This report was published by Aboriginal Children in Care Working Group.

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS REPORT:

Aboriginal children are over-represented in child welfare systems across Canada. In August 2014, Canada’s Premiers directed provinces and territories (PTs) to work with Aboriginal communities in their respective jurisdictions to share information on local solutions; and acknowledged the need for governments and Aboriginal communities to work collectively to address this Canada-wide problem.

Although Premiers also requested that the federal government be engaged in this work, neither the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, nor the Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada responded to invitations to participate. Premiers also agreed to ask their appropriate Ministers to engage National Aboriginal Organizations in reviewing issues and best practices for reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care and improve the quality of care.

This report to Canada’s Premiers provides examples of existing programs and services that have been shown to reduce the number of Aboriginal children in child welfare systems and/or improve outcomes for Aboriginal children in care. The report highlights a number of issues and challenges, and profiles some best and promising practices along three strategic child welfare themes: root causes of abuse and neglect; prevention and early intervention strategies for Aboriginal families; and better supporting the capacity of the child welfare workforce.