Adoption of Aboriginal Children
There have been enough of these cases in the past, that long ago
some legal parameters were established that would service aboriginal children's
care responsibly while respecting their heritage. On the B.C. government's own
website the fundamental understandings are unmistakably stated.
When Aboriginal children and teens are in need of care, the B.C.
government's own standard states, Research and experience indicates that
children who grow up connected to their culture do better. Aboriginal children
and teens feel more at home when they live with a family that helps them stay
in touch with their culture and community. (BC government's own page states this.)
The government urges competent compassionate caregivers to
consider opening their homes to children in need and furthermore appeals to
these people to consider adopting the children. One might ask whether there are
any special provisos with respect to adoption of aboriginal children and youth?
Yes there are and these too are unambiguously stated in the government's own
guidelines.
With respect to this particular case of the little Métis girl
named S.S. the government page makes provision for an Aboriginal Custom Adoption. Here is the
government's own statement.
"Aboriginal children in care need homes with Aboriginal families
whenever possible – to help them stay connected with their extended family and
community." The agreed upon system or policy established between the
B.C. government and the Métis or aboriginal communities is as follows. "The
custom adoption process makes it possible for Aboriginal families,
organizations and communities to use a culturally appropriate way of planning
for Aboriginal children; respects the customs and traditions of the First
Nations and/or Aboriginal community of the child; ensures Aboriginal children
maintain their cultural, linguistic and spiritual identity. It’s recommend that
adoptive parents get a lawyer to help them in their application to have a
custom adoption recognized by the Supreme Court."
Foster mom (Métis) and foster dad enjoyed S.S. in their home and
family life for three years, unnecessarily long if MCFD intended ever to move
her, and during that time, foster parents had in fact conducted an Aboriginal
Custom Adoption with approval of the birth parents. They had also applied for
formal recognition of this adoption, but MCFD rejected this by filing orders to
remove her and move her to Ontario.
BY ALL MEANS look up the little girl's
Facebook page ‘Bring
Home Baby S’, and the two websites that tell her story, bringsshome.ca or bringsshome.com. 
