The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in British Columbia is exploring a partnership approach to developing a community-based FASD prevention strategy in the Fraser Salish region.
Inspired by the Marulu Strategy in the Fitzroy Valley of Western Australia and the work of other Indigenous communities in Canada, the FNHA Community Wellness Support team brought together individuals and organizations working in health care, child welfare, early childhood development, community wellness and other related areas for a one-day meeting on December 1, 2017. The meeting was held on the on the traditional territory of the Musqueam people.
The meeting began with an opening prayer and welcome from a Musqueam Elder. In the morning, participants learned about the successful Family Empowerment Team in the Stó:lō Nation (the Stó:lō traditional territory extends from Yale to Langley, BC). The program is based on the Parent Child Assistance Program (PCAP) model developed by Therese Grant at the University of Washington in 1991 which has been shown to an effective approach to preventing FASD.
The Family Empowerment Team has built upon the PCAP model to develop a holistic and culturally relevant approach to FASD prevention in the Stó:lō Nation. Meeting attendees had the unique opportunity to hear from a woman who has participated in the program and to hear how the program has supported her and her family to reach her goals.
In the afternoon, members of Alberta’s Parent-Child Assistance Program Council shared their experiences of working with and supporting over 30 PCAP programs in Alberta and how different agencies, groups, and government departments have collaborated in developing a 10-year provincial strategy to address FASD.
For more on these topics, see these earlier posts:
Alberta Parent-Child Assistance Program Quilt, December 8, 2014
Films from the Lililwan Project: Tristan and Marulu, May 9, 2012
FASD Mentoring Programs in Canada, December 7, 2011
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