Foster child's placement protested

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The government's attempts to repatriate Native foster children back to Native homes is ruining the life of a five-year-old child, says Rose Shawana, who is protesting the placement.

Shawana, a Treaty Indian, along with the child's foster brother and aunt, camped out on the steps of the Alberta legislature on March 23 and 24 to protest the return of the child to a Saskatchewan reserve. They claim the child is better off with her foster parents, who have applied to adopt her, and to whom she has formed a bond.

"It's the Native unit shovingkids out (to) get another stat on the booksthis new branch wants to establish a bureaucratic empire. So they are trying to collect 100 per cent successful repatriation efforts," says Shawana.

The Native unit is an arm of Alberta Social Services involved in repatriating Native children into Native homes.

Shawana, a friend of the family, stresses she is not opposed to the repatriation of Native children to Native homes, but points out each case should be dealt with on an individual basis. In this instance, she and the child's natural mother and aunt, insist the child is happier with her non-Native foster family and will experience difficulty with reserve life.

Despite the protest on the legislature steps and letters from the foster parents to Social Services minister Connie Osterman and the Ombudsman, the little girl was removed by Social Services from her home on March 23. The foster parents have not been told where she is, says the Peter's son Gregg.

His parents have been the child's foster parents since December 1984. In March of last year they began adoption proceedings which were put "on hold" when the foster child's files were transferred to the Native unit. The Children's Guardian denied the adoption proceedings on Feb. 29.

In the past 22 years the Peters have been foster parents to 102 children.

The girl's natural mother supports the Peters' adoption of her daughter and does not want the child returned to the reserve.

"I lived on that reserve. There is nothing there. The only thing that was there for me was (to) make me an alcoholic, a drug addict, a hooker," she said in a telephone interview from Calgary.

With the recent turn in events the 32-year-old mother is afraid for the welfare of her daughter.

"If I knew this was going to happen I would have fought for her but I understood that Marilyn and Norm were going to keep her, that's why I didn't bother fighting for her," she explains in a trembling voice.

She says the Peters have always allowed her access to her daughter who she describes as a smart, cute, little girl.

"I come here to visit her, I talk to her on the phone. We all went out together on Sundaywe had a good time. I get along really good with Marilyn and Norm."

Prior to being removed from the Peters' home, the young girl was taken to the Saskatchewan reserve for one visit and has had a serious two-hour sessions with Native unit workers to introduce her to Native culture.

In a letter to Social Services minister Connie Osterman, the Peters describe the effects of the reserve visit on the five-year-old girl.

"She has displayed signs of extreme distress, insecurity, hostility and disrespect(she) repeatedly threatens to run away and must be closely watched."

The girl's natural mother says the Peters received a phone call from her teachers last week advising them she had burst into tears in class for no apparent reason.

According to the Peters the reason for the child's repatriation to the reserve is to preserve her Native heritage.

"We have always intended to preserve the child's Native culture and identitywe have been working with a Native person as a family unit as well as one-to-one visits with the child to introduce us to Native culture and contemporary issues," said the Peters in a prepared statement.

But Jean Woods, manager of Social Services and Health on the Alexander reserve believes a non-Native foster home cannot replace a Native community

"To me, when you lose your language or lose that tribal feeling, belonging to a communitythose are important part of a Native personthe non-Native foster homes can't guarantee those feelings."

Maggie Hodgson a member of the Native child welfare committee says "in some cases it is very appropriate (to repatriate Native children) but adds some children may experience culture shock.

"It's important that the communities develop systems to integrate those children into the community."