The program aimed at keeping Manitoba children out of CFS care
A report on an Indigenous-led program aimed at reunifying families has been unveiled.
It’s called Family Group Conferencing, and it’s based on a model practiced by Indigenous people in New Zealand with a goal of keeping kids with their families.
Marina, 32, a member of Sagkeeng First Nation who lives in Winnipeg, turned to the program, run by the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, for help.
She voluntarily agreed through Child and Family Services (CFS) to place her son in the care of family while she sought treatment for a methamphetamine addiction.
“Family Group Conferencing likes to keep the family together and keep the child in the family,” Marina said in an interview.
She was paired with a mentor and took part in culturally-based programming. With minimal interaction with CFS, she got to visit her son two times a week at the centre with her Family Group Conferencing mentor by her side.
“They played a huge role,” Marina said. “They were my main support. They pulled me out of my shell, I would say, because I was a turtle when I first came.”
A year and a half after starting the program, Marina was reunited with her son.
“I'm 32. I got him back on my 30th birthday,” she said. “My 30th birthday, they signed him over and closed my file.”
Family Group Conferencing is an Indigenous-led model practiced by the Māori people in New Zealand.
The program was first introduced to the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre more than 20 years ago and has grown over time.
“In 2017 we had an opportunity to receive Winnipeg Foundation, the Province of Manitoba and federal money to triple the size of the Family Group Conference model,” said Diane Redsky, executive director of the Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre.
The release of an evaluation of the program, delayed by the pandemic, shows between April 2017 and March 2020, 233 families and 655 children were supported by the Family Group Conference model, which empowers families to make decisions and take actions to care for children.
During that time, 263 children were reunified with family and 141 were prevented from ending up in care in the first place.
“It creates an opportunity to have an ally in your corner if you are a parent who’s concerned about child welfare involvement,” Redsky said. “It also creates that mentor, that helper, that friend that knows the system."
At the end of March 2022, 9,196 children were in CFS care in Manitoba, down 654 from 2021. Ninety-one per cent are Indigenous.
The centre would like to see Family Group Conferencing become a standardized way of approaching child welfare in the province.
It’s a program that helped Marina to heal and restore the sacred bond between parent and child.
“I kept doing it because I wanted my son under my roof,” she said.
Redsky said the Family Group Conference program also saves taxpayers around $9 million annually by keeping kids with their families.
The report notes the program should be supported with ongoing sustainable funding and resources to meet the demands of the community.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
WHO decision on COVID-19 emergency won't affect Canada's response: Tam
The World Health Organization will announce Monday whether it thinks COVID-19 still represents a global health emergency but Canada's top doctor says regardless of what the international body decides, Canada's response to the coronavirus will not change.
Video shows struggle for hammer during Pelosi attack
Video released publicly Friday shows the husband of former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi struggling with his assailant for control of a hammer moments before he was struck in the head during a brutal attack in the couple's San Francisco home last year.
Remembering the horrors of the Holocaust 78 years after liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau
In an emotional and powerful speech at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event in Ottawa, a survivor stressed the importance of remembering the millions of victims murdered by the Nazis during the Second World War and underscored the need to stand up against anti-semitism and hate.
Running Room Canada website hit with data breach; some passwords, credit card info accessed
An outside group may have accessed the online personal information of some Running Room customers in Canada over the last several months, the retailer says.
What is going on with Bill C-11, the government's online streaming legislation?
The Liberals have spent years trying to pass online streaming legislation and now the current iteration, known as Bill C-11, is closer than ever to passing. With a potential parliamentary showdown ahead, here's what you need to know about how the contentious Broadcasting Act bill got to this stage.
Zellers rolling out food trucks for Canadians 'craving a taste of nostalgia'
Though you won't be able to sit on the old, cracked pleather benches and take in the thick smell of gravy and fries, while the gentle sound of clanging dishes provides the soundtrack for your lunch, Zellers plans to roll out food trucks for those 'craving a taste of nostalgia.'
