Understanding the investigation-stage overrepresentation of First Nations children in the child welfare system: An analysis of the First Nations component of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect 2008

Objectives

The overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in child welfare systems in the U.S., Canada, and Australia is well documented, but limited attention has been paid to investigation-stage disproportionality. This paper examines the overrepresentation of First Nations (the largest of three federally recognized Aboriginal groups in Canada) children, focusing on three questions: (1) What is the level/nature of First Nations overrepresentation at the investigation stage? (2) What is known about the source of referrals in child welfare investigations involving First Nations children? (3) What risk factors and child functioning concerns are identified for investigated First Nations children and families?

Methods

The First Nations Component of the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (FNCIS-2008) was designed to address limitations in existing Aboriginal child welfare data: it sampled one quarter of the Aboriginally governed child welfare agencies that conduct investigations in Canada, gathered data on over 3,000 investigations involving First Nations children, and incorporated weights designed for analysis of First Nations data. Bivariate analyses are used to compare investigations involving First Nations and non-Aboriginal children.

Results

The rate of investigations for First Nations children living in the areas served by sampled agencies was 4.2 times that for non-Aboriginal children; investigation-stage overrepresentation was compounded by each short term case disposition examined. A higher proportion of First Nations than non-Aboriginal investigations involved non-professional referrals, a pattern consistent with disparities in access to alternative services. Workers expressed concerns about multiple caregiver risk factor concerns for more than ½ of investigated First Nations families and, with the exception of “health issues”, identified every caregiver/household risk factor examined in a greater percentage of First Nations than non-Aboriginal households.

Conclusions

It would be extremely difficult to reduce First Nations overrepresentation at later decision points without addressing overrepresentation at the investigation-stage. Despite the serious needs of investigated First Nations families, alternatives to traditional child protection responses may be appropriate in many cases. If First Nations overrepresentation is to be reduced, child welfare agencies must be equipped to provide supports needed to help families address factors such as poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, and lack of social supports.     

Decentralization of First Nations Education in Canada: Perspectives on Ideals and Realities of Indian Control of Indian Education

Fuelled by the concept of self-determination, efforts to improve schooling under the banner of decentralization are taking hold in First Nations communities throughout Canada. Proponents of decentralization hold the perception that decentralized systems are more likely to improve education than centralized systems. But is there a chance that local control can improve First Nations education? From the point of view of the realization of the decentralization values, the outcome is uncertain at best and gloomy at worst. To the extent that First Nations are alert to the emerging educational needs and problems and strong enough to mobilize First Nations resources on their behalf, we may entertain a cautious optimism on the resolution of some of the manifold contradictions of decentralization. I contend that unless there is a genuine devolution that entails the empowerment of First Nations communities to provide an education that is specifically suited to each community, schools for Aboriginal children will remain mediocre in quality. If decentralization is to sustain its momentum and advance productively in coming years, at least it should meet three conditions. First, certain constraints or contradictions internal to decentralization will have to be resolved. Second, Aboriginal scholars and First Nations school authorities need to employ appropriate change strategies by providing a framework for local control, and finally, First Nations communities and federal authorities need to find the key symbolic and structural characteristics of decentralizing First Nations schools.     

The overrepresentation of First Nations children and families involved with child welfare: Findings from the Ontario incidence study of reported child abuse and neglect 2013

BackgroundWhile there are national studies on the overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Canadian child protection system, there is a dearth of provincial/territorial studies.ObjectiveThe objectives are to: 1) estimate the rate of overrepresentation of First Nations children and youth involved in child welfare investigations in the Ontario child welfare system and, 2) determine which factors drive the overrepresentation of First Nations children in child welfare at the investigation stage compared to White children.Participants and SettingChild welfare workers completed a three-page data collection form at the conclusion of a child protection investigation.MethodsA secondary analysis of the Ontario Incidence Study 2013 was conducted. Incidence rates were calculated and bivariate analyses were conducted, comparing investigations involving First Nations children to investigations involving White children.ResultsFirst Nations children represent 2.5% of the child population; however, they represent 7.4% of child maltreatment related investigations in Ontario. The rate of investigations for First Nations children was approximately three times higher than the rate for White children. Overrepresentation was most pronounced for investigations of neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence. Rates of substantiation, ongoing child welfare services, child welfare court, and placement in care were higher for the First Nations child population.ConclusionsThe findings provide a foundation for further research and analyses examining the compounding of disparities across the investigation process. Research is needed to disentangle factors that influence decision-making in the child welfare system and how these vary based on a child’s race.     

