Poste - Canadian Coalition for the Rights of Children

C A N A D I A N C O A L I T I O N F O R T H E R I G H T S O F C H I L D R E N
• systemic resistance to change;
• crisis orientation: resources are inadequate to go
beyond crisis response; and
• inappropriate training of social work personnel.
In Manitoba, 67 percent of children in protective
care are Aboriginal, although they represent only
10 percent of the province’s children. 54 While Aboriginal
children in British Columbia represent eight percent of
the total child population, they comprise 30 percent of all
children in protective care. 55
Snapshot
Aboriginal Children in Manitoba 56
• Aboriginal children make up 10 percent of
Manitoba’s child population.
• Sixty-seven percent of children in care are
Aboriginal.
• The rate of adolescent suicide among
Aboriginal youth is six times the provincial rate.
• The death rate of Aboriginal children is four
times the provincial average.
• Aboriginal children use 50 percent of the
children’s hospital’s beds.
• Aboriginal youth make up 69 percent of the
youth in correctional custody.
• Approximately 50 percent of Aboriginal
children live in poverty.
First Nations child welfare services have been in place in
Manitoba since the mid-1980s. According to Andrew
Armitage, Manitoba “provides the best example of a
comprehensive approach to First Nations child welfare
using tripartite agreements as the principal mechanism.” 57
This model, as described by researcher Brad McKenzie,
“involves federal funding, provincial responsibility for
standards in accordance with provincial legislation, and
First Nations administration and delivery of services.” 58
Services are “usually provided by a combination of
community-based staff members, who provide a broad
range of generic services, and regionally-based
supervisory and specialist staff.” 59 While more
Aboriginal children are in “community-based and
culturally-appropriate placements,” it “has not resulted in
a reduction of children coming into protective care.” 60
48
In a June 1997 paper, called Strategic Plan for Aboriginal
Services, the British Columbia Ministry for Children and
Families said that it “has listened to Aboriginal people and
communities and has learned about their desire for
culturally appropriate services delivered by Aboriginal
communities to fit the needs of Aboriginal children and
families.” The ministry set the following priorities:
• improved working relationships with Aboriginal
communities;
• improved capacity within Aboriginal communities to
deliver services; and
• improved service to Aboriginal clients. 61
Between November 1997 and January 1998, 26 Aboriginal
children were taken into protective care in the town of
Quesnel, British Columbia while First Nations band
councils loudly protested. 62 In July 1998, the Minister
for Children and Families said that: “We’ve signed
agreements with 13 First Nations, representing 76
Aboriginal bands, providing tools, training and support to
operate their own child welfare agencies with virtually all
the same powers and responsibilities as the broader child
welfare system.... We’re developing protocols with every
Aboriginal community and child welfare organization in
B.C. so everyone is clear on how we work together, and
communities have every opportunity to plan for their
children.” 63
In Ontario, a provincial government program review of
Aboriginal children’s aid societies is reportedly underway.
However, the Report of the 1997 Child Protection File
Review of all children’s aid societies indicates that many
Aboriginal children receive the lowest level of service in
the province. While the average provincial rating across all
standards was 87 percent, the ratings of three of the five
Aboriginal societies were the lowest overall. 64
Child Abuse Prevention
Resources
Prevention issues are key to any discussion of child
welfare protection advocates in every jurisdiction across
the country continue to call for increased resources for
prevention. The following list is a sample of some of the
prevention programs currently in place across the country.
• Caring Communities Project, funded by the
Violence Prevention Project of Health Canada, has
compiled 29 case studies representative of community
initiatives to prevent child abuse across Canada;