English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

S/he may need help with his/her social activities, living arrangements, relationships (the
social aspect) and s/he may need to find meaning and belief in life (the spiritual aspect).
Assess the family’s strengths and needs in a holistic way — ​use the Medicine Wheel,
the Bio-psycho-social-spiritual model identified above, or a social determinants
model.
The key question to be explored within a family is, “What exists to support each
parent and child to be balanced and healthy” Using a social determinants model
child welfare can identify basic requirements to support balance. Additional
questions that help to determine social factors that impact the family’s situation are:
1. Is there enough money in this household
2. Is the housing adequate
3. Do individuals have meaningful work
4. What is the status of each family member’s health Are their individual health
care needs being met
5. Have they received counselling or healing to address the legacy issues
When working with Aboriginal peoples, child welfare professionals must address the
factors that have worked against this family’s ability to stay in balance. In particular,
the results of colonization and the legacy of oppression and loss have resulted in some
Aboriginal peoples having an unclear, negative or absent sense of their own identity, a
key factor in maintaining balance.
USE A CASE MANAGEMENT APPROACH TO CREATE A SHARED CARE MODEL
AROUND THE FAMILY
Families experiencing family violence, are often dealing with multiple issues
including mental health, addictions and poverty. A collaborative care model can
help to meet the family’s diverse needs; no one worker can service all the needs of one
family.
Protecting children using an Aboriginal model requires a shift in thinking. Using
the Harmony Circles, the family is at the centre of all of the work. The child welfare
system is responsible not only to the child but to the family as a whole, and to each
individual member. Child welfare’s goals and responsibilities are therefore:
a) To restore balance to the family
b) To restore balance to each family member
c) To do no harm to any family member
The objective of child safety and well-being is implicit in these goals.
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