Duty to Support: Supporting Families to Stay Together
This Webinar was presented and recorded on May 14, 2024.
This Webinar focuses on the Duty to Support - the idea that community has the responsibility to support parents to care for their children and keep the families together. It is a response to the current mandate to report families whose children are perceived to be at risk. In the current child welfare system, families experience state-based violence that ruptures family structures, contributes to marginalizing women, and perpetuates cycles of trauma. The current system is rooted in colonized practice and reinforces it by disproportionately removing Indigenous, Black, and racialized children and children of families living in poverty.
The Webinar is based on findings from a community project hosted by RainCity Housing that engaged mothers, fathers, grandparents, young parents, and youth who have all been impacted by the child welfare system, as well as the community organizations that support them. Together we generated data on how to move away from punitive and disruptive state interventions to harm reduction alternatives and community-based support. Throughout our project engagements, community partnering organizations reflected on and implemented the findings from the families. We advocate for the Duty to Support as a commitment from service providers to better support families to stay together safely and reduce the harm that comes with state intervention.
To share our findings, this Webinar presents real-life scenarios to participants as an opportunity to explore what a harm reduction approach involves. The lessons shared through these scenarios can then be used in your own work to enhance your capacity to support families.
Webinar Recording
CLICK HERE FOR SLIDES
Click here for related resources
CLICK HERE FOR Q&A DOCUMENT
After watching this Webinar recording, click here to complete a quiz and receive a Certificate
Learning Objectives
By participating in this Webinar, participants will better be able to:
-
Critically assess the child protection system and the harms of reporting
-
Apply lessons from families on the barriers they face and how to better support them in community
-
Strengthen community by sharing ideas and building connections across sectors, experiences, and perspectives
Speakers
Laraine Michaelson: I am a Public Health Nurse in Vancouver, which is located on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people. For over 20 years I have worked at the Sheway Program supporting women and families who face marginalizing conditions including poverty, racism, inadequate housing, and substance use issues. Sheway is a interdisciplinary, community program located in the DTES, which provides harm-reduction health care and social supports to women and their families. Prior to coming to Vancouver, I worked for several years in Indigenous communities, both urban and rural, in Arizona and Washington state. I hold a Master's degree and an adjunct faculty position at UBC in the School of Nursing.
Candice Noris: Hello my name is Candice, however the spirits recognize me as Eagle Spirit Woman. I am of Dene, Cree, Scottish, and Irish descent. I work proudly in my community as a Dene, Cree cultural facilitator, and cultural research facilitator doing openings and Smudging/Brusing in the community to bring in the spirits and welcome our ancestors to gatherings. My goal in life is to re-awaken indigenous people to a connection of healing, through culture and ceremony. To bring indigenous voices, culture, and Knowledge to the Western world, and incorporate both knowings. To reawaken our DNA to our almost crushed traditions. By healing through our DNA we can safely keep our children out of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, instead foster Indigenous ways of knowing and being to supporting Indigenous mothers with wrap around care so they can safely care for their own children and relearn what was taken away from us as First Nations people.
Kari Stout: I live, work and play in Vancouver, on the unceded and traditional territories of theSəl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations, with my husband and 2 teenage daughters. I currently working as a program coordinator for the Healthiest Babies Possible and Youth Pregnancy and Parenting Program in Vancouver, BC. I have a Masters degree in Social Work and have worked in child protection and perinatal social work for the past 24 years. I also briefly worked in other BC communities including Fort Nelson, Bella Coola, Powell River, Ashcroft, and Squamish. I have a passion in addressing the social determinants of health in order to improve outcomes for families and for future generations. My passion in supporting pregnant people stems from years working as a social worker in a variety of settings, including MCFD, Sheway, BC Women’s Hospital, and Healthiest Babies Possible/Youth Pregnancy and Parenting Program. I have seen how the miracle of birth can change people’s lives and how supports can be an such an integral part of this change.
Linoy Alkalay: Linoy Alkalay: I am of Middle Eastern Jewish descent and an uninvited guest to the unceded stolen lands of the Coast Salish people. I currently work as a Project Coordinator at RainCity Housing working on a project that looks at addressing systemic violence through harm reduction in the family system. Before joining RainCity Housing, I worked in various frontline roles supporting women, youth, and families that are impacted by trauma, substance use, and mental health challenges. I am passionate about community approaches to break down the system and believe in addressing the impact of trauma through building and strengthening connection. I hold a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University and a Graduate Certificate in Complex Trauma and Child Sexual Abuse Intervention from the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
Le devoir de soutien : Aider les familles à rester ensemble
Ce Webinaire a été présenté et enregistré le 14 mai 2024.
Ce webinaire porte sur le devoir d’entretien – l’idée que la communauté a la responsabilité d’aider les parents à prendre soin de leurs enfants et à garder les familles unies. C’est une réponse au mandat actuel exigeant de signaler les familles dont les enfants sont perçus comme étant à risque. Dans le système actuel de protection de l’enfance, les familles subissent de la violence étatique qui brise les structures familiales, contribue à marginaliser les femmes et perpétue les cycles de traumatismes. Le système actuel est enraciné dans la pratique colonisée et la renforce en retirant de leur famille de façon disproportionnée les enfants autochtones, noirs et racialisés et les enfants de familles vivant dans la pauvreté.
Ce webinaire est fondé sur les résultats d’un projet communautaire organisé par RainCity Housing qui a mobilisé des mères, des pères, des grands-parents, des jeunes parents et des jeunes qui ont tous été touchés par le système de protection de l’enfance, ainsi que les organismes communautaires qui les soutiennent. Ensemble, nous avons produit des données sur la façon de passer des interventions punitives et perturbatrices de l’État à des solutions de rechange à la réduction des méfaits et au soutien communautaire. Tout au long de nos engagements dans le cadre du projet, les organismes communautaires partenaires ont réfléchi aux constatations des familles et les ont mises en œuvre. Nous préconisons le devoir d’entretien comme un engagement de la part des fournisseurs de services à mieux soutenir les familles afin qu’elles restent ensemble en toute sécurité et à réduire les préjudices qui découlent de l’intervention de l’État.
Pour faire part de nos constatations, ce webinaire présente des scénarios réels aux participant.e.s pour leur permettre d’explorer ce qu’implique une approche de réduction des méfaits. Les leçons présentées dans ces scénarios peuvent ensuite être utilisées dans votre propre travail pour améliorer votre capacité à soutenir les familles.
Enregistrement du Webinaire
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Objectifs d'apprentissage
Après avoir participé à ce webinaire, les participant.e.s seront mieux en mesure de :
- Évaluer de façon critique le système de protection de l’enfance et les préjudices causés par le signalement
- Appliquer les leçons tirées des familles concernant les obstacles auxquels elles sont confrontées et la façon de mieux les soutenir dans la communauté.
- Renforcer la communauté en partageant des idées et en établissant des liens entre les secteurs, les expériences et les points de vue
Conférencières
Laraine Michaelson : Je suis infirmière en santé publique à Vancouver, qui se trouve sur les terres traditionnelles du peuple Salish de la Côte. Depuis plus de 20 ans, je travaille au programme Sheway pour aider les femmes et les familles qui sont confrontées à des conditions de marginalisation, notamment la pauvreté, le racisme, les logements inadéquats et les problèmes de toxicomanie. Sheway est un programme communautaire interdisciplinaire situé dans le DTES (Downtown Eastside), qui fournit aux femmes et à leurs familles des soins de santé axés sur la réduction des méfaits ainsi que des soutiens sociaux. Avant de venir à Vancouver, j’ai travaillé pendant plusieurs années dans des communautés autochtones, urbaines et rurales, en Arizona et dans l’État de Washington. Je suis titulaire d’une maîtrise et j’occupe un poste de professeure auxiliaire à l’École des sciences infirmières de l’Université de la Colombie-Britannique.