Nomads,pilgrims, tourists: women teachers in the Canadian north

Drawing on notions of the modern pilgrim and postmodern tourist, this paper explores the discursive resources concerning women, travel, and transience as they apply to female teachers working in the Canadian north. In particular, it traces the discourses evident in the talk of twenty‐five women teachers currently working in northern First Nations (indigenous) education. Although both were invoked, neither the postmodern teacher–tourist nor the modernist pilgrim–teacher were easily mapped onto the positioning of the ‘woman’ teacher. Alternative discourses of the female teacher need to be developed to organize the work of women teachers who come to teach in the Canadian north or indeed any site of minority or multicultural education.     

Border work: Teachers’ expressions of their literacy-related professional development needs in a First Nations school

This paper reports on a case study of teachers’ expressions of their literacy-related professional development needs in a First Nations school located in Ontario, Canada. The paper construes the work of the teachers as “border work” and argues that their literacy teaching work was complex and tied to an ongoing legacy of colonialism. Four interrelated themes are discussed. The paper recommends improving compensation and job security for educators in First Nations schools and supporting them to see themselves as knowledgeable professionals who can entertain sophisticated notions of literacy that consider its relationship to situation including culture.     

Culturally appropriate means and ends of counselling as described by the First Nations people of British Columbia

This paper focuses on one aspect of the author's Ph.D. dissertation which examined the facilitation of healing for First Nations people of British Columbia Canada. the research finding discussed in this paper is that the means and ends of counselling for First Nations people differ from those of the Western therapeutic approaches utilized by the majority culture in Canada. These differences are illustrated by the First Nations world view and the unique goals of healing for First Nations people. it is necessary for counsellors to be responsive to these goals if they are to be effective in working with Native people (Please note that the terms First Nations, Native, and Aboriginal are used interchangeably to refer to the same people).     

Bridging western and First Nations thought: Balanced education in Whitehead's philosophy of organism and the sacred circle

The sacred circle offers a perspective for interpreting and theorizing about human development valuable in shaping the education of First Nations and non-First Nations students. For those of us in a western materialist culture who are interested in coming to understand what the sacred circle might offer, it is necessary to address assumptions in our own culture. This paper proceeds in four parts to facilitate such an understanding. Part One formulates the importance of a culturally self-critical approach to understanding education based in the sacred circle. Part Two presents the sacred circle as a pattern used to interpret meaning in First Nations education. Part Three examinesinterconnectedness through (a) whitehead's criticism of western scientific epistemology and his idea of education for balanced development, and (b) through the creator, mother earth and the Four Directions reflected in the sacred circle. Part Four interprets aholistic apprehension approach to education based in (a) Whitehead's notion's of intuition and imagination for balanced development from the sacred circle perspective, and (b) through the sacred circle in the vision quest ceremony.     

National news. Bangladesh. Mobilizing the youth through youth clubs. Population education for girls: PSTC experience

Involvement of Youths in Population and Family Welfare Activities through Youth Clubs, a project supported by the United Nations Population Fund, has developed innovative ways of reaching Bangladeshi youth with reproductive health messages. One such project, executed by the Ministry of Youth and Sports, provided training in family life education to 74 youth training centers and launched population activities through 200 youth clubs in 98 thanas. Benchmark surveys were conducted in priority areas identified by individual clubs. A primary health care intervention reached 23,000 women and children with health card and sanitation programs. Follow-up surveys have revealed significant improvements in youth's knowledge of health, nutrition, maternal-child health, sanitation, and environmental conservation. In another Bangladeshi program, girls 9-19 years old received education through the Population Services and Training Center on topics such as the advantages of delayed marriage, family planning methods, and maternal-child health.     

