OFIFC Aboriginal Family Support Worker Program PROGRAM GOALS
"To provide support to children through provision of holistic, healing, preventive services which address the level of dysfunction prevalent among urban Aboriginal families. Services shall be made available in a culture based methodology which targets the preconception, prenatal, postnatal, infant, toddler and early development and learning years of the child. Prevention and Education programmes and support to single parent families, as well as, pre-parenting training to youth in urban Aboriginal communities will be developed as intrinsic to the overall Aboriginal Family Support Programme". PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are identified to provide guidance in the development and planning of a holistic, comprehensive service approach:
- To facilitate the establishment of "Good Life Teachings" in Urban Aboriginal communities.
- To provide Native Parenting Effectiveness courses in the Urban Aboriginal community.
- To provide a Pre - parenting preparation programme for Native youth with an emphasis on healthy sexuality, and responsibility in relationships.
- To develop and provide prevention programmes for high - risk families with respect to issues of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Effect, Solvent Abuse, and Family Dysfunction.
- To provide direct service and support to Single parent families with respect to issues such as child development, infant stimulation, role modelling and discipline.
- To facilitate the development of Parenting Support Circles with an emphasis on prevention, healthy families, and culture.
- To develop and provide access to a Native community resource inventory with respect to issues identified by the Urban Aboriginal community.
- To develop flexible approaches to service delivery which result in inclusion of the "marginal" client groups in Urban Aboriginal communities.(ie.Street Kids, Substance Abusers).
PROGRAMME DESIGN
To ensure the effectiveness of the Aboriginal Family Support Programme; each programme will reflect a philosophy of holistic approaches to ensure inclusion, and to prevent the single focus approach which tends to exclude "marginal" client groups. Programme development will reflect the cultures of the Urban Aboriginal community and will be based in the culture of it's members.Elders will be involved in the development of the programme design and delivery methods, as well as, in the evaluation and redesign of the programmes. The primary target group will be children 0-6 with the understanding that these children are often, however, not always, the responsibility of teen-aged parents and cannot be serviced without consideration of the support needs of the parents themselves. |
