Gems for Gems and Children's Cottage Society opens Cradle of Hope

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In a first for Calgary, the new Cradle of Hope will allow mothers to surrender their babies anonymously, safely and legally.

Located at Children's Cottage Family Resource Center in Montgomery, the crib, which opened in early April of this year, is part of a collaboration with Gems for Gems, a nonprofit organization that seeks to support victims of domestic violence, said founder and CEO Jordan Guildford.

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Guildford says women who experience child abandonment need the same support as those who experience other types of abuse.

“When we looked at giving up babies, we decided to step up and do something, and we were very lucky to have the people who came together to make it happen.”

Cradle of Hope is a legally safe surrender option, meaning women who give up their babies will not face criminal charges unless the child is abused, she said.

This crib will be available 24 hours a day for mothers to hand over their baby incognito.

“We're protecting a child's life because we're competing with trash cans and everything, which is the only other anonymous option.”

Guildford says the catalyst for Cradle of Hope was the 2017 incident of a newborn baby who died and was dumped in a dumpster.

Dave Sweet, board director of Gems for Gems, who is also a Calgary police homicide detective who worked on the Baby Eva case, said the idea for the crib came from his 15-year scar from investigating tragic and tragic cases. a career in homicide.

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“These safe placements are an opportunity for a child to come into the care of a wonderful organization and then — potentially, a family,” she said.

“Sometimes the best decision for a parent is to … surrender their child”

According to Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, baby Eve tragedies are something the city hopes to avoid by having a Cradle of Hope.

“We know that despite the best intentions, the direct practical reality of the times can be such that sometimes the best solution for parents in crisis is to surrender their child in hopes of a better life,” Neufeld said.

He also said police would only be involved if there was suspicion of criminal harm to a surrendered child, in which case members of District 2 and its child abuse unit would conduct a full investigation.

According to Lisa Garrisen, the society's program director, the partnership with the Children's Cottage Society (CCS) came naturally because the organization's members were affected by the death of baby Eve.

“They developed this beautiful cradle and all the necessary infrastructure to integrate it into one system, and all they needed was space. We had a place, no cradle; and as you can imagine, it felt like a perfect match,” Garrisen said.

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CCS approached Gems for Gems and welcomed them with open arms. The two organizations have partnered in the past because Gems for Gems has supported CCS families at Brenda's House, Garrisen said.

“For Children's Cottage, we really believe in keeping families together, but we also know that there are dangerous, unsupported, situations where parents are in really terrible situations and unable to care for their babies.”

More cribs are needed in Calgary and across Canada, the group says

The Cradle of Hope is Calgary's first, but Gems for Gems hopes for a future with at least four — one in each quadrant of the city — and more in other municipalities across Canada.

“We need places, we need people who are willing to take in, like a children's cottage,” Guildford said.

There is currently another cradle at the Strathmore Fire Department in Ontario and Manitoba.

“If you look at some European cities, the cribs themselves are very prominent, they're in different places,” Sweet said.

“This concept has come to North America, Canada and now to Calgary, and I hope to see it scale because we need people to have that option.”

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Guildford explained that crib-friendly places don't necessarily need to be open 24 hours a day, but people qualified to help babies should be able to arrive quickly within a five- to 20-minute window.

“Our alarm system works 24 hours a day, so there is no fear that the baby will not be found and there will be no immediate help, so we need a safe place,” he said.

“The Children's Cottage is a shining example of a best-case scenario when it comes to a host organization, but they far exceed our criteria – and we're grateful for that.”

With files from Kevin Martin, Scott Strasser and The Canadian Press

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