Families in crisis need more help, says advocate Child custody issue WEST VANCOUVER social advocate Barbara Davies believes that Darlene Olivier’s fight with the pro- vince to regain custody of her young son symbolizes “all the terrible things that can happen to a person in the system.’’ By Michael Becker News Reporter Davies describes Olivier as ‘tone of the ranks of working poor native women. “She survived a childhood in which our social service systems intervened in her life from birth. In 36 years since, she has known oppression seldom experienced by most of us who are secure members of the dominant socie- ty,”’ Davies said. Initially assessed as an unfit mother, the native mother had been at times labelled ‘‘mentally harndicapped’’, as having a “psychiatric problem’? and finally as having ‘‘entrenched personality characteristics.”" She has since been favorably assessed. Said Davies, who became and continues Io be a key support to Ofivier, ‘‘There'’s no psychopathology — that’s the key thing. She could teach the paren- ting skills, this is the awful thing. The thing that has gotten her into trouble is her fiery personality and her mouth. When she realized the hidden agenda she knew thar she couldn’: articulate it.”* The “hidden agenda’’ as Davies sees it is the demand for adop- table children. Davies .coordinates Co-Pro a West Vancouver-based program that provides support services for low income and handicapped people. Terry Adier, a social work ex- “pert, chairs Co-Pro and is an educator and program developer at Capilano College. Adler maintains the Ministry of Social Services misdirects the focus of its resources. Although the ministry has the mandate to support families and children, Adler says, ‘‘The focus is to target whether a child should be with a parent and not what we can do to ensure that things in this family can keep from falling apart.’’ Adler believes that more effort must be made to supply family support workers to families in crisis. The goal: to establish ap- propriate life routines and safety mechanisms to ensure the safety of the child and help parents deal with the issues that are preventing them from being the kind of paren’ that deep down = every parent wants to be. Said Adiler,“The ministry has a very difficult job to do. It’s giving social workers a tremendous re- sponsibility, the ministry is asking them to assess whether or noi a child should be with a parent without giving the social workers many options that they can call on in terms of supporting a parent who seems to be at risk in the home. So they have this horren- dous decision-making power without the support of family resources."’ THE VANCOUVER Symphony Orchestra, with guest condu' Lonsdale Quay to raise funds for charities. Members of Christmas Bureau and West Vancouver Santa Claus Fund. Apprehended at birth by Ministry of Social Services A WEST Vancouver single mother, whose infant son was apprehended earlier this year by Ministry of Social Services and Housing officials just hours after he was born, has won a court battle in her bid to regain custody of the child. Local family advocates backing the mother claim the case_ il- fustrates much of what is wrong with a system ostensibly in place to support families and childzen. A West Vancouver social ad- vocate maintains that 36-year-old Darlene Olivier’s story is also one of cultural dispossession and sub- tle racism. Olivier herself was made a ward - of the court when she was one year old. She grew up a foster child, spending time with several foster families. From age four until she left home at age 19, Olivier lived on a chicken farm in Richmond with a Dutch family. She learned how to speak Dutch and shared a ‘‘strict Catholic up- bringing’ with seven other foster children and one natural child. She had no firm sense of her own past. But, said Olivier, ‘‘t knew I was different." She began the quest to regain her past in earnest when she mov- ed out. fronically a judicial order made during Olivier’s court fight to gain access to her apprehended son resulted in reunion with her own mother. “The judge ordered the social workers to give me information about my parents,”’ she said. Investigation revealed her natu- ral mother to be Alice Marie Rose Olivier, a 65-year-old Chippewa native from Fort Resolution, near Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. Olivier met her mother, who lives in Vancouver, for the first time in July. She presented her mother with 12 long-stemmed roses and took her to the Top of Vancouver Revolving Restaurant for a Saturday brunch. Olivier Jearned that she has two By Michael Becker News Reporter sisters and a brother. Her father lives on Vancouver Island. She is now attempting to obtain the documentation necessary from Ottawa to secure official status as a native Indian. While she searched for her nat- ural relatives, Olivier warked as a nursing aid anc attempted to create her own family. Said Olivier, ‘‘All my life | waited to get married aid have a family. Ar age 30 I thought, ‘Gee I'd better start hurrying up and find a man and have a family.” So i found this one guy and [ really loved him and he loved me. Everything was great and then Easter Sunday after church I got pregnant in 1987.”° But the relationship faltered. Her son was born and was ap- prehended by the ministry at 19 days of age when officials judged that Olivier was incapable of car- ing for the child duc to depres- sion. The court granted a permanent order separating Olivier and her child after she allegedly verbally threatened his life. Meanwhile her first son is living NEWS photo Stuart Davis ctor Howard Cable of Toronto, performed two concerts on Saturday at the audience were asked to make donations to the North Vancouver NEWS photo Ne!) Lucente DARLENE OLIVIER snuggles young son Michel after a fong custody battle. This is the first month of his return after being taken away from his mother at birth. with the sister of the boy’s father. Olivier is attempting to gain custody of the child. “They (the ministry) used my getting angry against me. But what we're fighting about is values. They (the foster family) are white, upper class, Anglo Saxon, third generation Jehovah’s Witness. So they've got a lot of power.’’ Olivier said. In part as a result of the experi- ence with her first-born, her se- cond son was thought to be at risk and was apprehended by the ministry approximately four hours after he was born in February at Lions Gate Fiospital. She learned of the ministry’s in- tention to apprehend her newoorn son an hour before he was taken away. Said Olivier, ‘I was bleeding and I went into shock and a lot of people are saying I was hysterical. 1 refused to take drugs. They tried to shes: me up with everything. They couldn’t care whether I lived or died — not even the doctor. With the help of West Van- couver social advocate Barbara Davies and Capilano College adult educator Terry Adler and others, late last month lawyers repre- senting Olivier and the ministry reached an agreement granting Olivier custody of her young son for a four-month trial period. EE RT I OE EE SE M@ Budget Beaters @ Business 8 Classified Ads ® Comics B® Lifestyles Index BTV Listings BM What's Going On @ Frugal Gourmet Second Ciass Registration Number 3885 Front page photo Neil Lucente Weather Thursday and Friday, rain. Highs 8'C. lows 3°C.