Foster doll program mimics life of kids in care

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Foster parents and their supporters who want to draw attention to the strengths and problems of the foster care system launched a unique project this month to put the system in the public eye.

Gary Mavis, executive director of the Federation of Aboriginal Foster Parents (FAFP), spoke to Raven's Eye on Nov. 3 about the launch of the Aboriginal Foster Doll Awareness project by his organization the previous day.

The project has three main goals:

* Humanize young people in care

* Acknowledge British Columbia's good work, and

* Bolster community support.

The foster doll project involves both Aboriginal leaders and provincial government ministers accepting the responsibility that goes with the designation "honourary foster parents." It's not actual children they took on, but the respectful care of individually custom-crafted Aboriginal dolls for a six-month period. A ceremony was held to hand the dolls over to the officials, most of whom are already involved in some aspect of child or family support work. They promised to treat the dolls with the kind of considerations they would extend to children in care and to attend three special events co-ordinated to play up cultural awareness and intergovernmental co-operation.

Mavis said that at the launch party, "several of the presenters with their dolls had them up and were already involving them in their community, if you like. In other words, just exactly what we wanted-to be treated as not just something you stick over in a shelf and forget about, but they had pictures of their dolls with their drummers that were there ... just like it was a real child. So it was really quite encouraging to see this."

The foster parents will receive periodic letters about their charges' identities, biological families, schooling and the need for permanent care.

Six months was chosen as the designated care period because that is the average stay in care of a real foster child.

Mavis said Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and chief of the Pentiction Indian Band is one of their honourary foster parents who had intended to be present. But instead, Chief Robert Shintah, vice-president of the Union, stood in for Phillip, who was grieving with his community over a multiple shooting tragedy that occured days earlier in Penticton.

Other dignitaries accepting dolls so far include Tracey Michell, who accepted a doll on behalf of Grand Chief Ed John of the First Nations Summit; Kay Dahl, director of region 1 and at the helm of the Metis Commission for Children & Family Services for the Metis Provincial Council; George HoLem, president of the United Native Nations; Deputy Premier Shirley Bond; Minister of State for Early Childhood Development Linda Reid; MLA for Vancouver-Langara and a member of select standing committees on Aboriginal Affairs and Health Val Anderson; and Minister of Children and Family Development Stan Hagen. Fifteen dolls were created for the project. Both Native and non-Native people were included as a sign that children are everyone's responsibility.

Two additional non-profit organizations aided FAFP in organizing the project: the Federation of B.C. Youth in Care Networks and the B.C. Federation of Foster Parent Associations. Foster parents, youth in care or youth who formerly in care, and other service agencies also took part, "to ignite the kind of passion and esteem we have for chldren and youth in care amongst the general public" a joint press released stated.

Mavis said the idea for the project came from his staff. Mirika Flegg, who had been doing some research, found a similar idea had been used in Alabama to pressure authorities into raising foster parent stipends. FAFP executive assistant Lenora Fletcher also contributed a lot to the project, Mavis said.

The dolls were created with unique personal profiles, including personalities, medical conditions and treatments that are typical of real children in foster cae. More than one Aboriginal culture was represented.

In May, the dolls and information about them will be on public display at the Secwepemc Museum. Then on June 21, National Aboriginal Day, the dolls will be symbolically returned to their communities to point out the need for Aboriginal child protection services to come under Aboriginal control. More information about the project and the agencies involved is available online at www.fafp.ca/fosterdoll.html or e-mail FAFP at info@fafp.ca.