continues to
maintain high caseloads of aboriginal families averaging between 95% to 98%.

 

The number one question being asked by the Ministry of Children's Services
to the helping professions in the field is, "How can the Department better
meet the needs of aboriginal children and their families"?  The resounding
response has and continues to be is to involve the aboriginal community in
the care of their own children. 

 

Yet despite these increasing numbers; the long term care of aboriginal
children in the system and the response from agency workers in the field,
the department has chosen not to renew a contract with the only non-land
based aboriginal agency within Region # 7, that encompasses as far west as
Jasper, as far north as Red Earth and Chipewyan Lake and as far east as the
city of Cold Lake. 

 

After eleven years of serving the communities of Lac La Biche and
surrounding areas, in the provision of direct child and family welfare
supports, Metis Child and Family Services Society, Lac La Biche (MCFS) has
been informed by the Region # 7 that they did not pass the 70% evaluation
score established by the government's most recent request for proposal
criteria. 

 

MCFS has been committed to building of a healthier, stronger, more
independent aboriginal community that would emanate the pride of our people
today and for generations to come.  Delivered from a cultural perspective,
aboriginal support workers provided one to one counselling and group
development support to children, youth, Elders and their families, wanting
to obtain a healthier lifestyle.  Areas addressed by the support workers
included, but were not limited to, family violence, poor parenting skills,
addictions, poverty, parent-teen conflict and lack of self esteem. 

 

Starting out with one program manager and two support workers, the agency to
date employed a Director/Part-time Foster Care Support Worker, two Support
Workers for the Child Welfare Diversion/Family Intervention Program, one
Support Worker for the CHOICES Stay In School Incentive Program, one Support
Worker for the Get Bent (Behavior Enhancement Non-violent Tools) Family
Violence and Bullying Program, an Office Administrator and part-time/casual
positions for the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Initiative, Drive
and In-Home Support Programs.  All of the employees hired in support worker
positions were aboriginal and had a minimum two year diploma in the human
services field along with acquiring their degrees through part-time studies
and distance education.  Three out of the five support workers are
Registered Social Workers with the Alberta College of Social Workers.

 

In November 2001, the Child Authority reduced funding to all contracted
agencies by 5% and clawed back any surplus retention funds to off set the
regional budget deficit.  In April 2002, MCFS's block funded contract with
Region #7 was reduced to covering only the manpower expenses for the three
full time staff involved in the delivery of the Child Welfare Diversion
Program.  

 

For the past four and a half years, MCFS, operated in this manner covering
the Diversion Program client delivery costs of rent, telephone, travel,
materials and supplies, through fundraising events and fee for service
foster care. 

 

During this time MCFS continued to address the service need gaps within the
community.  The agency researched and obtained funding from other sources to
deliver an Annual Elder/Youth Summer Camp accommodating 126 participants
from 2001 to 2003; a Home Support Services Program delivered in 2003 to
2005, that served over 141 seniors and the physically disabled assisting
them in maintaining their own independence; the CHOICES Stay-In-School
program serving over 94 middle and high school youth at risk of dropping
out, being expelled, suspended or becoming involved in the young offenders
program; the I Can Be Project delivered during the 2002-2003 academic year
to all the classrooms in grades K-5 promoting positive behaviour and a Youth
Resources Program from 2003 to 2005 that helped over 80 unemployed
Aboriginal youth gain full time employment or means to obtain further post
secondary training .     

 

MCFS went further in enhancing services to their predominately aboriginal
clientele by delivering aboriginal specific workshops that focused on the
history of aboriginal people and the impact it has had on parenting skills
today.  Requests from areas outside of Lac La Biche by non-aboriginal
agencies and organizations to deliver these workshops to their front line
staff were later accommodated by MCFS.  The agency has since developed a
number of aboriginal workshops and an aboriginal specific family assessment
tools to be used in conducting home visits with families.

 

MCFS also became the first and only non-land based aboriginal contracted
agency in all of the vast area of Region # 7delivering the Diversion/Family
Intervention and Foster Care Programs to obtain the provincial accreditation
and certification, by the Alberta Association of Services for Children and
Families.   

 

The belief statement of the agency "Mamawi Wicihitotan" its Cree meaning of
"Lets All Help Each Other" was well represented by MCFS, through the staff
involvement on numerous local, regional and provincial organizations and
committees.  Assistance to develop monitoring tools for child welfare
contracted programs; to recruit foster families; to participate in peer
reviews for accreditation standards; to be part of steering committees in
the development of such projects as the Healthy Families Visitation Program,
Family Violence, Family Resource Book, MCFS has answered the call of it's
fellow agencies and organizations in the helping field.

