Saskatoon programs aim to help keep children out of social services system

The numberof children under the care of social services in Saskatchewan remains high, but two programs in Saskatoon hope to make a difference by giving mothers the skills they need.

We have to start preparing those mothers for life after the crisis.- Don Meikle

"We look to the community to help raise the child," Don Meikle said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

• 'Communities know best': FSIN, feds to reform child care for Sask. First Nations

• Hundreds of children with social services ties died in Sask.

Meikle is the executive director of EGADZ, a non-profit organization that offers services to children, youth and their families.

He is a driving force behind Baby Steps and Sweet Dreams, two programs aimed at keeping children out of a social services system that Meikle said is "not working."

Baby Steps is a staffed home for children in the care of the Ministry of Social Services, where mothers can build their parenting skills through coaching and teaching, to work toward reunification.

Sweet Dreams helps moms at risk of losing their children.

"I feel guilty for not being the best mother at the time," said Shelby LaRose.

LaRose was able to find sobriety in Sweet Dreams and is now studying social work, and working part-time in the field at EGADZ.

"I just knew that I wanted to stop doing what I was doing and from there it just changes your mindset from being negative to positive," she said.

A new era

For Meikle, it's the kind of success story that keeps him going, believing that the dark days of child apprehension seen in the era of residential schools, and the Sixties Scoop may soon be behind us, replaced by a system built on the philosophy of keeping families together.

• Sixties Scoop survivor hopes federal settlement leads to healing

• A timeline of residential schools, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

"The motherswork on themselves and better their lives so that their children do not end up in care," he said.

"We have to start preparing those mothers for life after the crisis, life after getting out of the crap."

Since the two programs began, Meikle said, they've been able to help dozens of mothers and their children to remain connected in the system, or to avoid altogether the need for social services to get involved.

"It's a lot of work. It's not easy work. But it's long term."