International forum to focus on child welfare issues

From Nov. 10 to 22, people from across the globe involved in preventing and dealing with child abuse and neglect will gather in Vancouver to take part in worldforum 2006. Among the sessions planned for the international conference will be a number dealing specifically with programs designed to assist Aboriginal children, families and communities.

One of the sessions scheduled as part of the conference will focus on the work being done in Saskatchewan to improve the delivery and quality of child and family services in the province.

Lois Lien from the Saskatchewan Department of Community Resources will present information on the Saskatchaewan Provincial and First Nations Child Welfare Training and Standards Partnership Project.

Through the project, the provincial department, which is responsible for child welfare off reserve, and the First Nations child and family service agencies that are responsible for child welfare on-reserve, are working together to develop the skills of all their staff in order to meet the mandate of the Child and Family Services Act. Part of the process has involved revising and enhancing training curriculum to reflect First Nations values, beliefs and customs.

Michelle A. Cameron from the University of British Columbia School of Social Work is also among the scheduled speakers, presenting on the topic of Urban Aboriginal Parents' Experience of a Culturally Specific Parenting Program, which looks at a study analyzing the experiences of urban Aboriginal parents who have been referred to parenting programs designed specifically for Aboriginal parents.

Diane Hiebert-Murphy, Gwen Gosek and Alexandra Wright from the School of Social Work at the University of Manitoba are scheduled to present on the topic of Children with Disabilities in the Care of Aboriginal Child Welfare Agencies: Challenges and Innovations. During the session, research findings will be presented regarding challenges and innovations in the delivery of services to children with learning and/or behavioural disabilities who are in the care of Aboriginal child welfare agencies.

Estelle Simard of Weechi-It-Te-Win Family Services is scheduled to present a session entitled Rethinking Attachment Theory and Supporting Cultural Identity, in which Wechi-It-Te Win Family

Service's theory of attachment will be presented, based on Aboriginal worldviews and incorporating Aboriginal culture and teachings.

Rhonda Lee Ducharme and Jarque Gotier of the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development are also scheduled to take part in worldforum 2006, presenting a session entitled Voices of Experience Youth Panel. During the session, members of a youth panel will share their experiences in the Roots program.

Moving to Aboriginal Governance is the theme of a session being presented by Deb Abbott of the Aboriginal Chairs Caucus. The Caucus is comprised of the five chairs for the British Columbia regional Aboriginal planning teams that are creating the regional plans for taking over provision of child and family services to the Aboriginal community. The panel taking part in the presentation will discuss the opportunities that come with transferring services currently being provided by the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development over to Aboriginal community-based authorities.

Also on the agenda is a session entitled The Over-representation of Aboriginal Children in Care in British Columbia: Reasons and Implications, being presented by Les Foster and Martin Wright from the University of Victoria and the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development. The duo will present a paper that examines the ecological, demographic and policy effects on trends for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in care, and the implications for policy and practice and for the children themselves.

Joan Glode from Mi'kwaw Family and Children's Services is also schedule to take part in the international conference, presenting on The Use of Family Conferencing in the MiKmaq Community of Nova Scotia: Lessons from an Evaluation Research Project. In the presentation, Glode will explain how family group conferencing is used within the First Nations agency and look at the implications of more widespread use of the process.

Teri Basi from Wood's Home in Calgary is scheduled to present a session entitled Eagle Moon Lodge: Combining Aboriginal Teachings and Good Practice in a Residential Program for Aboriginal Youth. Eagle Moon Lodge is a residential program for Aboriginal youth with substance abuse problems. The program is based on Aboriginal teachings and relies on the leadership of Elders and First Nations staff.

Brenda Lewis from the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development is also scheduled to participate in the conference, presenting the film Children Coming Home, which documents the experiences of 19 children in the permanent care of the province who return to their home community of Kitkatla, B.C. to take part in a one-day cultural camp.

Sandrina de Finney of the University of Victoria is another scheduled conference presenter, taking part in the session NONG SILA: Working from Community Knowledge: Developing Urban Aboriginal Adoption Strategies. During the session, members of an Aboriginal research team will discuss the findings of a community-based research study designed to identify shortcomings in the existing adoption strategies in order to create a culturally-appropriate process for supporting urban Aboriginal children and caregivers.

David Peck with the Vancouver/Coastal region of the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development will be on hand to present Sharon's Story: An Aboriginal Women's Experience with Child Protection Mediation. The session will look at the experience of Sharon, an Aboriginal mother who has been involved with the child welfare system since the birth of her first child. In taped interviews, Sharon discusses her experience with taking part in mediation rather than going to court and what she learned from the process. Interviews with Sharon's lawyers and ministry staff are also included in the presentation.

Jan Johnstone with Anishnabek Child and Youth Prevention Services on Saugeen First Nation is also scheduled to take part in worldforum 2006, presenting on the topic of Openness Agreements in Aboriginal Adoption: Moving Beyond the Three C's of Cuisine, Clothing and Culture. The interactive presentation will tell the story of an adoption of an Aboriginal child by a non-Aboriginal family, and how collaborative relationships can be developed to encourage open communication, mutual respect and equity among adoption partners.

The expriences of the Carrier First Nation in B.C. will be the focus of another session, being presented by Travis Holyk of Carrier Sekani Family Services and the B.C. Dispute Resolution Practicum Society. The session will deal with the Whu'Neeh Nee' (Guiders of Our People) Family Dispute Resolution Model, which is based on the concepts of collective responsibility and mutual obligation and creates a consensual, child-focused process for family dispute resolution.

Brad McKenzie from the social work program at the University of Manitoba and Animikii Ozoson Child and Family Services is also scheduled to take part in worldforum 2006, presenting on the topic From Child Protection to Community Caring in First Nations Child and Family Services. The presentation highlights the approach taken by West Region Child and Family Services. Since 1992, the agency has been using surpluses from its child maintenance grant to provide alternative programs for the community it serves, including family support, resource development and prevention.

A tour of Aboriginal service providers and organizations in and around the Vancouver area and Fraser Valley is also part of the conference agenda, demonstrating how provision of services has been combined with promotion of culture and traditions.

For more information about worldforum 2006 visit the conference Web site at www.worldforum2006.ca.