N.S. called on to do more to help vulnerable pregnant women after ending birth alerts
“An advocacy group on Wednesday said Nova Scotia's new policy for vulnerable families could be "set up to fail," a day after the government said it would stop the practice of birth alerts.
The government said Tuesday child welfare services would stop alerting hospital staff about at-risk mothers and newborns who potentially needed protection, and it said it would instead appoint a support co-ordinator for vulnerable families.
On Wednesday, Martha Paynter with Wellness Within, a group that helps pregnant women in the justice system and criminalized pregnant transgender and nonbinary people, said the single co-ordinator wasn't enough.
‘I think it's highly unlikely that a single person will be able to handle the volume across the entire province,’ Paynter said in an interview. ‘I'm concerned that this new system is set up to fail.’
Nova Scotia decided to end birth alerts because it said the practice disproportionately affected people of colour and Indigenous women. Community Services Minister Karla MacFarlane said in a statement Tuesday that the government would change the policy to put a stronger focus on pairing expectant families with the appropriate support to ensure the safety and care of children.
Paynter said the government must create a system that respects families' cultures.
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