A special edition of The Current for January 25, 2018
A special edition | In Care and In Crisis: Canada's Indigenous Child Welfare Emergency
"A humanitarian crisis."
That's what Jane Philpott, the minister of Indigenous services, has called the emergency gripping the foster care system.
Today, The Current is dedicating our episode to the issue.
We speak with an Indigenous mother who says her son was taken into care when she was 16. Now she is pregnant again, and on a birth-alert list that she says could mean her unborn daughter faces the same fate
Three young Indigenous adults tell us about their experience in a system designed, in their words, "to destroy Indigeneity," and what should be done to help those still within it.
We also interview Minister Philpott about what the government is doing to alleviate the crisis, and meet community innovators who are finding creative solutions to break the cycles of intergenerational trauma.
Support is available
If you or someone you care about is affected by the issues raised in these stories, these organizations may be able to offer support:
- The First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Help Line is 1-855-242-3310. It's toll-free and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- The Metis Life Program trains and assign mentors to help keep families together
- The First Nations Family Advocacy Office (part of AMC, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs)