The goal of the Community and Family Wellness Programs is to facilitate, promote and advocate for Aboriginal community, family, and individual wellness through active partnerships. Community and Family Wellness Programs strive to:
provide programs in partnership with other community agencies that promote Aboriginal community wellness;
participate in community strategies that link agencies working towards community wellness;
assist other agencies in promoting wellness;
provide individual and group services that assist families in achieving wellness;
help Aboriginal families reduce their involvement with the Child Welfare System; and
assist Aboriginal families in accessing community resources, which will further family wellness.
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Kochee Mena Program
Contracted Program Region 6 Child & Family Services
Kochee Mena (a Cree word meaning “Try Again”) aims to serve the needs of Aboriginal male young offenders through an open custody facility in Edmonton. The program strives to provide a safe and holistic environment for young offenders serving an open custody disposition. The program also provides advocacy for residents within the Justice system and programs that address residents’ needs for personal development. The Facility provides cultural programs, as well as recreational and independent living programs that help prepare youth for reintegration as healthy members of our community.
Urban Aboriginal Family Wellness Programs
Contracted Service with Region 6 Child and Family Services Authority
The primary goal of the Aboriginal Family Wellness Program is to provide meaningful prevention and intervention services for Aboriginal families who are involved in the Child Welfare System. This contract includes the following programs:
Family Life Improvement Program: A ten-week program emphasizing the individual, the family and the community. The program is based on personal development and allows participants to work out practical solutions to their problems through an interactive and informative process. This program contains the following three components: "me as a person," "me and my family," and "me and my community."
Youth Support Program: This program provides support services to Aboriginal youth through a variety of services. A Youth Worker will provide one-to-one support to the youth, assisting them in learning problem solving techniques, communications skills and addressing issues relating to poor self-esteem. Through positive interaction with the youth, the worker will develop a trusting relationship that allows the youth to discuss issues or concerns that impact them in a negative way. The worker will also assist the youth in establishing goals to be set out in an action plan that they agree to work on and model positive lifestyle choices, encouraging the youth to take positive steps in developing or adopting a positive lifestyle for themselves. Finally, in addition to individual support, the Youth Worker will act as a liaison between the youth, their care providers and related workers or school instructors.
Urban Aboriginal Family Resource Centre: This service, funded in partnership with the City of Edmonton, offers a drop-in centre, an outreach worker and a ten week Urban Parenting Program that covers a variety of topics designed to empower parents (or parents-to-be) to become self-reliant through the sharing of experiences and information, skill development, and practical experience. Group members will become more independent, strengthen their coping and parenting skills, and improve their home life. This service is free and status-blind.
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Safe Visitation Site (Fort McMurray)
Funding from Alberta Children and Youth Services Fort McMurray’s Family Safe Visitation Centre is a combined initiative of Native Counselling Services of Alberta, Alberta Children and Youth Services, and the local community. The Safe Visitation Centre helps protect children and families in situations where there is a heightened risk of family violence between parents. Safe visitation provides an opportunity for children to have positive visits with non-custodial parents in a safe and secure location. Services are provided by trained staff in a structured and supportive manner.
Staff hired to facilitate visits with parents are trained in the dynamics and effects of abusive relationships on children, abuser behaviours, staff and client safety, court order awareness, screening and risk diversion techniques for domestic violence, security and response planning, client and victim care, and related family enhancement and protection legislation.
A family may be eligible for safe visitation services if there has been and continues to be incidents of violence between separated parents; there is a heightened risk of continuing or escalating violence between parents and the children are at risk of further harm or exposure; the child or youth wishes to have contact with the parent, or the court has ordered that the child or youth must have an opportunity to visit with the parent; or the matter has been assessed by a Child and Family Services caseworker or intake worker who has determined that safe visitation will meet the needs of the family.
Partnerships are primary to the success of the Safe Visitation Centre. As such, we are committed to bringing about awareness of our services within the community and working to ensure that our services compliment and support existing local initiatives. Back to Top
Family Group Conferencing - 'A Sacred Family Circle'
Contracted Service with Region 9 Child and Family Services
Family group conferencing is a collaborative dispute resolution process, which empowers families to make and implement decisions regarding the care and protection of children experiencing maltreatment, or at risk of neglect and abuse. A family conference involves a formal meeting where members of the immediate family come together with extended kin and community members to solve problems and develop care plans in a collaborative fashion. The plan, once approved by the referring caseworker, can be presented in court and/or be used to formulate the service plan.
Currently, NCSA provides facilitation services for Alberta Child & Family Service Authorities as well as for Delegated First Nations Agencies (DFNAs).
The pre-conference planning phase can take anywhere from between four to six weeks. The facilitator engages family members in planning the conference, and addresses any barriers to participation. The conference usually occurs in a single day but may extend to 1.5–two days. Cultural, spiritual or religious practices as identified by the family are incorporated into the family conference.
Family group conference objectives often include, but are not limited to the following:
- To re-establish and maintain a child’s connection to their family, culture, and community for children living in care.
- To develop a concurrent permanency plan, and achieve permanency for children in care, which is defined in the Child, Youth, and Family Enhancement Act, 2004 as being ‘placement other than in the care of the Director’.
- To prevent the occurrence and reoccurrence of child abuse and neglect.- To ensure children, youth and families have a voice in the decision making process.
- To prevent children from experiencing multiple placement, either in or outside the family.- To assist in the successful transitioning of youth into adult independence.
- To expedite the court process by presenting agreed upon plans in court or diverting cases from court. Post-conference review meetings are often held to accommodate changing circumstances and achieve plan goals.
This sacred family circle process offers a true partnership model for children, youth and families involved with Alberta Children’s Services.
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Healthy Choices for Moms and Babes
Contracted Service with Health Canada
This program has a part-time staff that offers support to expecting women in the Slave Lake area. Healthy Choices aims to improve the health of women and their babies by providing personal support, educational information and weekly nutritional supplements. The Healthy Choices program offers weekly coupons for eggs, milk, fruits, and vegetables to its clients. It also provides moms with prenatal vitamins and breast-feeding babies with Vitamin D. Healthy Choices services an average of 18 clients at any given time.
Services are provided to clients who are experiencing barriers such as limited income and poor nutrition, to babies with low body weight and mothers who are under 20 years old and in need of emotional and social support.
To better support clients, visits are conducted in the home, office and schools. Healthy Choices is a wonderful program that has helped many clients and is a significant asset to the community.
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Healthy Family Home Visitation Program
Contracted Services with Alberta Child and Family Services
The Healthy Families Home Visitation Program (HFHVP) has been in operation for six years as of June 2009. Home Visitors provide services in Cold Lake, Bonnyville, Lac La Biche, St. Paul, Glendon, Elk Point, Smokey Lake, Lamont, Bruderheim, and other small communities within the scope of the regional boundaries. HFHVP has established networks in each of these communities and has developed community-based partnerships to meet the diverse needs of the clientele. Home Visitors strive to create supportive relationships with families, in order to help them achieve their health and wellness goals.
