By Angela Hill

Supporting parents and families

Jan 14, 2011 | 7:44 AM

While it was decided that a woman was not guilty on a charge of child abandonment after leaving her newborn in a Wal-Mart washroom, it has raised questions about support systems for young mothers.

The Lac La Ronge Indian band, the First Nation where the woman is from, is working to give young mothers in crisis somewhere to turn.

Three years ago, La Ronge Child and Family Services developed a softer policy that would allow it better help families and children in crisis. The policy works on building trust with the families.

“Now we’re looking at trying to build a service where we can intervene in a way that is supportive and look at what can be done to keep children and families safe,” said Dexter Kinequon, director of the child and family services.

It used to be the case that when family services became aware of a situation, their first response would be to apprehend or have some form of immediate intervention, he said.

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The new approach works on keeping the families together.

“We’ve reduced our number of children in care significantly while increasing our number of families and children that we’re working with,” Kinequon said.

Communication plays a key role in this system working, he said.

“If situations like this that arise say with (the woman), she doesn’t feel she’s able to trust anybody or talk to anybody about this, I think that that’s a problem, so communication I think is one thing, you’ve got to be able to have a supportive program and build relationships.”

Dealing with cases of child abandonment

In some parts of the country where child abandonment has occurred there have been baby drop-off locations created at hospitals, called safe havens.

In Vancouver, at St. Paul’s hospital, mothers who feel unable to care for their newborn can place the infant off in a basket and an alarm alerts hospital staff. The woman can leave and the baby will be cared for by hospital staff.

In Saskatchewan, the idea of this type of program is being looked at by social services, said Lynn Allan, executive director of program and service design, in child and family services.

Until they decide on a program Allan said the province has legislation that allows parents to relinquish their child voluntarily to the Minister of Social Services through social services.

“Right now there are community services in place that can help mothers that for one reason or another are overwhelmed by responsibilities of parenting,” she said.

These supports include mobile crisis, social services, police and hospitals, she said.

For more:
Wal-Mart baby case dismissed

ahill@panow.com