English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

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$Marie Collins \$

What are the strengths of this family > What are the risks to this family How can we address them > How can we support this family > How can we engage this family > > Have formal and informal community service workers go with child welfare professionals in the home visits > > Have formal and informal community service workers involved in investigations > > Pass the file on to the family service workers right after the investigations > > Involve other relevant workers (e.g. FASD worker, perinatal worker, housing staff, or anyone else working to help the family) early in the process > > Develop the service plan with the family and call it a family plan > > Identify the key worker that will be the lead and review the family’s progress “I felt welcome and that I was an OK person. I was offered programs and food and interest and kindness. The workers really care about my child.” - Focus group participant G. PRACTICE: BUILD A RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FAMILY AND EACH INDIVIDUAL MEMBER OF THE FAMILY Whether focus group participants had worked with an Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal CAS, they consistently expressed fear about the mandated nature of the child welfare services. While a service user’s fear may not disappear, it can diminish by developing respectful relationships with families. Ideally, child welfare professionals and families will form a partnership, working together to heal the family. DON’T USE PREVIOUS CHILD WELFARE HISTORY AGAINST THE FAMILY Some families may have the perception that child welfare uses previous CAS involvement against an individual currently involved with CAS. Focus group participants felt that child welfare professionals assumed that parents who had grown up in CAS care were likely unable to care for their own children. It is important to find a way to discuss the previous care experience in a respectful way and assess the strengths and shortcomings of the experience in relation to the current situation. LANGUAGE 108 For many Ontario residents, English is not their first language, or their literacy level is lower than average. Child welfare professionals need to consider an individual’s comprehension level when developing service plans or providing family members with written material that sets out conditions or guidelines.
WHEN PERFORMING A HOME VISIT When visiting a family’s home, connect with the family as community members first. Some suggestions include: > > Bring food > > Play with the children > > Bring donations from the community if you have noticed something is needed > > Bring a worker from an Aboriginal organization DEVELOPING THE SERVICE PLAN The service plan was one of the most criticized tools that child welfare professionals use with families, according to focus group participants. It is a process and a document wherein child welfare organizational culture and Aboriginal culture clash profoundly. The inherent tension is not related to child safety but rather the process of arriving at child safety is the issue. Service plans must be designed to be realistic and not overambitious, in order to build capacity and confidence in the family. A number of concerns were raised by focus group participants about service plans, including: > > The focus of service plans is perceived to be on “ticking off ” another requirement on another piece of paper > > Literacy issues may impede the family’s understanding; the language and terminology used are not always accessible > > The forms can create anxiety and do not support open conversations > > The paper-driven process is not always conducive to Aboriginal culture > > Participants described that they didn’t understand their service plan or what the child welfare professional was asking of them, but they were too intimidated to ask. In the end, they felt so overwhelmed they didn’t even try to understand. > > A one-year timeline is too short; in some cases three years is necessary so that people can do the healing that they need to do > > Participants described completing their service plan, and having new conditions added, which is very demoralizing “CAS workers have a sense of urgency and timelines and get frustrated when Aboriginal service providers or family members don’t return calls within the ‘Western’ timeframes needed. How do we work within that How do we teach child welfare workers that Aboriginal people respond differently but DO respond” - Focus group participant 109
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WORKING WITH FIRST NATIONS, INUIT A
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SUPPORTING ABORIGINAL FAMILIES Than
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THE STEERING COMMITTEE Native Child
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8 4 > STRENGTHENING YOUR PRACTICE /
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Child welfare professionals have a
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4. To successfully protect First Na
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A range of violent behaviour can oc
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“The term ‘Aboriginal’ is off
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The Practice Guide is an invitation
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Clan family: This structure is base
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Family violence (witnessing and bei
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could live on the land and in the c
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The historical trauma of Aboriginal
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VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN Adapted from
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FAMILY VIOLENCE Family violence in
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General characteristics of lateral
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G. ATTACHMENT Culture has commonly
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In Indian country, we should probab
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Customary Care: Customary Care reco
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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corpora
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2 > FIRST NATION, INUIT AND MÉTIS
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First Nations people living outside
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First Nations, Métis and Inuit peo
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and meeting obligations to medicine
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C. THE INUIT In 2006, there were 2,
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population relates primarily to the
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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
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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
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Page 87 and 88: A key tool that is often used to he
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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
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Page 106 and 107: F. PRACTICE: ENGAGE OTHERS TO SUPPO
Page 110 and 111: The focus group participants made t
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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
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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
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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
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REFERENCES 2-Sprited People of the
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Castellano, M.B., Archibald, L., &
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Hudson, P. & McKenzie, B. (2003). E
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Ontario Association of Children’s
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Teillet, J. (2010). Métis law in C
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English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

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