The watchdog for Alberta’s most vulnerable children and families has released a special report today outlining the systemic issues he says are failing Indigenous families.
In the report, titled Voices for Change, Child and Youth Advocate Del Graff says there is “something wrong” with the child welfare system.
The advocate’s report says the facts speak for themselves: “Aboriginal children come into care more often, stay in care longer, and are less likely to be returned to their families than their non-Aboriginal peers.”
Graff said his report was needed because “there has been little meaningful change” to the system which still has a huge overrepresentation of Indigenous children in government care.
Also today, Alberta auditor general Merwan Saher released his own report examining why Indigenous children experience “less favourable results” than non-Indigenous kids.
7 in 10 kids in care are Indigenous
Graff’s report says that even though only one in 10 children in Alberta is of Aboriginal heritage, they make up 69 per cent of those in the child welfare system.
While the report shows the number of Indigenous children in care has dropped by 17 per cent between 2012 and 2015, their overrepresentation in the system remains consistent and is “among the highest in Canada.”
Graff’s office talked to hundreds of young Indigenous people in Alberta about their experiences with the system to look at the kinds of insights into improving things.
He said a theme many raised was a feeling of being alone when in care without love and affection.
One young person quoted in the report talking about “feeling like a ghost.”
The same young person added: “They didn’t talk to me or interact with me. I was just there. I don’t want that to happen to other youth.”
The report makes it clear that while there are legitimate circumstances that require bringing young people into care, a number of systemic issues continue to contribute to the high numbers of Indigenous children in the system.
Situation has ‘gotten worse’
The advocate makes reference to socioeconomic factors, the legacy of residential schools, differing world views about family and distrust between Aboriginal people and governments.
Graff said many reports have documented how Aboriginal people have been let down by child welfare systems, sometimes with tragic consequences, but despite those calls to action, the situation has “actually gotten worse.”
In the first of eight recommendations, Graff calls on the Alberta government to establish a new relationship with Aboriginal communities.
‘We cannot continue to look the other way’
He wants to see a review of the child welfare legislation for the Aboriginal context that would respect the right of families to their own approaches in raising children.
Graff also calls for a range of improved supports for Indigenous children and families.
Another key recommendation calls for a multi-year plan for addressing the overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in care.
Graff admits the kind of system overhaul he’s calling for won’t be easy but said all children deserve to grow to their full potential in a safe and loving environment.
In a closing statement, Graff calls on the province to take action.
“We cannot continue to look the other way.”
In his own report, Saher says he discovered deficiencies within the system after Indigenous children are taken into care.
His report shows Indigenous children didn’t see their caseworkers as often as non-Indigenous children saw theirs.
In addition, the care plans for Indigenous children weren’t reviewed as often.
In general, Saher’s report uncovered serious issues when it comes to regular contact with all kids in care.
Out of the approximately 10,000 children receiving services from the government, more than 8,000 did not “receive frequent enough contact with their caseworker to meet the minimum standards,” the report says.