English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

More documents

Recommendations

Info

$Marie Collins \$

F. PRACTICE: ENGAGE OTHERS TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY Creating positive changes requires the involvement of many service providers working collaboratively to support the family. Collaborative partnerships might include the VAW sector or Aboriginal community organizations. Focus group participants noted that they contacted child welfare because they had exhausted all available resources, and hoped that CAS might be able to assist their children during the difficult periods — not because they did not wish to parent. This is something that many felt CAS had misunderstood about them. PRACTICE TIP Establish a relationship with an Aboriginal organization who will work with the family in a non threatening way. Including other service providers can help to support your work and help to support the family in their safety planning and identifying family needs. > > One mother called CAS because she moved down from the north, had no family and friends and needed help as she was sick and going on new medication. She said, “I don’t like CAS but I need help.” In her dealings with CAS, she had to prove her competence as a parent. She was not an incompetent parent, she was just sick and isolated. > > Another mother had a 14-year-old who had an addiction and needed help. CAS apprehended him and put him into a foster home but not into treatment. He only received treatment once he was 16 and out of the CAS system. “A lot of people think nobody loves USE THE HARMONY CIRCLES them at all, especially if they lose their parents or close relatives: they start In the Harmony Circle model of care, children thinking no one cares but, in reality, belong to a family, and the child and family in people do care and love them, but they turn belong to a community. If the Harmony don’t know it and it is ruining their Circle model is used, then it is important to use lives. They have to realize other people interventions that reinforce connection between do love them and care for them. We the family, extended family and community. The have to make the person aware of this.” Harmony Circle approach establishes a circle of care around each family. Looking to the extended - Elder from Repulse Bay family and community for resources, Customary Care or kinship care are among the first options to explore if children cannot stay with their parents. A key task for child welfare professionals is to encourage a collaborative approach and help to connect the circles (child/family/community/nation) to regain balance and maintain relationships. CONNECT WITH THE COMMUNITY 106 The Inuit, Métis and First Nations Liaison Group of the Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa has found that a community approach that brings Aboriginal community organizations (that can relate to the families, know their stories and know the challenges and appropriate strategies to develop resiliency) together with CAS is effective.
To support the family and community: > > Use a case conference within 1-2 weeks, with a broad circle of community and family members > > Be an advocate for the whole family — outreach to other service providers and community organizations > > Coordinate an immediate planning conference and involve family, community members and service providers, and establish roles, responsibilities and support > > Talk to community members to build alliances > > Establish a shared care model of support Lateral violence, a response to colonialism, may hinder some community members from connecting with community organizations because of shame or historical relations. It is important to ask Aboriginal families: “Are there any services in your community that you would like to use” INTEGRATE FAMILY VIOLENCE AND CHILD WELFARE SERVICE WORK To have a systemic and holistic case management approach to child protection and family violence, the following are specific suggestions that can help to build a solid working relationship between child welfare organizations and the community: > > Create immediate response teams that can offer wrap around support care circles to each family member > > Talk about the power imbalance between the workers and families and how to create balance in the relationship > > Work with the family as part of a supportive team that includes Aboriginal service organizations, Elders, other family members and community members that the family identifies as helpers > > Have weekly case management meetings with the team to explore questions together: > What are the issues in this family “Services don’t provide safety for the children, the people in the circle do. Support the people to do that job.” - Focus group participant Work always to find the most ideal option that keeps the child in a place of safety that is closest to the family and community. PRACTICE TIP It is important to consider what you can do to prepare a foundation for building trust and make connecting easier when meeting an Aboriginal family for the first time: > > Who in the community can help you to make a connection with the family > > Who can help you decide on the best place to meet with the family so that they feel most comfortable > > Who can be present during an initial visit so that the family feels more comfortable talking about their child and family > > Has the parent(s)/primary caregiver(s) been invited to bring extended family members to the meeting > > Is there adequate time scheduled so that the family does not feel rushed > > What is the family’s preference for future appointments > > What is the best way and time to contact the family 107
