English - Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies

Held five for service providers, including
child welfare professionals
> > Held five for family members who have
been involved with CAS
> > Held one session combining service
providers and family members
d) Conducting a literature review that focused on four
subject areas:
> > Inuit, Métis and First Nations approaches
to child welfare
> > Inuit, Métis and First Nations approaches
to woman abuse
> > Mainstream responses to woman abuse
RECOMMENDATION CW 4
An Aboriginal stand-alone practice
guide and accompanying training be
developed for Child Welfare workers
on a holistic approach to addressing
domestic violence when children are
involved. The training and guidelines
be developed in conjunction with First
Nations, Métis and Inuit organizations
and incorporate First Nations,
Métis and Inuit culture and practices
appropriate to the region and family in
protecting their children and
supporting their families.
- Domestic Violence Advisory Council, 2009
> > Ontario child welfare approaches and
practices
e) Conducting a feedback loop after the first draft of the Practice Guide
f) Conducting a focus group of users to validate the Guide
The Practice Guide is a stand-alone guide. Child welfare professionals are encouraged
to take responsibility for their own learning and seek out more information about
building relationships with Aboriginal women and families experiencing violence.
The Practice Guide will be referenced through the OACAS Woman Abuse training
curriculum. An OACAS provincial Aboriginal Advisory Committee has been
developed to assess Aboriginal specific training needs for child welfare.
C. THE PRINCIPLES THAT SHAPED THIS PRACTICE GUIDE
The Steering Committee developed a set of principles to inform the writing of the work.
The principles were intended to give a foundation to the Practice Guide and to provide
you, the reader, with the perspective upon which this Practice Guide was developed.
There are 13 principles:
1. The terms “Aboriginal peoples” and “First Nations, Métis and Inuit” are used
interchangeably, except when a specific people is identified. When the term
“Aboriginal peoples” is used, it is intended to include all Indigenous peoples of
Ontario, wherever they live in Ontario and whatever their status may be (see
Appendix A: Glossary of Terms).
2. The term “family violence” is used instead of “woman abuse.” “Family violence”
recognizes that all forms of violence are not acceptable in Aboriginal families.
The term also acknowledges that:
13