First Peoples Child & Family Review
Not a member yet
312 research outputs found
Sort by
Detoxifying the Child and Family Welfare System for Australian Indigenous Peoples: Self-determination, Rights and Culture as the Critical Tools
No full textThe toxic environment that is colonized Australia has broken many of the traditional circles of care for Indigenous children and created a service system which waits for Indigenous families to become dysfunctional before there is any response.TheVictorianAboriginal Child CareAgency (VACCA) encourages an approach to Indigenous children and families which is culturally respectful, culturally appropriate and framed according to the need to respect self-determination and human rights. VACCA has developed early childhood and family welfare policies which identify how cultural-strengthening works as a preventative measure to address risk factors for Indigenous children.With the ongoing reforms to Child and Family Welfare arising from the Children, Youth and Families Act, the Victoria State Government in Australia has an historic opportunity to lead the nation in creating an Indigenous-led child and family service system which focuses on issues of prevention and early intervention. The new Act prioritizes cultural and community connection in the best interest principles for Indigenous children, recognizes self-determination and requires generalist children’s welfare services to be culturally competent. The only way to ensure that every Indigenous child is effectively cared for is by developing the capacity of Indigenous communities to look after their own by strengthening Indigenous organizations and agencies. It is Indigenous agencies who are best placed to deliver innovative programs which are culturally embedded and carefully targeted to restore the circles of care for Indigenous kids. Aculturally competent service system is what is needed to ensure better outcomes for Indigenous children
Incidence of Maltreatment of Aboriginal Children Reported to Youth Protection in Quebec: Intercultural Comparisons*
No full textThe purpose of the study is to examine reported cases of maltreatment in Aboriginal children and compare them with cases involving non-Aboriginal children based on a sample of such cases reported to Youth Protection services in Quebec. Results indicate that, in Quebec, cases involving Aboriginal children compared with cases for non-Aboriginal children are characterized by living situations such as subsidized housing, substance abuse in parents, an increased number of children in the family, the fact that a case reported was a ‘social emergency’and that a case was less reported by the mother. Intervention plans with Aboriginal families and suggestions for future research are discussed
Are rural American Indian adolescents becoming a race of angels?
No full textThis article discusses the importance of identity formation and the development in young Aboriginal persons as important in the early years of education. Education is an important anchor that would help ensure a reduction in adolescent suicides and improve ego development
(A Literature Review) Re-examining issues behind the loss of family and cultural and the impact on Aboriginal youth suicide rates
No full textThis paper examines child welfare issues in relation to the impact of cultural loss and/or lack of cultural identity and its correlation with suicide risk among young Aboriginal persons
Reflections on Intergenerational Trauma: Healing as a Critical Intervention
No full textThe high numbers of Aboriginal children placed in provincial and territorial care demonstrates the need for effective interventions that directly address the legacy of trauma from colonialization. This paper argues that healing is a critical component of any intervention seeking to help Aboriginal Peoples and their children. Research on healing and recent government initiatives and legislation directed at preserving traditional Aboriginal healing practices are discussed. This article concludes with recommendations for various community members involved in the healing of Aboriginal Peoples
The Effects of Self Harming Behaviours of Youth in Child Welfare Care
No full textThis paper considers the clinical issue of self-harming behaviours, defined as intentional self-injury that results in tissue damage. It is distinct from a suicide attempt, as self-harm does not occur within the context of a conscious wish to die. Self-harming behaviours among children and youth is a recent area of research. To date, studies indicate that in community samples, self-harming behaviours occur in as many as 35% of youth who are sampled (Gratz, 2001). Alarmingly, very little is known about self-harming behaviours among children and youth within the child protection system. This study, drawing from data gathered through a government-mandated reporting procedure of all children and youth in care,attempted to explore self-harming behaviours of children and youth in welfare care. While analyses did not focus explicitly on Aboriginal children and youth, it does consider differences in self-harming behaviours among minority and non-minority children and youth in care of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. Approximately half of all child welfare cases that go through the child protection system in Toronto fall under the responsibility of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. Although minority status was not significantly related to the number of self-harming attempts or threats, results suggested that minority children and youth in care were less likely to use puncture-type behaviour (cutting, scratching, stabbing) as a means of serious self harm. Results suggest that although self- harm may be a universal phenomenon, culture may affect how children and youth in care engage in self-harming behaviours. Direction of future research should consider between-cultural effects and more importantly, how these culture-specific differences may impact on children and youth’s self-harming behaviours
A Commentary on Alternative Approaches to the Research Process with Canadian First Nation Communities
No full textN/
Finding Healing and Balance in Learning and Teaching at the First Nations University of Canada
No full textIn this personal memoir of three years teaching at the First Nations University of Canada, the author reflects on what she learned, in applying internally and externally, an Aboriginal model of social work education. As a person of non-Aboriginal ancestry, she explores how her own struggle with the imbalances inherent in academia spurred her search in grounding her teaching in holism, healing, reciprocal relationships, empowerment, liberation, and pleasure, and how the integration of these practices strengthened her relationships with her own spirit, but also with ‘all my relations’