Family Preservation aims to decrease the need for Wabaseemoong children to receive out-of-home care by increasing the parenting and life skills of Wabaseemoong parents and families.
The Program helps reunify Wabaseemoong children and young people in out-of-home placements with their families, as well as helping families to manage their own lifestyles and assist them in crisis situations.
Family Preservation Community Family Engagement
Family preservation members are encouraged to be actively involved in promoting the importance of maintaining family relationships by participating in biweekly evening sessions such as;
- Family cook nights
- Medicine picking-Seasonally
- Movie nights
- Game nights
- Sharing circles
- Cultural teachings
- Sweats
- Outdoor trips such as fishing, snaring, and trapping workshops
Program and Services
- Help families to cope with extreme or challenging situations and to understand the importance of early childhood development and adolescent needs. This understanding, together with problem-solving and parenting skills, provides the base for effective family life for Wabaseemoong children.
- Aims to empower Wabaseemoong families to manage their own family dynamics.
- Protection of Wabaseemoong childing from maltreatment is an integral aim to Family Preservation. This program assists Wabaseemoong Families to network and develop community links to strengthen their family unit in their Anishinaabe culture.
- Aim to ensure that the re-occurrence of child protection risks is reduced through referring and engaging community members with local support services following cases closures. It is fully recognised that traditional supports following an intervention will maximize the effectiveness of the Family Preservations service provided.
- Help produce or reduce the number of out-of-home placements of Wabaseemoong children/young people who have been or suspected of needing child protection service or who are at risk if imminent removal or placement due to family breakdown.
- Aim to promote family self-sufficiency and a reduction in the need for further child protection and crisis intervention services by increasing parenting skills, life skills, and coping abilities.
- Return the responsibility for the safety and security of Wabaseemoong children to their parents, extended family members and clans.
- Instill confidence and assurance with traditional Anishinaabe practices and customary family systems and structures of authority, responsibility and answerability.
Family Preservation Of Wabaseemoong Child Welfare Authority
We work with families to alleviate the concerns of protection services by utilizing preventive measures and extended resources implemented for the member of Wabaseemoong Independent Nation, avoiding removal of children from the home and family.
Creating supporting links with organizations and advocacy with:
- ONWA-Ontario Native Women’s Association
- KCA-Kenora Chiefs Advisory
- KDSP-Kenora district services board
- NEECHIE Friendship Centre
- JP Application process-direct link
- Healthy Babies Program
- Family Court Workers-Legal