Social Services grabs kids off reserve

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The grieving parents of a recently-buried Kehewin youth, are shocked by the loss of their three remaining children who they accuse government workers of abducting last Friday.

They have accused social service workers of using deceit to take their children from a prearranged foster home located on the reserve.

Lila McCarthy and her common-law husband Vernon Soloway were still mourning the death of their three-year son Dallas, killed in a recent car accident, when they received word

their three remaining children were taken off the reserve by social service case workers.

"They were torn from us again," McCarthy moaned while leafing through her family album at her reserve home. "We didn't even get a chance to hold our babies or nothing."

"They were taken and we haven't been contacted by anyone. We have a right to know where our babies are."

She said social service case workers are responsible for abducting the children after arrangements were made to keep them with foster parents Phillip and Caroline Paul.

McCarthy accusations come in the wake of a failed attempt by band embers to oust their chief who has been struggling to keep the children on the reserve.

But a social service spokesman said the children were taken because their safety was in jeopardy.

Mel Kuprowsky said it's a common practice of his department to "apprehend" children believed to be in an unsafe environment.

He said McCarthy's children on the reserve, but that went by the wayside because it wasn't a good situation there," he said.

"It's our policy to apprehend children if it appears to be an unsafe situation and there was enough proof to convince a family court judge of it."

He said he is unaware of the social service department using trickery to take the children from a home.

But McCarthy there was no responsible attempt to notify the foster parents of the apprehension.

"It was a sneaky move. Even the foster parents were left in the dark," she said.

McCarthy's children, Alexis, 7, Billie Joe, 8, and Brenda, 9, have been living with foster parents in northern Alberta since they were taken by social service workers last April because

they were believed to have been sexually and physically abused by their natural parents.

After the children were brought back to the reserve to attend their brother's funeral Aug. 10, an agreement was struck to keep the children on the reserve with temporary guardians.

Kehewin Chief Gordon Gadwa and Bonnyville social service case worker Rachel Anthony negotiated for the children to be released to Philip and Caroline Paul

"Ut after I filled out the forms (agreeing to take responsibility for the children) the social workers took them and never brought them back," Caroline Paul said.

She said two social workers told here they were going to take the children to A&W for lunch but was never contacted after that.

"They asked me all kinds of questions. I thought the kids were going to be with me until things could be worked out," she said.

"Gordon trusted us to take care of them."

Gadwa, who successfully thwarted n attempt by band members Tuesday to overthrow his leadership, was infuriated that the social service workers undercut his authority.

"I thought I had everything in place. I thought we had a good working relationship with the social services department," he said.

"Our stance has always been to keep the children on the reserve. They were with the Pauls, and the next thing we knew, they're gone."

Gadwa fears the government action as in response an attempted leadership overthrow he claims has been resolved.

He said the government action was in response an attempted leadership overthrow he claims has been resolved.

He said the government may have taken the children because of the "turmoil" currently affecting the band. He said a number of band members were circulating a petition and

holding secret meetings demanding he step down as chief.

"There were about 1000 reasons they wanted me out," he addd, "and the social service issue was one of them."

"There was some trouble around here but I'm still chief. I think the government saw the chance to come on the reserve and take the children back when things were in an uproar,"

he noted.

Gadwa wouldn't elaborate about the accusations, but said the revolt has been quashed and he remains in office.

In a telephone interview from his reserve home, Gadwa recalled setting up arrangements with social service workers demanding they request permission from chief and council

before coming on to the reserve.

"And that seemed to be in place" until now, he said.

Three year old Dallas Soloway, the youngest son of Soloway and McCarthy, was killed Aug. 5 after a car in which he was a passenger was hit from behind on the outskirts of Grand

Centre by a half-ton pickup truck. The car was driven by his Grand Centre foster parent Samuel Spicer.

Six other people were injured and charges have been laid against a 31 year old Cold Lake reserve resident Louis Gradbois.