First Peoples Child & Family Review
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Capturing the experiences of FASD prevention workers through quilting
No full textVisual data collection methods are gaining momentum in the field of qualitative research because of their ability to document the social world and experiences of participants (Banks, 2001; Rose, 2001. This study employed quilting as a data collection method to capture the experiences of 47 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevention workers in the Parent Child Assistance Program (PCAP) across Alberta. Specifically, this article focuses on the process of creating the quilt, the impact that this data collection method has had on participants and researchers, as well as a discussion of our next steps and suggestions for future opportunities to use quilting methods in community-based research
Healing through Photography – A reflection on the Brightening Our Home Fires Project in the remote hamlet of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories
No full textThis creative piece of work and writing showcases the work of a woman participant from the community of Ulukhaktok in the Northwest Territories (NT). Ulukhaktok is located on Victoria Island above the Arctic Circle. This community shares land with its neighbors in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut; located on the north end of the island. The hamlet of Ulukhaktok, NT and many small, remote and isolated places in the territories reflect a rich cultural Inuit heritage in regions, settlement areas and communities. There is a deep sense of interconnectedness within the North in a vast landscape that is known as home to Inuit culture. The purpose of the Brightening Our Home Fires Project (BOHF) was to work in four communities in the NT on a project related to prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the north. A co-researcher living in the NT suggested the community of Ulukhaktok (formerly known as Holman Island, NT) as a place to visit and invite participation Annie Goose supported this project through participation, acted as a translator and supported us by facilitating meetings within the community. Annie is the primary author of the work shared in this paper. It was my privilege to share in this work and support the knowledge development and exchange that deeply highlights the impact of the Brightening Our Home Fires Project. This work speaks to the possibility of Photovoice in giving voice to unheard experiences in a creative and innovative way on complex areas of health. This article will be of interest to people who are interested in topics such as Northern Canada, qualitative research, women’s perspectives on health and healing, and those interested in Photovoice as a methodology
A Social Work student’s developing understanding of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder from medical
No full textResearch on FASD has focused on medical/scientific findings (Gallicano, 2010; Jones, & Smith, 1973; Streissguth, Bookstein, Barr, Sampson, O’Malley, & Young, 2004). Continued medical research is thought to be helpful to our understanding of the origins of FASD and the interventions that help to address the psychosocial needs of persons with FASD. However, this paper stresses the need to also focus on the social aspects of FASD and the implications for human service workers who provide support for persons with FASD and their families. Gough and Fuchs (2006) indicate that although there is a growing prevalence of FASD-related disabilities, there is not a substantive knowledge base on child welfare practice in response to FASD. The need for human service workers to look beyond identifying a condition and addressing symptoms is emphasized. The author suggests human service workers need to prepare to work with children with FASD by reflectively appreciating the economic, legal, and cultural influences affecting persons as well as medically- and evidenced-based interventions. Keywords: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD), medical perspectives, intervention, social support, human service workers
Defining Permanency and Aboriginal Youth in Foster Care
No full textPoor outcomes associated with youth aging out of foster care are well documented. In recent years creative permanency planning projects have been heralded as promising alternatives to transition to adulthood programs with the aim of addressing this concern. In order to make permanency possible for youth the concept must be defined in a way that reflects the needs of those within this developmental stage. Researchers and youth have collaborated to create such definitions; however, few have considered a cultural element and none speak to specific populations, such as Aboriginal youth. There are significant differences between Western and Aboriginal world views which, in turn, influences the permanency need for children and youth. InAlberta,Canada, Aboriginal children and youth are vastly overrepresented in foster care. Addressing the needs of Aboriginal youth in a culturally appropriate manner is critical. Cultural considerations include ideals of collectivism versus individualism, identity formation and community healing. Yet, there is a deficit of literature related to the specific permanency needs of Aboriginal youth in foster care. Ecological theory informed by the Anishinabe medicine wheel framework provides a framework from which to discuss permanency planning for this population group. Further research exploring the views of Aboriginal youth in foster care on permanency and the utility of these models on this population is necessary.
