TALKING TOGETHER

When one door closes, another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which opened for us.

Alexander Graham Bell

TALKING TOGETHER

First Nations peoples have lost many children because of Residential Schools and the intervention of Children's Aid Society starting in the sixties when many children were adopted out into non-native homes both in this country and the United States. The recent amendments to the Child & Family Services Act R.C.O. (2000) put increased pressure on agencies to remove the children from the community. This is a serious situation and steps must be taken to find a way to deal with Child Welfare cases in an expeditious and more culturally appropriate manner.

The Talking Together Program is an innovative method of dispute resolution based on traditional Circles held in First Nations and used since time immemorial to restore harmony between family members. By bringing people together to discuss family problems in a non-judgmental way, a plan will emerge which has the support of the community. This provides an alternative to the Court process (that frequently results in children being removed from their home community) and returns control to First Nations concerning the planning and protection of their children.

CROSS CULTURAL WORKSHOPS

The Circle is composed of family members, front line workers, agency representatives, and community elders and representatives. The Circle looks at who has been affected and how they have been affected by the problems the family is experiencing. Secondly, the Circle asks the participants; what can be done? If an agreement is reached it is used as a basis for the Plan of Care and filed with Court.