Candice Noris : Bonjour, je m’appelle Candice, mais les esprits me reconnaissent comme Femme-esprit aigle. Je suis de descendance dénée, crie, écossaise et irlandaise. Je travaille fièrement dans ma communauté en tant que Déné, facilitatrice culturelle cri et facilitatrice de recherche culturelle. Je fais des ouvertures et de la purification par la fumée / du brossage dans la communauté pour faire entrer les esprits et accueillir nos ancêtres aux rassemblements. Mon objectif dans la vie est de faire redécouvrir aux peuples autochtones un lien de guérison, grâce à la culture et aux cérémonies. D’apporter la culture et le savoir des voix autochtones au monde occidental, et d’intégrer les deux savoirs. De faire redécouvrir à notre ADN nos traditions presque écrasées. En guérissant grâce à notre ADN, nous pouvons en toute sécurité garder nos enfants à l’écart du ministère du Développement de l’enfance et de la famille, et favoriser plutôt les modes de savoir et d’être autochtones pour soutenir les mères autochtones en leur offrant des soins complets afin qu’elles puissent prendre soin de leurs propres enfants en toute sécurité et réapprendre ce qui nous a été enlevé en tant que membres des Premières Nations.
Kari Stout : Je vis, je travaille et je joue à Vancouver, sur les territoires traditionnels et non cédés des Premières Nations Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), et Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) avec mon mari et mes deux filles adolescentes. Je travaille actuellement à titre de coordonnatrice du programme Healthiest Babies Possible and Youth Pregnancy and Parenting à Vancouver, en Colombie-Britannique. J’ai une maîtrise en travail social et je travaille dans le domaine de la protection de l’enfance et du travail social périnatal depuis 24 ans. J’ai également travaillé brièvement dans d’autres communautés de la Colombie-Britannique, dont Fort Nelson, Bella Coola, Powell River, Ashcroft et Squamish. Ce qui me passionne, c’est de m’attaquer aux déterminants sociaux de la santé afin d’améliorer les résultats pour les familles et les générations futures. Ma passion pour le soutien des femmes enceintes découle des années que j’ai passées à travailler comme travailleuse sociale dans divers milieux, y compris le MCFD (le ministère du Développement de l’enfance et de la famille), Sheway, l’hôpital pour femmes de la C.-B., et le programme Healthiest Babies Possible/Youth Pregnancy and Parenting. J’ai vu comment le miracle de la naissance peut changer la vie des gens et comment le soutien peut faire partie intégrante de ce changement.
Linoy Alkalay : Je suis d’origine juive du Moyen-Orient et je suis une invitée non invitée sur les terres volées non cédées du peuple Salish de la Côte. Je travaille actuellement à titre de coordonnatrice de projet à RainCity Housing dans le cadre d’un projet visant à lutter contre la violence systémique par la réduction des méfaits dans le système familial. Avant de me joindre à RainCity Housing, j’ai occupé divers postes de première ligne pour soutenir les femmes, les jeunes et les familles qui sont touchées par des traumatismes, la toxicomanie et des problèmes de santé mentale. Je suis passionnée par les approches communautaires visant à démanteler le système et je crois qu’il faut s’attaquer aux répercussions des traumatismes en établissant et en renforçant les liens. Je suis titulaire d’une maîtrise en leadership de l’Université Royal Roads et d’un certificat d’études supérieures en traumatologie complexe et en intervention contre l’exploitation sexuelle des enfants de l’Institut de Justice de la Colombie-Britannique.
Duty to Support: Supporting Families to Stay Together
ASL Channel Recording
This Webinar was presented and recorded on May 14, 2024.
This Webinar focuses on the Duty to Support - the idea that community has the responsibility to support parents to care for their children and keep the families together. It is a response to the current mandate to report families whose children are perceived to be at risk. In the current child welfare system, families experience state-based violence that ruptures family structures, contributes to marginalizing women, and perpetuates cycles of trauma. The current system is rooted in colonized practice and reinforces it by disproportionately removing Indigenous, Black, and racialized children and children of families living in poverty.