Decolonising the reading of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing: reflection as transformative practice

ABSTRACT

First Nations writing within English literary studies risks contemporary colonisation if encountered as a literary object for close reading without context or reflection on the role of the reader. This article will explore the processes involved in constructing an innovative reading practice amongst tertiary students to counter the potential for intentional or unintentional colonial readings. Dr Sandra Phillips, First Nations academic and researcher, initiated and applied the reading practice (which overtly incorporates student/reader standpoint and then reflection on the impact of that standpoint among other considerations) from her PhD scholarship then applied it to her curriculum design of ‘Reading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Writing’, which forms the basis of this research. Dr Clare Archer-Lean continued the coordination and teaching of the curriculum at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland after Sandra moved tertiary institutions. The two academics continue to collaborate on the curriculum review and reflect on the processes of teaching and crafting this form of reading practice and assessment. Their aim has been to create a reading practice that accounts for the position and influence of the reader in the cross-cultural, or co-cultural, reading process. This is primarily achieved by acknowledging the role and influence of standpoint in the reading process as well as deepening reading through an understanding of the cultural, social and political discourses affecting the production, distribution and reception of First Nations writing in the Australian context.     

Free-choice learning suited to women’s participation needs in environmental decision-making processes

United Nations mandates recognize the need to promote the full participation of women in environmental decision-making processes on the basis of gender equality. But, there remains a profound lack of effective women’s participation in some sectors of environmental decision-making. Free-choice environmental learning offers an effective educational process for encouraging and developing such participation. This study outlines the shifts in and possibilities for women in environmental decision-making processes in and beyond Western and Northern contexts, and proposes free-choice learning as a pathway to furthering women’s participation.     

美国控制世界还是国联控制美国--评威尔逊与洛奇的国联盟约之争

威尔逊与洛奇关于国联盟约的分歧 ,其实质不在于美国是否参加国联 ,而在于美国如何参加国联 ;不在于国联的原则 ,而在于美国外交的战略方向。具体而言 ,就是国联到底能否使美国控制世界 ,抑或是美国被国联所控制。尽管美国最终没有加入自己倡导的国际联盟 ,但是这场争论论证了美国在新时期外交的战略目标 :凭借实力建立一个美国主宰的世界 ,构建以美国为领袖的国际关系新格局。虽然这一目标在威尔逊时期遭遇挫折 ,但是未能从根本上动摇美国外交的总体方向。整个 2 0世纪的历史都证明了这一点     

Aboriginal Environmental Wisdom,Stewardship, and Sustainability: Lessons From the Walpole Island First Nations,Ontario, Canada

Generally speaking, environmental education teaching, research, and practice have been informed by the traditions of western, Euro-centric culture. In this context indigenous perspectives are often marginalized, maligned, and perceived to be unscientific and therefore inferior. This essay adds to the growing body of literature exploring aboriginal indigenous environmental epistemologies and responsible human interactions with the natural environment. The paper provides a Canadian context as it examines the environmental philosophy and attitude of a Canadian First Nations community to the natural environment grounded in the lived experiences of adults, children and elders from the Walpole Island First Nation. We make the argument that while not a panacea, Aboriginal environmental epistemologies hold lessons for teaching environmental stewardship and sustainability behavior in mainstream classrooms.     

Place-based education: a transformative activist stance

The ethnography presented by van Eijck and Roth focuses on the activities of people involved in a government funded internship program in conservation and restoration, which was offered by a ‘multidisciplinary research center’ through a local First Nation adult education center. The internship was designed, in partnership with a local non-profit conservation society (OceanHealth), to appeal to First Nation men and women considering career change, returning to school, or re-entering the work place. The primary aim of the internship was to ‘provide authentic science for diverse student populations (and their teachers), with particular attention to the needs of students from First Nations, to become scientifically literate to the extent that it prepares them for participating in public debates, community decision-making, and personal living consistent with long-term environmentally sustainable forms of life’. The authors report that at least one of the two interns was not interested in science and a WSáNEC elder expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts to establish the nature park and its current approved uses. Van Eijck and Roth argue that the divergence between the project aims and the goals of the participants are a result of how ‘place’ is viewed in place-based education and that disagreements like these can be resolved if place is theorized as chronotope. There are many interesting ideas raised and directions taken in the article by van Eijck and Roth. After several discussions during the review process, we decided to focus our forum response on the meaning of ‘place’ in place-based education, the utility of theorizing place as a chronotope, the implications for teaching–learning (‘education’), and musings on what remains unclear.     

