An Aboriginal, grassroot driven, innovative crisis response program

CERP Vision

The empowering assistance of the CERP Partnership would result in the restoration of health and balanced lifestyles for First Nations and Inuit children and youth who are experiencing a substance abuse crisis, their families and communities.

The CERP model describes a formal Emergency Response Program that could be established as a means of filling in current responses to child and youth substance abuse crises in First Nations and Inuit communities. It outlines a plausible model for a multi-level crisis intervention program to address those group substance abuse patterns that severely threaten the health, safety and even lives of children and youth in First Nations and Inuit communities.

Conceived as a result of extensive consultations with First Nations and Inuit Community and Agencies, Partners and other stakeholders, the CERP model is based on the core values of kindness, caring, sharing, respect and strength inherent to the cultures of First Nations and Inuit peoples. It encourages the discovery of the sources of individual, family and community resilience and recognizes that the distinctiveness of First Nations and Inuit Peoples are their greatest strength in the area of crisis intervention.

The program is also aimed at assisting with the renewal and enhancement of the capacities of local helping systems which have often been damaged or displaced by externally imposed social, economic, political and technical changes.

Managed and delivered by First Nations and Inuit representatives, the model proposed the following:

• Combine specific, new program elements with existing resources. Those resources are available through the National Youth Solvent Abuse Program (NYSAP) and its Youth Solvent Abuse Centres (the YSAC Network) and the National Native Alcohol and Drug Abuse Program (NNADAP) through its community programs and treatment centres.
• Establish a national program resource reporting to the National Native Addictions Partnership Foundation.
• The basic functions of CERP would be to provide a highly skilled, mobile intervention and skill transfer capacity, and a small special needs support program.
• Draw upon and further develop the capacity of the existing, dedicated First Nations and Inuit addictions and community health service network.