Protective Factors for Indigenous Children's Welfare

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Being connected to many generations, and having the extended family involved in childcare.
Maintaining access to culture, language, and ceremony.
Having a place for children and familes so that everyone has a sense of belonging and contribution.

30-40% of children in child welfare care are First Nations children, despite First Nations children representing less than 5% of Canada's child population.
Bill C-92 is an Act representing First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children, youth and families and is the first federal legislation about Indigenous Child and Family Services (CFS). Bill C-92 recognizes inherent Indigenous jurisdiction over CFS as an Aboriginal (s.35) right in Canada.
Services that nurture Indigenous cultural identity and prioritize Indigenous ways of knowing and being can help build healthy family bonds and have been shown to help families avoid contact with child welfare services.

Participate in training that helps them understand how parenting practices differ between Indigenous and non-Indigenous families.
Support the entire extended family.
Help prevent entry and re-entry of Indigenous children into child protection services by addressing social and structural factors that impact Indigenous families that are living off-reserve. These include intersecting factors of colonialism, racism, poverty, lack of Indigenous representation in child welfare settings, and lack of funding for community supports.
Seek to have greater Indigenous representation among health professionals and child welfare workers and have mandatory cultural safety training for non-Indigenous staff.
Help connect families with community-based programs and organizations. These organizations have compassionate, collaborative, and culturally inclusive care models which are key to helping families feel secure, cared for, and connected to their community. This in turn leads to meaningful engagement of families with available resources and programs.

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