Indian Rights for Indian Babies: Canada’s “Unstated Paternity” Policy
No full textIndigenous women in Canada do not live the privilege of a life free from sex discrimination. Although Canada’s constitutional beginnings recognized and honoured the sovereignty and jurisdiction of Indigenous Nations, for generations the Canadian government has denied these Nations the right to define who they are. Through the creation of the legal entity of “Indian” and through conflating it with treaty rights, the government of Canada has undergone a process of eliminating their responsibilities to First Nations through eliminating legally defined Indians. This has occurred through the application of an increasingly tighter definition of “Indian”. Through this process the government of Canada has consciously targeted generations of Indian women and their descendants. Despite remedial legislations in 1985 and more recently in 2011 sex discrimination continues. Through an Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada unstated paternity policy the Canadian government continues to discriminate against Indigenous children of unknown and unstated paternity. This policy of denial is applied in situations of sexual violence such as incest and rape. Young mothers of Indigenous Nations are particularly vulnerable. It is estimated that since 1985 as many as 25, 000 Indigenous children have been denied Indian status registration and consequently their treaty rights because the father’s signature is not on their birth certificates. In this way Canada is now targeting children in their need to eliminate their treaty responsibilities to First Nation people
Parents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in the child protection systems: Issues for parenting capacity assessments
No full textParents who have or are thought to have Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) are often involved in the child protection systems, although there is little data to establish actual frequency. First Nations parents are over represented. There is often a presumptive bias that individuals with disabilities, including FASD, are not capable of raising their children. Such a bias is unwarranted. Assessing FASD parents requires a view of functional capacity along with consideration of how the parent could accomplish the role and if needed, with what supports. Both a context and process for Parenting Capacity Assessments (PCAs) in these cases is recommended. There is a need for the assessments to exist within a cultural context, including the use of the Medicine Wheel. The individualistic perspective of most Canadian child welfare systems may not match the collectivistic approach to parenting in an Aboriginal family system although it is from the former position that most PCAs are conducted. Key words: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Parenting Capacity Assessments, Aboriginal parenting, parenting and child protection, FASD parents
Voices from the community: Developing effective community programs to support pregnant and early parenting women who use alcohol and other substances
No full textSince the 1990s, many communities in Canada have worked to develop specialized programs to meet the needs of pregnant and early parenting women who use alcohol and other substances. These programs provide a range of services under one roof (a “single-access” or “one-stop shop” model), address women’s needs from a holistic perspective, provide practical and emotional support, and strive to reduce barriers to accessing care and support. Over the years, these programs have trialed new approaches to working with indigenous and non-indigenous women, their families, and their communities. In this paper, we describe the development of single-access programs in four different communities in Canada, discuss some of the elements of what makes these programs successful, and share our "lessons learned" over the years. We use examples from four different programs, including the Maxxine Wright Place Project in Surrey, BC; the Healthy, Empowered, Resilient (H.E.R) Pregnancy Program in Edmonton, AB; HerWay Home in Victoria, BC; and Manito Ikwe Kagiikwe in Winnipeg, MB. All four programs are based upon the "best practices" elements of: (1) engagement and outreach, (2) harm reduction, (3) cultural safety (4) supporting mother and child, and (5) partnerships. In addition to serving First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other indigenous women and their families, these programs have drawn upon indigenous knowledge in their program design, values, and philosophy and have collaborated with indigenous women in evaluation and research to track the successes of these programs and to improve service delivery
Aboriginal Youth Gangs in Canada: (de)constructing an epidemic
No full textThe literature on gang activity in Canada indicates a proliferation of Aboriginal youth gangs, and the research tells us that child welfare involvement is a significant risk factor for gang participation. This article examines the child welfare and youth gang literature, and analyzes the complex interaction of structural factors facing Aboriginal youth in Canada in order to contextualize youth gang involvement within the larger system of social distress facing Aboriginal people. This paper scrutinizes the veracity of youth gang statistics and interrogates the Aboriginal youth gang discourse to discover that, although a problem clearly exists, the scope and substance of the situation in Canada needs to be more thoroughly researched in order to be accurately portrayed
“But how could anyone rationalize policies that discriminate?: Understanding Canada’s Failure to Implement Jordan’s Principle
No full textThis article seeks to understand Canada’s failure to implement Jordan’s Principle, a child-first policy ensuring First Nations have access to the same level and quality of services available to other children. Policy-making in Canada rests firmly within a neoliberal political framework that extends market-based thinking to all aspects of social life. Neoliberal thought interlocks with stories of Other to inform notions of deservingness as well as one’s potential as a valuable citizen with something to contribute. Social policy decisions, including the decision to implement a particular policy or not, offer a means through which to disseminate neoliberal values and norms.As self-determining peoples with distinct rights, lands, and governance structures, First Nations transgress the image of the “good” neoliberal citizen in a variety of ways. Neoliberalism holds that punitive measures are sometimes needed to encourage citizens to adopt particular norms, and this allows policy makers to rationalize and justify policies that discriminate against First Nations children. Stereotypes about Indigenous peoples are also used to manipulate public sentiment in favour of government policy. Canada’s failure to implement Jordan’s Principle can be understood as part of a broader strategy to encourage First Nations to rescind their distinct rights and assimilate as good neoliberal citizens
Influence de l’estime de soi, des qualités relationnelles parents-enfants, du soutien social et de l’agression sexuelle sur la résilience auprès d’adolescents autochtones et caucasiens
No full textCet article a pour objectif d’explorer la résilience psychologique auprès d’adolescents caucasiens et autochtones. Bien que plusieurs études aient été réalisées sur cette thématique auprès des caucasiens, peu ont été conduites auprès des peuples des Premières Nations, bien qu’ils aient vécu plusieurs événements traumatiques depuis la colonisation. Pour ce faire, 227 participants autochtones et caucasiens âgés de 14 à 17 ans ont répondu à des questionnaires autorapportés. La résilience a été conceptualisée en termes d’absence de détresse psychologique et fut évaluée par le score total obtenu au Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSC-C; Briere, 1989). Le niveau d’estime de soi des adolescents fut mesuré, de même que des facteurs interpersonnels tels le soutien parental, social et communautaire; afin d’être cohérent avec une perspective autochtone qui repose sur une vision interrelationnelle entre l’individu et sa communauté. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats de cette étude révèlent que les adolescents autochtones n’ont pas été davantage victimes d’agression sexuelle que leurs homologues caucasiens, mais ils ont vécu davantage d’événements de vie délétères. Les résultats de l’analyse de régression suggèrent que l’estime de soi et la capacité de l’adolescent à rechercher de l’aide dans sa communauté sont associées à moins de détresse psychologique, soit plus de résilience. Toutefois, avoir subi une agression sexuelle, avoir été exposé à plusieurs évènements de vie stressants, être de sexe masculin et être un adolescent non-autochtone est relié à plus de détresse psychologique. En somme, les présents résultats suggèrent l’importance d’utiliser une approche écologique qui implique à la fois les facteurs personnels et communautaires dans la compréhension des facteurs de résilience.Mots clés : Résilience, symptômes, facteurs de risque, facteurs de protection, adolescents, Autochtone, agression sexuelle, estime de soi, soutien communautaire, soutien familial