"CAS calls drop by one third after move"

Calls for child protection on Six Nations have dropped by one third since the former Children's Aid Society of Brant-Native Services Branch was booted off the territory last year.

Andy Koster, director of the newly-named Brant Child and Family Services, says although calls have dropped, staff from the former NSB are still waiting and ready to take calls on child protection matters until Six Nations gets its own child welfare mandate, something he said he supports wholeheartedly.

"We support, we do believe that child welfare in a First Nations community should be served by First Nations people," said Koster. "We're supportive of that."

It's not known when Six Nations will receive the mandate to take over child welfare services.

"They have a series of stages to go through," said Koster. "They're currently in B stage."

Stage C is transition and Stage D is implementation.

Six Nations Band Council recently passed a motion to put local child protection agencies "on notice" that it is in the midst of taking over its child protection services.

That motion was made over two weeks ago and no letter has gone out yet.

But Koster says he will welcome the new mandate and he will cooperate to transition his clients over to the new agency.

The new Six Nations-controlled agency is called O Gwadeni:deo (Cayuga for Taking Care of Our Own).

Band Council recently announced a new director Crystal Doolittle - has been hired as the first official Director of O Gwadeni:deo.

Holding a Masters of Social Work from Laurentian University, a Bachelor's Degree in Child and Youth Care from Ryerson University, and a Diploma in Child and Youth Work from Mohawk College, Doolittle "brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise in child welfare," band council says.

Doolittle said, "As the Director of O Gwadeni:deo, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to assist our community in obtaining the provincial mandate required to establish Six Nations' own child protection services. It's exciting to be a part of a service that will respond to our children and families with our own community values."

Currently under the direction of the Six Nations Child Welfare Designation Working Group.

O Gwadeni:deo is also in the process of establishing a "Community Commission."

The commission will be made up of ten members. At least two members will have the ability to represent Six Nations' traditional social structure, cultural heritage, and have knowledge of traditional practices.

Six Nations Band Council will hold two of the ten seats.

Once designated, the commission will assume responsibility for the ongoing operations of the community program, including:

• Delegating powers and responsibilities as are authorized by the commission
• Monitoring the mission statement. guiding principles and overall direction of the organization
• Approving and monitoring the financial management, personnel and operational policies and procedures of the organization
• Monitoring the quality and effectiveness of services and supports provided to the people by O Gwadeni:deo
• Having direct supervisor responsibilities over the director
• Along with the director, will negotiate and be responsible for the annual budget

Six Nations moved to take over control of child protection from the Brant Children's Aid Society, now called Brant Child and Family Services, in 2010 after a large protest and complaints from local parents and clanmothers alleging unfair treatment from the agency.

The Child Welfare Designation Working Group, and current members of the O Gwadeni:deo Community Commission, say they look forward to the Six Nations' Child Welfare Program moving forward with the help of Doolittle.

"I'm working diligently to ensure the services we provide are based on the community feedback we have received over the past few years," said Doolittle. "I'm confident we will meet the needs of our community."

Doolittle was part of the working group established by Six Nations in 2010 that oversaw community consultations. Now she will lead the team, which also includes a cultural adviser and several other staff.

"It's difficult to fit a whole community into a Western-based philosophy," she said of the need for Six Nations to run its own children's aid society.

Issues unique to First Nations communities include inter-generational trauma from the residential schools program and having a much broader definition of "family" for raising children, which in indigenous culture includes all supporters and not just blood-relatives. The term "auntie," is often given to people who are not actually blood relatives, Doolittle told the Hamilton Spectator.

Barriers for families on Six Nations run the gamut from having difficulty accessing appointments because of a lack of public transportation to a lack of trust with the current children's aid model.

Brant FACS used to have an office on Six Nations, but moved staff back to Brantford last year at the request of band council.

The native service branch of Brant FACS has 23 staff members.

Koster is hopeful those staff members can transition to O Gwadeni:deo.

Out of about 300 kids in care with Brant FACS, 63 are aboriginal children.

Koster did not want to comment on the large drop in referrals to his agency but wanted to remind people that Brant FACS still has the mandate for child care protection on Six Nations until the province hands that mandate over to O Gwadeni:deo.

The province currently provides $3.5 million for child welfare on Six Nations and that funding would switch over to O Gwadeni:deo once approved.