Newborn apprehensions fall but work remains: advocates

Manitoba has seen a drastic drop in the number of newborns placed in foster care, according to recently obtained data. However, Indigenous advocates say more needs to be done to permanently end the discriminatory practice of birth alerts.

For years, Manitoba led the country in the proportion of children in care, who are still predominantly aboriginal. This stems in part from decades of child welfare agencies using birth alerts – a form they would fax to Manitoba Health, requesting an automated alert when a pregnant woman they deem to be at high risk enters a maternity.

Child protection workers used criteria that often included any prior involvement in foster care or even access to social support during pregnancy.

For hundreds of women a year, this meant their children were cared for by government agents directly from the delivery room.

“Going out for help shouldn’t cause you to lose your child forever or for any period of time,” said Diane Redsky, director of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata center.

“Going out for help shouldn’t cause you to lose your child forever or for any period of time. —Diane Redsky

The Progressive Conservative government officially ended the practice of birth alerts on July 1, 2020. Existing laws would still allow newborn babies to be apprehended when they cannot be brought home safely with their parents, but the government has promised more prenatal programs so that more families can be kept. together.

In the fiscal year ending March 2018, Manitoba issued 558 birth alerts, of which about half (282 newborns) were placed in foster care within their first four days of life.

This number has gradually decreased, with 186 newborns placed in the fiscal year ending March 2020.

The new data obtained by the Free press show that Manitoba is on track to have fewer than 100 newborns in care this fiscal year.

In the fiscal year ending March 2021, 101 newborns were placed in the foster system. Between April 1 and December 31, 2021, 59 newborns were taken care of.

In the fiscal year ending March 2021, 101 newborns were placed in the foster system.

In an interview, Families Minister Rochelle Squires attributed the decline to a reform that detached child protection funding amounts from the number of children in care.

The idea is to strengthen prevention programs, reduce trauma and additional taxpayer expenses associated with placing children in new homes. Advocates generally support changing the funding model, but warned that the new formula – dubbed single envelope or block funding – results in agencies receiving less money overall.

“Ending the practice of issuing birth alerts does not mean the end of all newborn apprehension, but what it does do is end this discriminatory practice that was not serving communities at all. and families,” Squires said.

“There were social workers sniffling around the hospital when I (gave birth to) my son in 1998.” —Diane Redsky

Redsky was part of a 2018 legislative review commissioned by PCs, which argued that Manitoba’s social systems use criteria that run counter to First Nations and Métis.

“Until we change the rules, regulations and standards, we will still have a system that will work against Indigenous families.”

To that end, some Indigenous governments want to take control of child welfare through a bill the federal Liberals passed in 2019.

Squires said the pandemic has delayed talks between Ottawa and Manitoba aimed at breaking down barriers for that process to take effect, such as determining funding formulas and who would have access to child predator registries.

But she said both governments are committed to decentralization.

“Child protection jurisdiction will certainly enable many indigenous governing bodies to repatriate their children, and these will, I believe, be tremendous results throughout this transition,” she said.

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