An examination of individual and community-level social factors and health outcomes associated with experiences in the child welfare system among Indigenous peoples in Canada

The health and wellness of Indigenous peoples today continue to be impacted by the harmful colonization practices enforced by the Government of Canada. While we have shown the long-term impacts of the Residential School system in relation to health and wellness, there remains a large gap in understanding the health impacts of other collective traumas such as the Sixties Scoop and the continued inequities within the child welfare system. During the Sixties Scoop, large numbers of children and youth were removed from their families and the practice of taking Indigenous children and youth from their families and communities continues today. As a result, family units and connections to Indigenous culture have and continue to be impacted, however, the empirical evidence on health and wellness are largely unavailable. The current proposal addresses this gap by taking a mixed methods approach to understand the risk factors of child welfare involvement within communities and the effects of the Sixties Scoop and child welfare system on Indigenous health and wellness. In the current project we will work with large national survey data to examine the individual-level and community-level factors associated with child welfare system involvement and the impacts on health. We will also work together with the 60's Scoop Legacy of Canada, a non-profit organization focused on healing and wellness for Sixties Scoop Survivors to conduct a quantitative survey across Manitoba. Broadly we will examine experiences within the child welfare system, and the direct and intergenerational impacts of the loss of culture and community on Indigenous health and wellness. It is expected that this work will help promote an understanding of the long-term outcomes and healing opportunities required for Indigenous peoples who have been affected by the child welfare system. This work will also help provide evidence informed policy changes related to child welfare practices for Indigenous children.