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Confronting structural inequities in child welfare that have long harmed Indigenous children and families
A decade after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action—five of which focused directly on the protection of children—and in the wake of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, systemic failures in Canada’s child welfare system persist. The passing of Bill C-92, which affirms Indigenous communities’ inherent right to self-governance in child and family services, marks a critical shift away from colonial frameworks that mandated the residential school system and the Sixties Scoop. Yet, despite this progress, Indigenous children remain vastly overrepresented in foster care and Indigenous communities face ongoing oversurveillance. With contributions from social work practitioners, researchers, program planners, and curriculum developers, Parity in Child Welfare shows how this crisis can be addressed head on by foregrounding Indigenous traditional knowledge and leadership practices.
Beyond its contribution to the movement for equity in Indigenous child welfare, this collection also engages with the frontline challenges practitioners face every day. Contributors address widespread stress and burnout, gaps in professional training, the often-overlooked topic of death and grief in child welfare practice, and more. The eighth volume in the Voices of the Prairies series, Parity in Child Welfare offers a comprehensive and timely exploration of the most urgent issues in child welfare.
Dr. Jennifer Hedges is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Social Work Inner City Social Work Program. She is the co-chair of the Prairie Child Welfare Consortium and co-chair of the International Association of Schools of Social Work Research Committee.
Dr. Marlyn Bennett (WaaWaaTe Ikwe | Northern Lights Woman) is a proud member of the Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation and an Associate Professor in Social Work and Education at the University of Calgary. She holds a Tier II Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Children’s Wellbeing.
Dr. Jason Albert (PhD) is an Associate Professor at the School of Indigenous Social Work, First Nations University of Canada, where he has been a faculty member since 2002.
Dr. Peter Choate is a professor of Social Work at Mount Royal University in Calgary. Peter is an expert witness in social work with sub-specialties in the areas of case management, parenting capacity, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and cross-cultural assessment.
Don Fuchs is Dean and Professor Emeritus at University of Manitoba, Faculty of Social Work. His scholarship has included groundbreaking research on Children in Care with FASD and other disabilities.