Strathmore offers first Hope’s Cradle
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Canada’s first Hope’s Cradle is set to begin operations in Strathmore before the end of the year, offering a last case scenario for new and struggling mothers.
The program is designed for mothers who are unable to care for their newborn to have a safe and anonymous place to abandon the child.
“It’s kind of a last line of defense to be used if all the other community social services and mental health professionals aren’t working for that mother,” said Strathmore Fire Department Captain Eric Alexander.
“We’re kind of a safety net to make sure babies are not abandoned and that they are actually surrendered safely and get placed into proper care.”
Alexander said there’s not much of a difference between Hope’s Cradle and surrendering a child for adoption, though one option may be preferable over the other depending on the mother’s circumstances.
He began working on the project following a story released in 2017 which described a child in Calgary who had been abandoned in a dumpster on Christmas Eve. The child did not survive.
“It’s my belief that mothers can surrender (their child) to social services if they are unable to care for it, but we just didn’t want the stigma and the burdens being placed on those mothers who are in maybe a difficult state of mind or having a tough time in life,” Alexander explained.
“It could be obviously very trying for a mother to do that, so they might not have any contact with social services. We want to bridge the gap and be there as another option – obviously a last line option.”
Alexander, partnering alongside an organization called Gems for Gems, brought together roughly $25,000 to see the project to its completion.
Funds raised for the cradle by the Strathmore Fire Department were contributed by the members of the fire hall, which equated to just over $10,000. The remainder of the funding was provided from Gems for Gems.
Once it opens, the Hope’s Cradle will be open 24/7. A mother will be allowed to anonymously leave her child in the facility – no questions asked.
The opening of the facility door will trigger a silent alarm which will alert firefighters and emergency medical services to the presence of the child and will dispatch teams to the site.
“The firefighters would care for the child for the first few minutes until the ambulance gets there and from there, the ambulance goes into the city, most likely (to) the Children’s Hospital,” said Alexander.
Once the child is recovered, it will temporarily be the responsibility of the Alberta Government until they are placed into a foster care system.
Alexander explained that following his research into the topic and similar facilities in the United States, he believes Strathmore to be a perfect location to launch such a program in Canada.
“A lot of the demographics when I was doing the research on Safe Haven baby boxes … found that baby boxes in rural locations have been utilized more frequently than major metropolitan areas,” Alexander explained.
“Strathmore has a very lengthy history of community supports with our overnight shelters, our crisis shelters (and) the social services aspects of the town. I think it actually works really well with some of the existing programs that are already in place.”
The facility is being promoted as a site for newborns to be recovered, though any child who is found at the facility will be treated appropriately and helped through social services and foster care systems.
“There are no real laws around what is identified as a newborn, but that’s kind of how we’re promoting it. Basically, what we’re looking at is probably the first 30 days of that child’s life is what we would classify as a newborn,” said Alexander.
“Obviously, if there’s a child that is two or three months old who is placed in the cradle, it will get the exact same treatment as a newborn would.”
The facility is expected to open prior to Christmas at the Strathmore Fire Hall.