This program is a pilot funded by the Alberta government. Sadly, there have been times when I've gone to this amazing program and they've literally wondered if they would have to close the doors the next day, if this would be the last adoption ceremony for these children. It's really unnecessary. There is a lot of need, and because it's been so successful, you can imagine that community members are seeing this as an important support for their community, their children, and their families.
The worry at this agency is that the province's priorities might change, and in the absence of a federal plan, these children would go back to being adoptive into the mainstream environment, which has not done a very good job of reaching out to first nations, Métis, or Inuit communities in their adoption programs and in developing the types of supports and the success we're seeing at Yellowhead Tribal Services.