Page 1:
WORKING WITH FIRST NATIONS, INUIT A
Page 4 and 5:
SUPPORTING ABORIGINAL FAMILIES Than
Page 6 and 7:
THE STEERING COMMITTEE Native Child
Page 8 and 9:
8 4 > STRENGTHENING YOUR PRACTICE /
Page 10 and 11:
Child welfare professionals have a
Page 12 and 13:
4. To successfully protect First Na
Page 14 and 15:
A range of violent behaviour can oc
Page 16 and 17:
“The term ‘Aboriginal’ is off
Page 18 and 19:
The Practice Guide is an invitation
Page 20 and 21:
Clan family: This structure is base
Page 22 and 23:
Family violence (witnessing and bei
Page 24 and 25:
could live on the land and in the c
Page 26 and 27:
The historical trauma of Aboriginal
Page 28 and 29:
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Adapted from
Page 30 and 31:
FAMILY VIOLENCE Family violence in
Page 32 and 33:
General characteristics of lateral
Page 34 and 35:
G. ATTACHMENT Culture has commonly
Page 36 and 37:
In Indian country, we should probab
Page 38 and 39:
Customary Care: Customary Care reco
Page 40 and 41:
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corpora
Page 43 and 44:
2 > FIRST NATION, INUIT AND MÉTIS
Page 45 and 46:
First Nations people living outside
Page 47 and 48:
First Nations, Métis and Inuit peo
Page 49 and 50:
and meeting obligations to medicine
Page 51 and 52:
C. THE INUIT In 2006, there were 2,
Page 53 and 54:
population relates primarily to the
Page 55 and 56: Individuals or their children were
Page 57 and 58: status as a result of marrying non-
Page 59 and 60: MILLENNIUM SCOOP In her report, Pro
Page 61 and 62: G. ABORIGINAL FAMILIES AND CHILD WE
Page 63 and 64: . . . if we go back to the origi
Page 65 and 66: Effectiveness of Healing Activities
Page 67 and 68: 3 > UNDERSTANDING CHILD WELFARE AND
Page 69 and 70: and linguistic development, is a de
Page 71 and 72: The Medicine Wheel is an ancient sy
Page 73 and 74: Life Cycle Wheel training and teach
Page 75 and 76: 1. Piliriqatigiinngniq — worki
Page 77 and 78: Traditionally, it was the women who
Page 79 and 80: The OACAS Practice Guide, Critical
Page 81 and 82: THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK TO END VIOL
Page 83 and 84: 2. In order for development to occu
Page 85 and 86: Circles and involves the community
Page 87 and 88: A key tool that is often used to he
Page 89: Four Worlds International Institute
Page 92 and 93: A. HOW ABORIGINAL FAMILIES DESCRIBE
Page 94 and 95: Indigenous knowledge, including how
Page 96 and 97: “I felt judged by the workers. I
Page 98 and 99: The focus group participants gave t
Page 100 and 101: “When a CAS protection worker cam
Page 102 and 103: Offer as many interventions as poss
Page 104 and 105: The model below shows elements invo
Page 108 and 109: What are the strengths of this fami
Page 110 and 111: The focus group participants made t
Page 112 and 113: “CAS was called in because the fa
Page 114 and 115: 3. Focus group participants express
Page 116 and 117: Some of the training provided to re
Page 118 and 119: SOURCES Ajunnginiq Centre, National
Page 120 and 121: A. WHAT DOES “ABORIGINAL COMMUNIT
Page 122 and 123: Organizational change within CAS in
Page 124 and 125: ESTABLISH A COMMITTEE OF CHILD WELF
Page 126 and 127: “Our organization has agreements
Page 128 and 129: AHWS Healing Continuum Aboriginal H
Page 130 and 131: SOURCES Aboriginal Healing and Well
Page 132 and 133: A. WHAT DOES ADVOCACY MEAN Child we
Page 134 and 135: community initiatives, conducted re
Page 136 and 137: To download a copy of Children Firs
Page 138 and 139: 3. What interventions are offered t
Page 140 and 141: and ongoing needs with the resource
Page 142 and 143: A. A PROCESS OF RECONCILIATION In 1
Page 144 and 145: S O U R C E S Blackstock, C., Cross
Page 146 and 147: ONTARIO ABORIGINAL ORGANIZATIONS Ch
Page 148 and 149: APPENDIX A GLOSSARY Unless specific
Page 150 and 151: emaining within Canada. All 10 prem
Page 152 and 153: APPENDIX B SAFETY PLANNING FOR WOME
Page 154 and 155: APPENDIX C SAFETY PLANNING FOR THE
Page 156 and 157:
flag situations arise from rigid ex
Page 158 and 159:
REFERENCES 2-Sprited People of the
Page 160 and 161:
Castellano, M.B., Archibald, L., &
Page 162 and 163:
Hudson, P. & McKenzie, B. (2003). E
Page 164 and 165:
Ontario Association of Children’s
Page 166:
Teillet, J. (2010). Métis law in C
show all

English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?