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Community consultation with the First Nations communities was envisioned in the 1994 Manitoba Framework Agreement Initiative and reflects an understanding of the importance of including First Nations communities and citizens in decision-making processes under self-government. Consultation is an important aspect to establishing self-governments for First Nations peoples and communities not only in Manitoba but also across Canada. The consultation process as envisaged by the authors of the Manitoba Framework Agreement Initiative sought to honour the spirit of First Nation traditions by including First Nations citizens in a consensus building process that would build upon the values, customs and principles of First Nations cultures whose participation in turn would form the foundations of independent governing structures with supporting legislation. How consultations have been conducted in relation to child welfare initiatives needs also to be examined, documented, perceptions shared and supported as a modern day process that reflects how decision-making is being conducted by the First Nations within Manitoba on their path toward self-determination. This research is one attempt to understand the consultation process. It focuses on some of the experiences and challenges on how First Nations citizens have been engaged in public discussions that will inform the development of contemporary First Nations governing institutions. This research combines an overview of the literature focusing specifically on self-government in relation to child welfare and First Nations people. The literature review also looks at the role First Nations peoples have played in community consultations concentrating specifically on the ways First Nations peoples and communities have been engaged to participate in other consultation initiatives carried out by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal governments and/or non-government organizations. The review of the literature is supplemented by an examination of two very specific child welfare initiatives ...

The social, cultural and political contexts of vulnerability need to be considered in defining, understanding, and reducing substance abuse among maltreated youth with an Aboriginal background (MacNeil, 2008; Tatz, 1999). Aboriginal cultures tend to incorporate an ideology of collectivism that manifests in shared childrearing responsibilities within aboriginal families and communities (e.g., Dilworth-Anderson & Marshall, 1996). As such, Aboriginal children may identify with multiple and equally important attachment figures, and be more accepting of multiple caring adult guardians who can direct them away from risky behaviour (Christensen & Manson, 2001). We examined the relationship between cannabis use and reported identification with a caseworker among youth-identified Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adolescents randomly drawn from the active caseload of a large urban non-Aboriginal Child Protection Services (CPS) system. While an Aboriginal-specific child welfare agency exists in this catchment area, youth need to be identified as Aboriginal to be involved in that system and some youth with Aboriginal heritage inevitably end up in non-Aboriginal CPS agencies. There were no significant differences in rates of maltreatment, trauma symptomatology, or overall cannabis use between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in this study. However, Aboriginal youth who reported a more negative (i.e., low) identification with their caseworker were five times more likely to use cannabis in the past 12 months compared to Aboriginal youth who reported a more positive (i.e., medium-high) identification with their caseworker. These results suggest that having a moderate-to-high positive identification with caseworker may be a protective factor in regard to abstinence from cannabis use among Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal youth in the non-Aboriginal CPS system.Keywords: Aboriginal Youth; Emotional Abuse, Posttraumatic Stress; Child Protection Services; Adolescent Health

Foreword /Jeannine Carriere --From the editors /Dorothy Badry, H. Monty Montgomery, Daniel Kikulwe, Marlyn Bennett, and Don Fuchs --Acknowledgements /Dorothy Badry --Introduction /Don Fuchs --Exploring human rights approaches to kinship care provision in the Prairie provinces: implications for social work practice /Daniel Kikulwe and Julie Mann-Johnson --Working with First Nations child welfare to build professionalism /Shelley Thomas Prokop, Laura Hicks, and Rachel Melymick --Exploring decolonization through kinship care home assessments /Julie Mann-Johnson and Daniel Kikulwe --Aging out of care: the rural experience /Anne Marie McLaughlin, Richard Enns, and Deena Seaward --Inappropriate application of parenting capacity assessments in the child protection system /Peter Choate and Gabrielle Lindstrom --Listening in a settler state: (birth) mothers as paraprofessionals in response to FASD /Michelle Stewart, Lisa Lawley, Rachel Tambour, and Alexandra Johnson --A summary: on the edge between two worlds: community narratives on the vulnerability of marginalized Indigenous girls /Marlyn Bennett and Ainsley Krone --Factors associated with the child welfare placement decision in Alberta /Bruce MacLaurin, Hee-Jeong Yoo, and Morgan DeMone --A strained relationship: Southern Sudanese communities and child welfare systems in two urban centres in Western Candada /David Este and Christa Sato --The linkage between FASD and homelessness for individuals with a history of child welfare care /Dorothy Badry, Christine Walsh, Meaghan Bell, and Kaylee Ramage --The development of a training video: demonstrating essential skills for child welfare practice /Cathy Rocke and Judy Hughes --Transforming the classroom: supporting critical change in social work education in the spirit of reconciliation for child welfare /Jennifer Hedges --Epilogue /H. Monty Montgomery.

"Drawing on the expertise of Indigenous scholars and researchers, including voices from the front lines in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, this book examines child welfare practices in kinship care, FASD, homelessness, aging out of the system, and transitions for rural youth leaving care. Issues in the volume include renewing and decolonizing child welfare work, anti-oppressive practices, the historical legacy of the Sixties Scoop, and the needs of marginalized and vulnerable children."--

ObjectivesSPECTRUM is a unique multi-disciplinary, cross-sector collaborative research partnership between academics, government, and community organizations in Manitoba working together to address complex social problems. In our first research project, partners identified the need for quantitative evidence around outcomes of children involved with Child Protection Services (CPS), using linked administrative data.
ApproachFrom the SPECTRUM partnership, a research team with CPS expertise was established, including government policy-makers, community organizations representing First Nations families, and academics from multiple disciplines. The research is guided by an Advisory Circle of First Nations Knowledge Keepers. Linking health, education, CPS, and justice data we developed a matched cohort identifying children involved with CPS (2007-2018) for whom there was discretion in the decision to 1) place them in out-of-home care (n=19,718), or 2) keep them in their family home while providing services (n=28,154). Instrumental Variable analysis, with CPS agency as the instrument, will be used to compare outcomes.
ResultsFollowing the trajectories of these two groups of CPS-involved children over time, we will compare their mental and physical health, educational achievement, and justice system involvement while accounting for individual-level (e.g., age, sex, chronic health conditions) and family-level (e.g., family income, maternal mental health, number of siblings) factors that may contribute to these outcomes. Preliminary findings will be workshopped with the SPECTRUM partnership to facilitate discussions on framing the evidence for policy makers. The SPECTRUM policy team will then prepare policy recommendations for government to consider. The Advisory Circle and a youth advisory squad will facilitate contextualizing and mobilizing findings. Actions taken by government in response to material provided will be monitored and will inform the development of subsequent research projects conducted by SPECTRUM.
ConclusionGovernment and community stakeholder involvement throughout bolsters the likelihood of evidence translating into program and policy changes. This is not a situation where academics are telling government how to do their jobs – this is government, community organizations, and academics working together with the shared goal of better outcomes for children.