MPs prepare for return to Parliament as Ottawa marks one-year anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy'
Members of Parliament are making their way back to Ottawa ahead of resuming sitting on Monday, as the city prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the arrival of 'Freedom Convoy' protesters.
Pamela Anderson defends Tim Allen after flashing allegation
Pamela Anderson is addressing discussion about a story regarding her 'Home Improvement' co-star Tim Allen that is part of her new memoir, 'Love Pamela.'
'We must meet this moment': Trudeau says in speech to Liberal caucus
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on his Liberal caucus to meet the moment on Friday, as Canadians deal with the high cost of living, a struggling health-care system and the effects of climate change.
Regina
-
New trial ordered for Sask. man whose drug trafficking charges were stayed due to COVID-19 delays
A Saskatchewan man who had his charges stayed based on pandemic delays in court will be headed back for trial, after a ruling from the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal.
-
Organizations call on city to locate events centre, central library downtown
Three downtown business organizations are advocating for the City of Regina to locate a new multi-purpose events centre and central library branch in the downtown core.
-
More medical professionals on track to join Sask. healthcare system
More medical professionals are on track to join Saskatchewan’s healthcare system, as the province’s action plan progresses.
Saskatoon
-
Saskatchewan Jazz Festival moves to Victoria Park
The SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival is on the move.
-
'Just the ultimate to play in this': Sask. welcomes Scotland for one of curling's oldest tournaments
Sixteen Scottish curlers and 16 Canadians squared off against each other Friday morning as part of the 2023 Strathcona Cup, a tournament taking place across Canada.
-
'Just sick to my stomach': Sask. mom says cheer team asked daughter to hide self-harm scars
A Saskatchewan mother says her 13-year-old daughter is being shamed for her past mental health challenges.
Northern Ontario
-
North Bay, Ont., woman was discriminated against when she was fired, tribunal rules
The manager of a Tim Hortons in North Bay was wrong to fire a long-term employee because of her physical limitations, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has ruled.
-
Sudbury woman killed when snowmobile goes through ice
The body of a 29-year-old Sudbury nurse was recovered Wednesday night from a lake near Parry Sound after her snowmobile went through the ice, police say.
-
North Bay city councillor wants city to switch to a ward system
Looking ahead to the 2026 municipal election, North Bay city councillor Jamie Lowery wants to change the way municipal politicians are elected.
Edmonton
-
Alberta Justice spokespeople deliver duelling statements on prosecutor email review
An Alberta government email review of whether Premier Danielle Smith’s office interfered with Crown prosecutors has taken a confusing turn, with duelling statements from two spokespeople on what was investigated.
-
2 charged in north Edmonton death
A man and a woman were charged after a 41-year-old man died earlier this month. Adam Garrant died in hospital after he was assaulted in a home in the area of 172 Avenue and 102 Street on Jan. 12.
-
$50K awarded to innovators with ideas about how to stop catalytic converter thefts
An Edmonton woman and her daughter whose catalytic converter was stolen in 2022 have won $25,000 for a product police believe will deter thieves from stealing the automotive part.
Toronto
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | 3 people charged after allegedly impersonating homeowners to sell Toronto property
Three people have been charged after allegedly impersonating the owners of a Toronto home and selling it while they were away on vacation.
-
Sunwing plane forced to shut down engine mid-flight after takeoff in Toronto
A Sunwing plane was forced to shut down one of its engines midflight after experiencing issues after takeoff from Toronto.
-
Toronto Maple Leafs star Matthews sidelined for at least three weeks
Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews will miss at least three weeks with a knee sprain, the team announced Friday.
Calgary
-
25-30 vehicles involved in QE11 Highway crash near Carstairs: Alberta RCMP
The crash happened in the area of Highway 2 and Highway 581 just before 11:30 a.m.
-
Multiple crashes on Calgary roads as weather takes a turn
Upward of five centimetres of snow fell in Calgary early Friday morning and officials said conditions were good, but the situation deteriorated later on Friday, leading to plenty of crashes and road closures.
