Last week Provincial Families Minister Heather Stefanson announced the end of the birth alert system.

The program meant that before a high-risk expectant mother could leave the hospital after birth, Child and Family Services (CFS) and the hospital would first be notified to decide whether it was safe for her to take her baby home.

"To build a relationship with an at-risk mother and connect her with the programs and supports she needs, first we need to build trust," said Stefanson. "Birth alerts are having the opposite effect, discouraging moms and families from reaching out at a time when we most want to work with them."

Although the announcement was made as we flipped the calendar to February, the removal of the system will take place on April 1, 2020. This will allow the health-care sector and child welfare authorities the chance to transition the system out while also learning more about the new practices that will be put in place.

These provincial child welfare standards may include the creation of a safety plan, followed by referrals to the mother's existing community, cultural, and health-care services as needed. The purpose is to make sure parents have the chance for voluntary partnerships that allow them to address their strengths and needs before they welcome their little one into the world.

"Our priority is to help keep families together and reduce the number of children in care,” said Stefanson. "We are shifting our focus toward better supports for expectant mothers including early interventions, reunification, and better planning."

In a press release from the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), Grand Chief Jerry Daniels says the announcement is welcome as 50 percent of Manitoba's youth in the child welfare system are from the Southern First Nation. They only wish for an earlier implementation date.

"We recognize that many of our young families and first-time parents require support, resources, and healthy options in which to raise their children. Our children are most resilient when they are surrounded by family and community, not by strangers in emergency shelters and foster care," says Grand Chief Daniels.

Minister Stefanson noted the end of birth alerts will not affect the child welfare system’s ability to protect children who are at risk of neglect or abuse. All Manitobans, including health-care providers, continue to have a legislated duty to report if they think a child is at risk.