Foster care challenges

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The Federation of Aboriginal Foster Parents (FAFP) celebrated its seventh annual general meeting in new offices on Sept. 20. Business of the day was signing deals to work with other organizations, electing a new board of directors and honouring foster parents.

The backdrop to the meeting was a provincial government social service system in the midst of a massive three-year reorganization, and the issue of high numbers of children in government care, with levels comparable to residential schools in their day.

Forty people attended, commented FAFP manager Leslie Nelson during a tour of the new offices the week after the meeting. The facilities include a full kitchen and meeting area that will be shared with other organizations. The FAFP moved in June.

One of the highlights of the meeting was honouring Margaret Webber with a lifetime membership to the organization. She is a foster mother from Kwakiutl First Nation who began fostering children when she was only 15. Over the next 71 years she raised 59 children, and today continues to provide care for four of her grandchildren, Nelson said.

An FAFP goal is interagency work, which develops "meaningful relationships with other agencies that support our efforts, and also shows us how to support the other agencies," according to Nelson. At the meeting, collaborative agreements were signed with Helga Stoppard, program manager of the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society, and with George HoLem, president of the United Native Nations (UNN).

The mandate of the FAFP is very similar to the United Native Nations, commented HoLem. "The mandate of the Aboriginal Foster Parents is to ensure that, wherever possible, the children from our communities that are being apprehended and placed into foster care are placed in the homes where the environment is conducive to keeping them connected to their ancestry, to their cultural roots, and sensitive to all of the issues of being of Native ancestry, " he said.

UNN's family reunification program helps adults who were apprehended as children and placed into foster care to find out more about their family and their roots, HoLem explained. He added, "To watch the number of people come through that office with the big question 'who am I, where do I came from, what are my family ... it really weighs heavy on one's heart."

Politically, allying with other provincial agencies adds to FAFP representation and lobbying power, Nelson added. "We know that if the premier gets a phone call from our federation, it doesn't mean much, but if he gets a phone call from the First Nations Summit, it's something that they're going to lend an ear to a lot more."

As of April, according to government statistics, 27,000 Canadian children are in foster care- 9,582 in British Columbia. Of that number, 4,320, or 45 per cent, are Aboriginal.

The reasons why becomes a "complex answer," Nelson said.

A systematic destruction of the culture has resulted in a "multigenerational illness" that becomes more complex with each generation, Nelson continued. He mentioned a series of examples that destroyed the culture, such as banning potlatches, which "set the stage for alcohol and drug abuse." Without adequate healing, families end up with a distorted view of responsibility and children who are left without care.

The FAFP supports foster families and children. FAFP members are Aboriginal, while associate FAFP members are non-Aboriginal people interested in Aboriginal foster care. The organization offers training and support for parents and groups.

Nelson explained that as opposed to focusing on cultural rights, FAFP programs provide guidelines for foster parents that specify "an Aboriginal child has a right to Aboriginal culture." Specifically, a foster parent would ensure that a child is registered as a First Nation child and also registered with his band, Nelson explained. This gives Aboriginal children access to medical, dental or other services or which they are eligible, and may give them the opportunity to participate in cultural activities with their band.

Last year, FAFP "facilitated 25 workshops and attended many more," said Faye Poirier in her president's report. They also distributed information packages to more than 600 Aboriginal organizations.

One of the challenges for the FAFP last year was the search for an executive director. Poirer acted as interim executive director until Gary Mavis was hired in August.

Poirier, a foster mother herself, continues as president on the new board.

Provincially, October is proclaimed as Foster Family Appreciation Month. An FAFP spokesman indicated that, as a result of budget cuts, no details on events were available.

The ministry responsible for foster children, the Ministry for Children and Families, is adapting to a 23 per cent reduction in budget over three years, and a massive overhaul of services. The central offices for foster children were split into five regions, with the goal of local and more effective operations.

Another government goal is to transfer responsibility for Aboriginal children to Aboriginal services. A memorandum of understanding was signed Sept. 9, 2002, between Premier Gordon Campbell and Aboriginal leaders, in which they agreed to work together to reach that goal.

By July 2, 2003, 21 agencies had been delegated by the provincial authorities as Aboriginal child and family services agencies. For the urban Vancouver area, the designated agency is Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society.

On Oct. 1, Minister Gordon Hogg released a report by Sage Group Management Consultants that details changes to the ministry over the next two years. The ministry is creating an interim authority for children and family development services that is made up of the current chairs from 10 regional planning committees-five Aboriginal and five non-Aboriginal.

The Oct. 1 report stated Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal authorities will not beblended, but will continue as separate authorities. For example, if a prospective foster parent wishes information, the ministry Web site refers to two organizations, one Aboriginal (the FAFP) and one non-Aboriginal (the B.C. Federation of Foster Parent Associations).