Group representing African newcomers in Sudbury partners with Children's Aid

An organization that supports newcomers in Sudbury, Ont., has started a partnership with the Children's Aid Society (CAS) to dispel myths and misconceptions about the organization, and to educate members on acceptable parenting practices in Canada.

Dokun Nochirionye, the founder and executive director of Thriving African Families, says many newcomers to Canada initially distrust agencies like the CAS.

"Typically, child welfare agencies, not just in Sudbury but all over Canada, are often vilified for being child snatchers and taking children away from their families, separating them for a long time or sometimes even permanently," she said.

Nochirionye says she had her own misconceptions about the CAS, but those were dispelled after she had more conversations with the organization in Sudbury.

She says she was surprised to learn that its main mandate is not to take children away from their families if their parents are unable to care for them.

"The CAS is responsible for protecting children and supporting families to do well," she said. "And so I found an alignment in our values as an organization and the strategic goals of the CAS."

Rarely taking children into care

Elaina Groves, the CEO of the Children's Aid Society of the Districts of Sudbury and Manitoulin, says that in 97 per cent of thecalls the organization gets, children do not end up in CAScare.

"We provide some support or we find out, no, they don't need us and we and then we leave," Groves said.

In cases where children do end up in CAS care, Groves says thegoal is to get the child back to either their biological parents or extended family as soon as possible.

"For the first time in our history we have more children in with kin than we have children in our care. And that, that speaks volumes," Groves said.

Last month,Nochirionye hosted a meeting between the CAS of the Districts of Sudbury and Manitoulin and members of her organization, Thriving African Families.

Nochirionye says one parent told her he had lived in Sudbury for six years and the meeting was the first time he saw CAS in a positive light.

Themeeting also gave newcomers to Sudbury a chance to share their experiences with CAS.

Understanding cultural differences

Nochirionye says there are cases where cultural differences might not be fully understood by people who work for child welfare agencies.

She gave an example of a child who said, 'My parents are going to kill me,' after he got into trouble at school.The child's teacher took it literally and called CAS.

"The parents are quite shocked to receive a knock on the door and someone introduces themselves as a child protection worker saying that you're threatening your child's life," Nochirionye said.

If teachers and social workers can better understand cultural context in situations like that one, Nochirionye says they can avoid negative encounters with parents and children.

The session also helped inform newcomers about acceptable parenting norms in Canada.

As more newcomers settle into Sudbury, Groves says it's important for the CAS to continue engaging with those groups to better understand where they're coming from.

"We're not ready," she said.

"We have to be out in the community and ensuring that the various communities know who we are, that they understand and know what their rights are and they know the limits to our rights and authorities, which are not as expansive as people think."