New Beauval Group Home Keeping Children In Care Connected To Their Community And Culture

Released on July 5, 2022

The Government of Saskatchewan is partnering with the Northern Village of Beauval to provide more temporary placement options in the north for children entering care. Originally opened during the pandemic to provide isolation spaces for children with COVID-19, this five-space short term community-based home (STCBH) is a much-needed resource in the north for children under age 12. 

An STCBH offers an immediate placement option for children who cannot remain safely at home while their parents address safety concerns or a longer-term family-based care option is identified, whether that be extended family, a trusted family connection or foster care.

"Access to culture, traditional teachings and ceremonies has been linked to better outcomes, which is why we are working to increase placement options in northern Saskatchewan so children entering care can remain in their home community wherever possible," Social Services Minister Gene Makowsky said. "Community placement allows children to be supported by their communities, within their own customs and cultural traditions, to remain in their school and have regular visitation with their parents." 

When a child does have to come into care, the ministry's goal then becomes reunification, providing and linking parents to services and tools on parenting, addictions, counselling, and domestic violence prevention. If a child can't remain safely at home, our next step is to look to extended family. Nearly 60 per cent of children residing in out-of-home care live with extended family.

This is the second STCBH in Beauval. The Northern Village of Beauval opened its first five-space STCBH in November 2019, which has been consistently at or near capacity. While children placed in these homes are not always from Beauval, they are much closer to their home communities than if they are placed in Regina or Saskatoon. 

"This is a great opportunity for local people to become employed in an area where we are able to keep northern children in the north where our culture, traditions and kinship run deep even between communities," Northern Village of Beauval Mayor Nick Daigneault said. "We are proud to be able to develop the northern model of partnership between the ministry and municipality to provide this much needed service to the north."

The Government of Saskatchewan has allocated approximately $728,000 in annualized funding in 2022-23 for the new STCBH. This brings the total annualized funding for these group homes in Beauval to more than $1.4 million to support northern children entering care to remain in their community and culture. 

The Northern Village of Beauval provides a wide range of community-based services that improve the well-being of families, youth and children in the area. Services are delivered by a community social development worker. For more information or to obtain services, visit http://villageofbeauval.ca/.

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