Mothers, substance use, child welfare and the sacred teachings
Outline • Blessing • Brief review of the history of Aboriginal peoples and practices of assimilation • Rationale for our study • Review of our research methods • Results
Women of the shining light team Cyndy Baskin (Mi’kmaq) Ryerson University • Carol Strike, University of Toronto • Bela McPherson (Mohawk) Community • Diane Smylie (Métis) Jean Tweed Centre • Trudy Angeconeb (Anishnawbe) Native Child & Family Services of Toronto • Alita Sauve (Tuhltan & Cree) Native Child & Family Services of Toronto • Diane McKay (Mi’kmaq) Jean Tweed Centre • Liz Archer, CAMH • Wanda Kimewon (Anishnawbe) Jean Tweed Centre • Lori Ross, CAMH • JoAnn Kakekayash (Anishnawbe) CAMH •
Moving away from the past • Aggressive practices of assimilation destroyed Aboriginal families and communities • Residential schools and 1960s scoop (mass apprehension of Aboriginal children) • Wide ranging and profoundly negative impacts: – Culture, heritage, traditional healing practices – Families and communities – Health and well being – Education, employment and overall prosperity
Aboriginal mothers • Some are more resilient than others • Experience intersecting histories of violence, abuse of various kinds, mental health problems, incarceration, stigma, racism, identity struggles and poverty • About 25% of Aboriginal people have a substance use disorder • Aboriginal mothers have higher rates of substance use during pregnancy than others
Aboriginal mothers and children • More frequent interactions with child welfare – Aboriginal children < 3% of children in Ontario – Aboriginal children ~ 15% of children in CW – Estimated that more children in care of CW than were placed in residential schools • Interactions with child welfare system, (criminal justice and social services) often characterised by racism, stigma and oppression
Moving away from the past • Address the root causes of these pervasive problems • Need to create a child welfare system responsive to the needs of Aboriginal children and their families – 1984: changes to Child and Family Services Act – Recognition of the unique needs of Aboriginal families – Recognize role of customary care – Role of Band and/or community to determine CW services for its people – Creation of six Aboriginal CW agencies in Ont.
Moving away from the past • Continuing reports of challenges with child welfare system, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal • Tx system not well attuned to the needs of Aboriginal people, including mothers • Avoid Tx system to avoid child welfare system • Desire to create a drug and alcohol treatment system that is more responsive to the needs of Aboriginal mothers
Moving away from the past • How can these issues be addressed? • Build collaborative models – Mothers (and fathers, families and communities) – Tx system – Child welfare – Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal • Privilege Aboriginal culture and knowledge • Understand barriers and successes
Project Design • Adopted an anti-colonial framework • Privilege the perspectives of mothers • Direct reference to historical legacy and on- going effects of colonialism • Community-based research project – workers, mothers, grandmothers, researchers • Adapted research methods to incorporate Aboriginal culture and teachings
Project Design • Incorporate ceremony and traditional teachings into data collection methods • Capacity building phase: knowledges, ceremonies • Observe ceremony at all team meetings • Infuse traditional teachings: – Data collection methods – Data collection tools – Aboriginal artists – Analytic framework – Dissemination approaches
Eligibility criteria • Pregnant or parenting woman – Self-identified as Aboriginal (First Nations, status and non- status, Inuit and Métis) – Past five years had involvement with child protection agency and substance misuse treatment program – Live in Toronto • Workers in Toronto – Current worker in child welfare agency or substance misuse treatment program – Past five years worked with Aboriginal pregnant/parenting women
Recruitment Mothers Workers Contacted managers Contacted manager • • Poster advertisements Poster advertisement • • CAMH - Aboriginal Services Native Child and Family • • Services of Toronto Jean Tweed Centre • Children’s Aid Society of Council Fire • • Toronto Anishnawbe Health • Jean Tweed Centre • South Riverdale CHC • CAMH • New Heights CHC • Word of mouth • Aboriginal Head Start (NCFST) • The Meeting Place • Scarborough Storefront • Word of mouth •
Story telling method • Adapted focus group incorporating Aboriginal teachings and values • Opening smudge, prayer, teaching by Grandmother JoAnn • Purpose of the circle • Explanation of Medicine wheel
Story telling method Offer medicine bundle to demonstrate value of reciprocity and to • seek approval – “The act of offering tobacco acknowledges the ethic of reciprocity in First Nations research…. [O]ffering tobacco allows them [participants] to become involved in the research process as equal and respected members…More importantly, offering tobacco is a legitimate and recognized way of seeking approval from participants before conducting a study” (Michell,1999,5 Asked to speak tell stories about the physical, emotional, spiritual, • and mental aspects – Substance use and parenting – Involvement with child welfare – Involvement with drug and alcohol treatment – How to improve systems
Story telling method • Feather passed from one participant to next – Every woman had opportunity to speak – Self-discipline – Attentive listening – Patience – Memory strength – Respect and caring for speaker
Story telling method • Closing: summed up what was said – Teaching connected to something revealed, suggestions for future, words of encouragement – Prayer – Participants shook hands/hugged to recognize value of giving and receiving: reciprocity • Feast, honorarium, transit tokens, compensation for child care (reciprocity)
Adapted focus group method • Opening prayer and teaching • 5 focus groups with service providers – 2 groups with substance misuse treatment counsellors – 2 groups with child welfare workers – 1 with our team who were workers • Closing ceremony and teaching
Participation • Anonymous: no lists, names or demographics • 38 mothers • 11 substance misuse treatment counselors • 12 child welfare workers • Story telling circles took place at community agencies serving Aboriginal families
Thematic analysis • Identify major concepts and themes • Connect to Sacred Teachings - Wisdom, Respect, Humility, Love, Honesty, Bravery and Truth • Structured findings and interpretation around teachings • Team discussed/(re)developed interpretation and recommendations
Sacred Teaching # 1: A Practice of Wisdom • Balance, inner vision and clarity • Perspectives on how to change barriers Mother: “ The disease of addiction affects everyone in the family. It touches the lives of everyone that we love and I think we really need to have a place where our children could come in with us so that we don’t have to worry about where they are.” Recommendation: Create family treatment centres
A Practice of Wisdom (continued): Child Welfare Worker: “If a woman says ‘I want my children to go to my brother’, then child welfare has this big screening process. Get the brother’s criminal check, get the brother’s this, get the brother’s that. The racist criminal justice system means lots of criminal records for Native populations. Because he has a criminal record doesn’t mean he can’t parent” Treatment Counsellor: “I think that we need to really look at whose needs we are addressing and if we are asking women where they want their children to be” Recommendation: Assist workers and counsellors to understand community connections
Sacred Teaching # 2: A Practice of Love • All of us have responsibility to care for all children • Loving their children and misusing substances not exclusive of each other Mother: “My child means more to me than any breath of air that I take. For people to ask me that question [what’s more important, drugs or your child] made me sick. It made me think, am I really out for the drugs more than my kid?”. Recommendation: Children belong in our communities and we must all commit to caring for them
A Practice of Love (continued): Child Welfare Worker: “Every time I have to bring a child into care, I think to myself, what is the lesser evil because a child, no matter what, loves their parent....I bring a child into care and create trauma. You’re not sure how that child is going to be treated.” Recommendation: Support extended families to care for children
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