 

In light of the agency's accomplishments and the fact that the year is 2006
and not 1806, MCFS over the past year, has been subjected to what appears to
be systemic discrimination by local child authority staff.  When MCFS was
unable to provide the requested service either due to a prior commitment to
another area office or the unavailability of staff due to short notice the
following comments ensued from the child welfare workers such as; "what do
you guys really do over there?", "you guys do remember you have a contract
to deliver services don't you?", "no staff available? Come on!" or a call
was made consecutively on a Thursday afternoon to book a last minute Friday
morning transport, with the child welfare worker stating "well I did my part
and I did call you".  

 

It was also within the local area office that they chose not to place
children in MCFS's aboriginal fosters homes because "they were dirty and had
head lice".  Staff of the child authority did not to refer families to the
agency stating that MCFS support workers "were not qualified to handle
working with the child authority's families" after requests were made by the
Director for the agency to involve MCFS as soon as an inquiry is made or the
children are brought in to care.

 

When the Director of MCFS would inquire with managers as to the possibility
of increased funding to cover the program deficits or of a more prompt
method of payment for outstanding invoices owed to the agency, the Director
was asked to go back and provide them with reports.  When the reports were
produced, the Director would be asked to go back and provide the reports in
the formats used by the government.  When the Director completed this task
and returned to the original intent of the request, comments such as MCFS
"must be using child authority funds to cover other expenses", or that the
agency is "unable to appropriately manage its funds".  These statements were
made despite MCFS providing annual audited financial statement to the child
and family services authority.

 

The managers went so far as to then comment on how the agency was going
about soliciting funds from potential donors.  Recommendations were made to
Metis Child and Family Services Society, Lac La Biche that they not disclose
that the child authority only pays the costs for manpower since it is viewed
as "biting the hand that feeds you".   Despite the fact that all of the
other programs were listed and descriptions were also provided on how those
programs were being funded.

 

Evaluation forms sent to referring agencies, individuals and their families
served and foster care placement feedback forms sent to child welfare
workers, reflect the 100% satisfaction with the programs and services
provided by MCFS.  All other area offices and Child and Family Services
Authority Regions including Metis Settlements, Fort McMurray and Edmonton
have expressed their sincere appreciation of being able to work with an
aboriginal agency and always praised the support provided by the agency's
foster parents.

 

It also should be noted here, that all contracted agencies with Children
Services as part of the provincial certification and accreditation
standards, must have all newly hired employees, take a minimum 16 hours of
aboriginal awareness during the first six months of employment and then 8
hours annually thereafter, including any foster parents that may also be
with the agency.  This however, is not mandated for child authority staff
and their foster homes; which explains why a MCFS staff member would be
asked by a Region #7 foster parent "what exactly should we feed native
children, since they are so sickly?"

 

The concerns about the Lac La Biche District Office staff attitudes and
statements made about MCFS staff members and foster parents were expressed
in written form to the management of the Region # 7.  MCFS further requested
that an audit be conducted by the authority to dispel rumours and
assumptions being made about the agency.   A one year analysis demonstrating
the sudden drop in referrals and a two year financial analysis demonstrating
the deficit to the agency caused by the lack of use of the agency's foster
placements by the area office (despite the constant cry for more foster
homes), was provided to Region # 7 during the months of February through to
April 12, 2006.   MCFS did not receive a follow up response.

 

Instead, after four and a half years of delivering the Diversion/Family
Intervention Program to a 95% aboriginal population and after having the
contract renewed each year without any complaints or concerns raised, MCFS
has been told it is no longer meeting the selection criteria for serving
children and families within Region #7.   MCFS has asked for copies of the
proposal evaluations conducted by the selection review team and has yet to
receive them.  

 

To date, Region # 7 still has a substantial amount of outstanding invoices
owed to Metis Child and Family Services Society, Lac La Biche.

 

MCFS can be very proud of its accomplishments, the agency hired educated
aboriginal support workers who worked hard despite adversity, to give back
to their community.  The success with the youth in schools and the number of
families supported and helped to remain united are the legacies the agency
will close its doors with on September 30, 2006.  

 

And once again the government has shown that it still believes it knows what
is best for aboriginal children.

 

Please note that the intent of this article has not been for MCFS to feel
sorry for itself, but to warn other aboriginal agencies that oppression
still exists when the mirror is held up to the government making them
accountable to their truth.  For further information contact can be made to
Donna Webster with Metis Child and Family Services Society, Lac La Biche or
the CEO for Region #7.

 

 

 

 

Words to live by, Maddi

You must be the change you wish to see in the world - Ghandi


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