First Nations parenting and child reunification: Identifying strengths, barriers, and community needs within the child welfare system

Abstract

First Nations communities are seeking to improve current service delivery models and create alternative evidence‐based strategies. A First Nations child welfare organization has prioritized further understanding of reunification and parenting, including identification of successes and barriers to reunification, and service needs within communities. These priorities were addressed with a community‐based participatory research model and guided by a Research Advisory. Results were analysed using a blend of grounded theory and thematic analysis techniques. Participants indicated that placing children with extended family or within home communities facilitate best child outcomes. These reunifications could be increased by promoting parental and community capacity. Successes identified within communities included available supports, such as those that increased empowerment and community capacity. Identified barriers within communities were the lack of culturally appropriate services, hesitancy to obtain available support due to fears of child welfare intervention, and mental health difficulties of community member.

Aboriginal parents' experiences of having their children removed by statutory child protection services

“…To overcome the risk of causing further harm to families, practitioners need to work closely with parents to develop meaningful case plans that will effectively meet the specific needs of the family. The importance of enabling self‐efficacy for parents is highlighted in previous research (Toombs et al, 2018, p. 413). When parents feel supported and empowered to make decisions and actions regarding their children and case planning, they are more likely to experience positive outcomes and engage in services and programs.…”

“…This demonstrated that instead of feeling safe and supported by services, parents felt vulnerable and judged and this had further implications for parents' willingness to seek help and meet the needs of their families in times of struggle. Toombs and colleagues similarly found that services that felt punitive or disempowering for families would ignite fear of child welfare intervention (Toombs et al, 2018, p. 413). The risk of a repeated Stolen Generation was also a fear for families that prevented parents from engaging with services, which was also found in previous literature (Hinton, 2013; Hinton, 2018).…”

“…Despite the child not being removed from the mother, and the family having no prior involvement with child protection, children cannot come home immediately because they had formed an attachment with their foster carer, or their attachment with their parent had been disrupted. This issue was also raised in the limited Aboriginal child restoration literature that found that when parents had to leave their home and communities to attend treatment programs, it disrupted their access to their children and consequently had a negative impact on their relationship (Toombs et al, 2018, p. 413). This finding demonstrates the need to prioritize maintaining the attachment between the child and their family while they are separated to ensure timely restoration.…”

Moving Towards an Indigenous Research Process: A Reflexive Approach to Empirical Work With First Nations Communities in Canada

“…The data originally analyzed were obtained from a qualitative research study that was completed in collaboration with a First Nations mental health service delivery agency (Toombs, Drawson, Bobinski, Dixon, & Mushquash, 2018). The research team was comprised of two non-Indigenous graduate students in clinical psychology at a local university, and their graduate supervisor, an Indigenous faculty member and longstanding member of the partner agency.…”

“…By situating results in a framework relating to overall wellness, specific points of intervention could be created. Recommendations included creating parenting programs or groups, which are discussed in the original article (see Toombs et al, 2018). Using a framework of wellness for these results seemed to better organize ideas for future research projects as well.…”