New care team in works to help at-risk pregnant moms

Saskatchewan is charting SASKATOON a new course to prevent babies from falling into government care after the province discontinued its controversial `birth alert' system this winter.

Last week's provincial budget included $500,000 in annual funding for Sanctum Care Group, which interim executive director Jamesy Patrick said will fund a prenatal care team to help at-risk pregnant women navigate social assistance, housing, addictions and mental health programs in the hopes their children will not be apprehended at birth.

“This is the right step at the right direction at the end of birth alerts,” Patrick said, referring to a long-standing practice of hospitals issuing alerts to social workers when certain women gave birth. Saskatchewan ceased issuing the alerts in February after years of Indigenous stakeholders arguing they were discriminatory.

Patrick said the team will be based in Saskatoon but could also operate in Regina and Prince Albert.

She said the first objective will be identifying suitable supports in a woman's home community, but added there is also the option of referring them to Sanctum 1.5, a neonatal home for at-risk women the non-profit operates in Saskatoon.

“We'll be able to connect moms in their pregnancies, and families, as early as possible to other community supports in our centres. If it's a housing issue, if it's a social assistance issue, if it's a mental health and addictions issue, that team will be able to identify that,” Patrick said.

Social Services Minister Lori Carr said the money is a direct response to the end of the birth alert system.

“I think with the elimination of birth alerts, we agreed there would need to be an increased coordination of supports for at-risk mothers,” Carr said.

The investment is one of several the ministry made in child and family services this year, including $3 million to support extended family caregivers and $1.4 million to improve at-home supports to prevent children from coming into government care.

The number of children in care has grown in recent years, from 3,072 in December 2016 to 3,692 in December 2020.

Carr said the investment in preventive services is an acknowledgment that children should be with their parents whenever possible.

“Wouldn't it be wonderful if we didn't have a division of child and family services, because all children are with their families?” she said.

“That would be the ultimate goal ... realistically, that's not where we are.”