-
Chinook Blast, High Performance Rodeo: What's On in Calgary, Jan. 27-29
The High Performance Rodeo is in full throttle as Chinook Blast kicks off in a blizzard
Montreal
-
Holocaust remembrance: Survivor, born in Nazi concentration camp, recounts early years
Angela Orosz is one of the youngest survivors of the Holocaust. On Dec. 21, 1944, she was born in a concentration camp. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazis and collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe and Nazi Germany. More than two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was killed.
-
Anti-feminist blogger who worshipped Polytechnique shooter sentenced to one year
Anti-feminist blogger Jean-Claude Rochefort, 74, has been sentenced to a year in prison for wilfully promoting hatred towards women. Rochefort openly glorified the Polytechnique shooter, who claimed the lives of 14 women in 1989 as part of an anti-feminist attack.
-
A Quebec coroner says Montreal's Champlain Bridge needs anti-suicide barrier
A Quebec coroner says Montreal's Samuel-De Champlain Bridge must have a suicide-prevention barrier installed, after a 38-year-old man jumped to his death from the structure last May.
Ottawa
-
Police increase downtown presence, access to Parliament Hill restricted on anniversary of 'Freedom Convoy' protest
Ottawa police and Bylaw Services are telling residents and visitors they will be taking a zero-tolerance approach to parking, noise and fireworks violations downtown this weekend, on the one-year anniversary of the 'Freedom Convoy' demonstration.
-
'Inexcusable and deeply troubling:' Ottawa police condemn Tyre Nichols' death as world braces for release of video
As the world awaits the release of a police video showing five officers viciously beating Tyre Nichols, Ottawa police have issued a statement condemning his death.
-
Man, 53, dies in workplace incident near Prescott, Ont.
Ontario's ministry of labour is investigating after a man died in a workplace incident near Prescott, Ont.
Atlantic
-
Yarmouth man found guilty of second-degree murder in death of Colton Cook
A jury has delivered a guilty verdict in the 2020 murder of a man from the Yarmouth, N.S., area.
-
Moncton fire department gives update on woman, children sent to hospital
With three structure fires in three days, it's been a busy week for the Moncton Fire Department.
-
As faculty strikes, N.S. Premier Tim Houston announces medical school for Cape Breton University
The Nova Scotia government will help open a medical school at Cape Breton University, the same post-secondary institution that saw faculty go on strike Friday, by fall 2025.
Kitchener
-
Police investigating after body found in Perth County
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) shut down a section of a Perth County roadway Friday after they say a passerby discovered a body in the area overnight.
-
Kitchener school warns parents of man allegedly watching, following students
A Kitchener elementary school is responding to reports of a suspicious man who appeared to be watching or following students on two separate occasions.
-
Elmira woman calls her rare condition 'really degrading', prepares for surgery in Arizona
An Elmira woman born with Pectus Excavatum, a condition where her ribcage is caved in, is getting set for a life-changing surgery in May.
Vancouver
-
Sexual assault charges against 3 UBC Thunderbirds football players stayed
Charges that were laid against three former University of British Columbia football players over an alleged sexual assault in Vancouver more than four years ago have been stayed.
-
Bones found near Kamloops hiking trail identified as missing Kelowna man, police say
Mounties in Kamloops say the bones discovered along a hiking trail near the Trans Canada Highway last week have been identified as belonging to a Kelowna man who went missing in November.
-
BC SPCA seizes 129 cattle found on property with 'numerous' dead cows
The BC SPCA is recommending animal cruelty charges after seizing 129 cows from a property in the south Similkameen Valley, where "numerous carcasses of dead cows" were also found.
Vancouver Island
-
Nanaimo RCMP called after body found on roadway
The Nanaimo RCMP are investigating after a man was found dead along a street just outside the Harbour City on Friday morning.
-
Knifepoint robbery suspect at large in Nanaimo
An armed robber remains at large after a small grocery in Nanaimo, B.C., was held up at knifepoint.
-
Vancouver Island city councillor charged with assault
A Vancouver Island city councillor is on a mandatory leave of absence after he was charged with assault. Court documents show Coun. David Frisch was charged with assault against an intimate partner following an incident on Jan. 7.