The Webinar is based on findings from a community project hosted by RainCity Housing that engaged mothers, fathers, grandparents, young parents, and youth who have all been impacted by the child welfare system, as well as the community organizations that support them. Together we generated data on how to move away from punitive and disruptive state interventions to harm reduction alternatives and community-based support. Throughout our project engagements, community partnering organizations reflected on and implemented the findings from the families. We advocate for the Duty to Support as a commitment from service providers to better support families to stay together safely and reduce the harm that comes with state intervention.
To share our findings, this Webinar presents real-life scenarios to participants as an opportunity to explore what a harm reduction approach involves. The lessons shared through these scenarios can then be used in your own work to enhance your capacity to support families.
CLICK HERE FOR SLIDES
Click here for related resources
CLICK HERE FOR Q&A DOCUMENT
After watching this Webinar recording, click here to complete a quiz and receive a Certificate
Learning Objectives
By participating in this Webinar, participants will better be able to:
-
Critically assess the child protection system and the harms of reporting
-
Apply lessons from families on the barriers they face and how to better support them in community
-
Strengthen community by sharing ideas and building connections across sectors, experiences, and perspectives
Speakers
Laraine Michaelson: I am a Public Health Nurse in Vancouver, which is located on the traditional lands of the Coast Salish people. For over 20 years I have worked at the Sheway Program supporting women and families who face marginalizing conditions including poverty, racism, inadequate housing, and substance use issues. Sheway is a interdisciplinary, community program located in the DTES, which provides harm-reduction health care and social supports to women and their families. Prior to coming to Vancouver, I worked for several years in Indigenous communities, both urban and rural, in Arizona and Washington state. I hold a Master's degree and an adjunct faculty position at UBC in the School of Nursing.
Candice Noris: Hello my name is Candice, however the spirits recognize me as Eagle Spirit Woman. I am of Dene, Cree, Scottish, and Irish descent. I work proudly in my community as a Dene, Cree cultural facilitator, and cultural research facilitator doing openings and Smudging/Brusing in the community to bring in the spirits and welcome our ancestors to gatherings. My goal in life is to re-awaken indigenous people to a connection of healing, through culture and ceremony. To bring indigenous voices, culture, and Knowledge to the Western world, and incorporate both knowings. To reawaken our DNA to our almost crushed traditions. By healing through our DNA we can safely keep our children out of the Ministry of Children and Family Development, instead foster Indigenous ways of knowing and being to supporting Indigenous mothers with wrap around care so they can safely care for their own children and relearn what was taken away from us as First Nations people.
Kari Stout: I live, work and play in Vancouver, on the unceded and traditional territories of theSəl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh), the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), and the Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations, with my husband and 2 teenage daughters. I currently working as a program coordinator for the Healthiest Babies Possible and Youth Pregnancy and Parenting Program in Vancouver, BC. I have a Masters degree in Social Work and have worked in child protection and perinatal social work for the past 24 years. I also briefly worked in other BC communities including Fort Nelson, Bella Coola, Powell River, Ashcroft, and Squamish. I have a passion in addressing the social determinants of health in order to improve outcomes for families and for future generations. My passion in supporting pregnant people stems from years working as a social worker in a variety of settings, including MCFD, Sheway, BC Women’s Hospital, and Healthiest Babies Possible/Youth Pregnancy and Parenting Program. I have seen how the miracle of birth can change people’s lives and how supports can be an such an integral part of this change.
Linoy Alkalay: Linoy Alkalay: I am of Middle Eastern Jewish descent and an uninvited guest to the unceded stolen lands of the Coast Salish people. I currently work as a Project Coordinator at RainCity Housing working on a project that looks at addressing systemic violence through harm reduction in the family system. Before joining RainCity Housing, I worked in various frontline roles supporting women, youth, and families that are impacted by trauma, substance use, and mental health challenges. I am passionate about community approaches to break down the system and believe in addressing the impact of trauma through building and strengthening connection. I hold a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University and a Graduate Certificate in Complex Trauma and Child Sexual Abuse Intervention from the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
