Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Tragic But Preventable

The Government of Alberta has taken a strong lead in Canada in providing funding to support the Prairie North Initiative in FAS, which involves Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and, more recently, the Northwest Territories. The Alberta Partnership on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has supported the development of a series of three annual conferences, beginning in 1999, with a goal of providing education and training in the area of FAS. The partnership’s approach is "Together, Let s Find a Solution." Partners include the Alberta Drug and Alcohol Commission (AADAC), the AMA, the Alberta Association for Community Living, the NECHI Institute (representing Aboriginal persons), Regional FAS Coordinating Committees, Alberta Children s Services, Alberta Justice, Alberta Learning, Alberta Health and Wellness, Child and Family Services Authorities, Regional Health Authorities, the Alberta Mental Health Board and Persons with Developmental Disabilities Provincial Board.

Mary Berube, an FAS Specialist for the Province of Alberta, Alberta Family and Social Services, describes this group as a "multidisciplinary team who can make decisions, take the issues seriously and participate in strategic planning. This group and its many representatives ensure that FAS is included as a priority issue in the areas of funding and policy development."

One initiative resulting from the work of this group and led by Berube is called First Step. First Step is a pilot project through Catholic Social Services in Edmonton, Alberta. The program focuses on high-risk mothers who are pregnant and using drugs and alcohol, or who have already given birth to an affected child. The design is based on Seattle’s Parent/Child Assistance Program (P-CAP), developed through the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine. Its purpose is to provide long-term mentoring and advocacy to mothers who have abused drugs and alcohol during their pregnancy, or have already given birth to an affected child and are considered at high risk for substance abuse in future pregnancies.

The First Step model provides home visits and offers continued support and intervention with a goal of providing long-lasting changes. A similar program is offered in downtown Edmonton at the Bissell Centre, which provides services to the disenfranchised in society. The Lethbridge FAS Committee in southern Alberta has been very active in providing services and support to individuals with FAS and is currently recruiting mentors for a similar early intervention project beginning in March. The Lethbridge Committee has also been funded to develop

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