Experimenting with global governance: understanding the potential for generational change

The appropriate role for the United Nations in international dispute resolution is a matter of high profile discussion and controversy. This paper begins with this ambivalence about the appropriate role for the United Nations in the world and examines several sets of issues that relate to the future of support for the UN within the US and the prospects for global governance more generally. First, we briefly review two thematic strands in previous and contemporary scholarship:(1) arguments for increased global governance in contemporary world affairs, driven by perceptions of the changing nature of the political, social, economic and military challenges in the contemporary world system. This debate is also put in the context of the relevance of public support for global governance institutions; and (2) why it is valuable to study how the current generation of adolescents perceive issues of global governance and the impact that their views may have on that nexus in the coming years. We then move to an analysis of data generated from an experimental study of American adolescents and their attitudes toward global governance.     

Social Justice Becomes a Living Experience for Students,Faculty, and Community

This social justice course was the result of a service‐learning project with African American and First Nations peoples of a Southern community telling their story of desegregation through the creation of a video documentary project. Combining the pedagogy of service‐learning with documentary video making, a social justice project was created that impacted students, faculty, and community.     

Lost in translation? Rethinking First Nation education via LUCID insights

This paper reports on findings from the Learning for Understanding through Culturally-Inclusive Imaginative Development project (LUCID). LUCID has been a 5-year (2004–2009) research and implementation endeavour and a partnership between Simon Fraser University (SFU) and three districts in British Columbia, Canada. Via emotionally engaging pedagogies and a culturally-inclusive curriculum, the project aimed at improving students’ educational experience, particularly First Nations learners. Using a combination of Actor Network Theory (Latour, 2005, in: Reassembling the social: an introduction to Actor-Network Theory, Oxford University Press, Oxford) and Hermeneutic Phenomenology (Van Manen, 1990, in: Researching lived experience, The State University of New York, New York), site visits and interview data were examined with reference to the (f)actors influencing project objectives. Although each school district was unique, shared themes included: the importance of creating a community with shared intent; the role of executives as potential “change agents”; the problematic nature of emotionally-engaging teaching; and the complex influences of cultural and historical trauma. The latter theme is explored in particular, presenting the argument that language deficiency and a consequent lack of autonomy might be at the root of many problems experienced in First Nations communities.     

The Function of Legends as a Teaching Tool in Pre-Colonial First Nations' Societies

This paper rectifies a frequent historical oversight by outlining and analysing features of the first extensive educational system on this continent. Based on a unique metaphysical perspective, it was the First Nations who through reliance on the oral tradition developed the first effectives means of transferring valued cultural knowledge to succeeding generations in North America. A primary component of this process was the rather complicated process of telling legends. Several legends are related and discussed in this paper as a means of demonstrating their function, typology, and utility. A final point proscribes that legends represented only one component of a First Nation's belief system that was to be transmitted; addendum components included ceremonies, rituals, songs, dances, and so on.     

Reflections on residential school and our future: "daylight in our minds"

This testimonio takes up what it means to be an educator of Aboriginal ancestry working within existing school structures for the betterment of Aboriginal children. While the testimonialista does not presume to speak for her people, she contends that her story of growing up and becoming a teacher is not unlike that of other First Nations people in Canada. She examines her life within the continuing colonizing structures of Canada and shows how the struggles for justice and recognition of Aboriginal wisdom within education are making a difference.     

Women,Education and Empowerment in Asia

ABSTRACT Education is widely perceived as an indicator of the status of women and even more importantly, as an agent for the empowerment of women. This article examines the relationship between education and several facets of empowerment, using the macro statistics on countries in Asia presented in the United Nations Human Development Report, 1995, which attempts to compute country specific 'Gender Empowerment Measures', as well as data from qualitative studies in selected representative countries. The study concludes that there is no positive linear relationship between education and the economic, social and political empowerment of women, as a consequence of the interface of gender ideologies and social and economic structural constraints. It further examines factors that surface from within education structures and content and from social and economic structures and gender relations within the family that constrain the role of education as an agent for the empowerment of women.