That's a fascinating example. I think that's where we're going next, because you're absolutely right that a lot of parents who get to the centres are already doing okay. There's a wonderful pilot happening in my community in London. It's a partnership with the Children's Aid Society. The focus is on keeping kids out of the care of the Children's Aid Society by providing a range of supports.
At its centre is a lay mentor who has experienced poverty but has managed to get beyond it. I've met with some of the families who are participating. It's called Family Networks. Overwhelmingly, the expression they use is, “It got me off the couch”. They are usually single moms dealing with a number of different issues who could easily slip into depression, and the kids sometimes become the parents in those families. They need a range of supports to get them moving forward and on with their lives.
It's very promising. It's still a pilot, so I have to wait and see. But I really think that reaching out to families prior to the crisis is what we need to be doing, because apprehending a child is the last thing we want to do. If we can empower families by providing the right supports, it's a more cost-effective way of dealing with the issue, and it's much better for the children.