An uncaring state? The overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Canadian child welfare system

Barker, Brittany; Alfred, Gerald Taiaiake

doi:10.1503/cmaj.131465

Cited by 22 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…It is nearly impossible to discuss Indigenous fathers without speaking to the challenges facing all family members raising children after colonial interferences from the Canadian nationstate (Barker, Alfred, & Kerr, 2014). Currently, there are more Indigenous children in state care than at the height of the Residential School era.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Fathering and Wellbeing: Kinship and Decolonial Approaches to Health Research

Hall

Shute

Nangia

et al. 2020

DRHJ

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In the past decade, Canadian statistics indicate that fathering nurtures family wellbeing which ultimately fosters community growth. The wellbeing of Indigenous men, shaped by determinants of health and culture-based perspectives, is challenged by ongoing settler colonialism. In particular to Indigenous men living with children in their homes, less is known about their strengths as nurturers. For the purpose of this study, based on Indigenist, decolonizing theories, 'father' is not conceived as the head of household. An alternative to the heteropatriarchal model is the kinship orientation of Indigenous fathering and as such, father refers to uncle, grandfather, traditional Clan leader, adoptive parent, and so on. This study's secondary quantitative analysis compared health and social characteristics of three cohorts of Indigenous adult men who identify as residing with children. Based on an extracted subset of variables from the 2012 Aboriginal Peoples Survey, results showed many significance comparisons among First Nations, Metis and Inuit men. Across health and social domains, multiple and decolonial supports are needed for Indigenous fathering to flourish.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Fathering and Wellbeing: Kinship and Decolonial Approaches to Health Research

Hall

Shute

Nangia

et al. 2020

DRHJ

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“…Further the claim that settlers wanted to discover and explore the world as justification for inflicting cultural genocide on Indigenous peoples can not stand up to legal scrutiny since the lands colonised were already well known to the Indigenous peoples who had inhabited them prior to contact (McMillan & Yellowhorn, 2004 (Government of Canada, 2015a). Since the residential school era, the impact of this legacy of oppression became amplified by the subsequent over-representation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system (Barker, Alfred, & Kerr, 2014), as well as by persistent socioeconomic disadvantages that continue to make day-to-day living a challenge (Aguiar & Halseth, 2015b;Gone, 2014). Compared to the height of the residential school era, estimates indicate there are three times as many Indigenous children under government care today (Blackstock & Trocmé, 2005).…”

Section: The Effect Of Colonialization On Indigenous Peoples -An Expomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recent estimates suggest that, compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts, Indigenous communities receive 22% less funding per child (Barker et al, 2014;Blackstock & Trocmé, 2005;Sinha et al, 2011). Overall, child welfare authorities seized multitudes of Indigenous children from their families, in most cases without the consent, en masse, and placed them in predominantly non-Indigenous homes without taking steps to protect children and preserve their culture and identity .…”

Section: The Effect Of Colonialization On Indigenous Peoples -An Expomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Further, a higher proportion of Indigenous than non-Indigenous investigations involved non-professional referrals, a possible reflection of bias in an inadequate system (Sinha, Trocmé, Fallon, & MacLaurin, 2013). Even though the last residential school closed in Saskatchewan in 1996, the "Sixties Scoop" continued for nearly three decades up to the late 1980s (Barker et al, 2014). Canada's child-welfare system is more often than not a continuation of the assimilation system started by residential schools (Government of Canada, 2015a).…”

Section: The Effect Of Colonialization On Indigenous Peoples -An Expomentioning

confidence: 99%

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'Experience talks, resilience shapes' revisiting historic trauma: impact on treatment in indigenous males living with HIV/AIDS in British Columbia

Chongo¹

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There is an over-representation of HIV incidence, prevalence and mortality rates in the Indigenous population of Canada. Further, many do not adhere to HAART partly because of unresolved historic trauma (HT). Most research on HIV/AIDS therapy has focused on "maladaptive" characteristics of Aboriginal males and less on their adaptive, life-maintaining practices.This study explored the impact of HT on treatment among Indigenous males living with HIV/AIDS in BC, with a focus on adaptive/life maintaining practices, i.e., how the experience of HT positively affects male survivors' ability to adhere to treatment, and the HT impact on treatment outcomes across age groups and residential school survivor status.Using interpretive description incorporating a cultural safety lens as the methodological framework, data was collected through one-to-one interviews, a focus group, and a few Life Story Board sessions. Thirty-six HT survivors told their lived experience stories, discussed how HT affected their adherence to HAART, and explained how they build resilience.Three main themes resulted from data analysis: 1) facilitators of choice or actions leading to HAART adherence; 2) factors leading to HAART non-adherence; and 3) comparative survivor responses on health, services, stigma and the historic trauma effect.Adherence choices and actions are promoted by psychological support, cultural services, religion and spirituality, structural services, resilience, strictness and discipline metered on indirect survivors through their parents. Negative choice or actions resulted from; personal reasons, cultural restrictiveness, lack of structural support and services, spiritual and religionrelated factors, and intergenerational historic trauma effects. Finally, comparative responses of survivors' views noted included the view of health with respect to resilience, availability of and access to services on-and off-reserve, stigma and confidentiality, and the effect of historic iii trauma through generations and across survivor status. The findings demonstrate how complex the experience and expression of HT is and that most Indigenous men can be resilient to stay on HAART and have better health and wellbeing.Cultural-safety informed recommendations are offered to better address HT, improve treatment-adherent behaviour and resilience, foster healing and reduce deaths due to HIV/AIDS. This study suggests promising resilience factors that have implications for both research and practice.iv

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“…Although Aboriginal Canadians constitute less than 5% of Canada's population, they constitute 26% of custodial admissions in provincial and territorial prisons (Correctional Services Program, 2015). Although 5% of Canada's youth are Aboriginal, they represent 50% of children and youth in government care (Barker, Alfred & Kerr, 2014). Youth in government care and former prisoners are both at risk of homelessness (Griffiths, 2014;Patterson, Moniruzzaman & Somers, 2015;Saddichha, Fliers, Frankish, Somers, Schuetz, & Krausz, 2014).…”

Section: Homelessness and Aboriginal Peoplementioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing homelessness and health inequalities through community development

Usman¹

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An uncaring state? The overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Canadian child welfare system

Cited by 22 publications

References 2 publications

Indigenous Fathering and Wellbeing: Kinship and Decolonial Approaches to Health Research

Indigenous Fathering and Wellbeing: Kinship and Decolonial Approaches to Health Research

'Experience talks, resilience shapes' revisiting historic trauma: impact on treatment in indigenous males living with HIV/AIDS in British Columbia

Addressing homelessness and health inequalities through community development

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