Improving child and family services in Indigenous communities: Survey summary report

Experiences in care

People told us that being separated from their families and communities was very difficult. We also heard that there is not a lot of help or support for children and youth, from either their foster parents or Child and Family Services. In addition, people told us about times when they were bullied or abused. We also heard that children and youth in care feel removed from their Indigenous culture. People described how hard it was to be taken away from their extended family and to not attend family events.

Other people said they always felt like outsiders or different because they were Indigenous children placed with non-Indigenous families. A few people said they felt abandoned by their birth families because caseworkers or foster parents lied, saying their families did not want to contact them. Some said it was hard being separated from their brothers and sisters while they were living with other families. Some people said these feelings of grief and of being alone have hurt their relationships with their biological or birth families now that they are grown-up.

A lot of people said that abuse, bullying and a lack of safety was another negative experience about living in care. They shared stories about emotional, physical and sexual abuse, sometimes by their foster parents or other adults, by people that were supposed to be trustworthy. We heard that their foster brothers and sisters bullied them, making them feel unwelcome and unsafe. These experiences had long-term impacts on their lives, including running away and never finishing school.

Some people said that another difficult part about living in care was a lack of help or support from their foster families and even from child and family services. They said caseworkers and other adults did not understand their feelings or needs, and that they were never given any information about their situation. A few people said that when they tried to talk to their caseworkers about feeling unsafe, they were ignored or not taken seriously. Others talked about being moved over and over again.

Another challenge of being in care was a lack of access to Indigenous culture. Moving to non-Indigenous homes with different cultures and customs was very hard to get used to. Even simple things like the food they ate or talking to their foster parents and new brothers or sisters was difficult because of cultural differences. It was also hard talking to and understanding non-Indigenous caseworkers who had no knowledge of Indigenous culture. They felt they had "lost" their Indigenous identity while living in care. As examples, they talked about foster families and case workers not allowing boys to have long hair and not considering it appropriate for children to attend services and ceremonies when there was a death in their family.

We heard that, for some people, the child welfare system was confusing. Some people also said that they experienced depression and other mental health problems. A few people also said they felt that their foster parents only wanted to care for Indigenous children because of the money they were given by child and family services.

It is important to note that we heard from a lot of people who said there were no benefits to living in care. For them, their stories of being in care were negative and hurtful. Some people said that the experiences they had in care are still hurting them mentally and emotionally now as adults.

However, some people said that that if they had experienced violence or abuse in their birth family homes, being in care helped protect them physically or emotionally.

Some people said that support from good caseworkers, teachers, and lawyers was a big help to them while they were living in care. They said that the quality of the professionals made a difference for them because they actually listened to youth in care about what they wanted and needed.

Seeing and staying in touch with biological families and home communities was important for some people. They said visits back home with their families helped keep them connected to their home, community and culture. Many of the people who said this also said that family and community ties are a very important part of care for Indigenous children.

A few people talked about how living in care gave their biological parents the time and space to heal or recover from their own mental health problems or trauma. They said that, when they went home, their parents were healthier and their homes were happier places to grow up.

Other participants said being in care met their basic needs (such as housing, clothing, food, security), improved their access to education and provided them with financial help.

1. Better family support services

Most people said that more culturally-sensitive services for Indigenous parents and their children would help make families happier and healthier, and help fewer children be removed from their homes. They added that this support needs to recognize that Indigenous cultures are unique, and there needs to be a flexible approach that allows communities to determine how they want to improve health and well-being. Some said more programs on healthy eating, caring for babies, traditional parenting and money management would help.

2. Funding for a broad range of child and family services

People who did the survey said that more money for Indigenous healthcare, education and social services would help make families less dependent. Most said that the amount of funding that support services receive should be fair when compared to the funding that non-Indigenous services get. They also said that this funding should be flexible and/or fully controlled by individual communities, so they can use it where they need it most to meet the best interests of the children.

Communities should be able to decide how and where funding is spent. A one-size fits all solution doesn't benefit anyone.

3. Different roles of kinship, customary and foster care

Most said child and family services should focus on placing Indigenous children with family members or with Indigenous families in their home communities. A few participants said kinship and foster families should also get more funding. Many also said that taking Indigenous children away from their parents and putting them in care should only be a last resort. But, some others said child and family services should focus more on permanency for Indigenous children once they enter care, to stop youth from being passed around between many different foster families as they are growing up.

In addition, people told us that involving Indigenous communities and Elders in all child and family services is very important. This way, services would be culturally sensitive and meet the needs of individual communities. Some people said that communities should have full control of child welfare services, so that they incorporate Indigenous values and cultural practices. Basing child and family services on culture and expertise was important to people. They said traditional practices and ideas should be a big part of all services or programs for Indigenous children before, during and after their time in care. Where communities do not control services, people talked about the importance of social and case workers building authentic relationships with families, and working with Elders and knowledge keepers to get to know the communities.

Many people said that child and family services workers, like caseworkers and therapists, should be well-trained and caring. They also said workers themselves should be Indigenous whenever possible.

Social workers need to spend time building relationships with families and getting to know the communities where they are working.

People also talked about the importance of addressing the social determinants of health and the impacts they have on Indigenous people. Many participants said health was a big issue, including mental health and addiction support for parents. They also talked about how more health services would help prevent youth suicide, help more people live healthy lives, and help prevent children from entering care in the first place.

Some people also talked about providing good quality education in communities. They said more money for education would give parents and children more opportunities to learn important skills and help keep families together. Some people added that schools need to be closer to communities so that young people do not have to travel so far to get to school.

More money is needed for education, both formal education in schools and for parents and parenting programs.

A lot of people said that families need to have basic needs met, like clean drinking water, access to healthy food, affordable housing and public transportation. Some said parents need a living wage to provide for their families and prevent their children from being taken into care.

A lot of people said that the Government of Canada should honour its commitments, mostly by providing equal or equitable funding for Indigenous children. They felt strongly that the government should comply with ruling of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, ensure Jordan's Principle is applied across the country, and implement recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Other ideas from people were increasing the resources and capacity of First Nation child and family services, stopping systemic racism against Indigenous peoples, increasing transparency and accountability of caseworkers and government, and making sure federal and provincial services are better coordinated.