State of care: The ontologies of child welfare in British Columbia

Cultural Geographies

Volumn 21, Issue 1, 2014, Pages 59-78

  de Leeuw, Sarah ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA   (Canada)

Author keywords

child welfare and apprehension; colonialism; common sense; Indigenous geographies; ontology

Indexed keywords

CHILD WELFARE; COLONIALISM; INDIGENOUS POPULATION; REGULATORY FRAMEWORK; SOCIAL IMPACT; SOCIAL POLICY; STATE ROLE;

BRITISH COLUMBIA; CANADA;

EID: 84891524340     PISSN: 14744740     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/1474474013491925     Document Type: Article

References (130)

1. A delegated Aboriginal Agency is a 'designated representative' according to the Child Family Community Service Act, a 'treaty first nation, an Indian band or aboriginal community' (including the independent Nisga'a Lisims Government) that has been designated, in accordance with MCFC regulations, to implement all aspects of child protection and child-welfare law. See Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Children and Family Development [hereafter MCFD], Child, Family and Community Service Act [RSBC 1996]: Chapter 46 (Victoria: Queen's Printer, 2011).
2. M.E. Turpel-Lafond, 'Fragile Lives, Fragmented Systems: Strengthening Supports of Vulnerable Infants', Representative for Children and Youth, BC, 2011, p. 3. Also, a word about the words used in the paper: Canada's constitution recognizes unique relations with three distinct groups of peoples-First Nations, Inuit, and Métis, collectively known as the Indigenous, Aboriginal, or First Peoples of Canada. These are complicated and contested nomenclatures, subject to change and under consistent revision. While not wanting to authenticate categories imposed by settler colonial powers, arguably reproduced by the very government documents I critique in this paper, I nevertheless rely on these constitutionally recognized terms for clarity and ease of reference.
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63. de Leeuw, 'If Anything is to be Done with the Indian', pp. 123-40.
64. Cameron et al., 'Indigeneity', pp. 352-7.
65. de Leeuw et al., 'Deviant Constructions'.
66. de Leeuw, 'Intimate Colonialisms'.
67. See also S. de Leeuw, '"If Anything is to be Done with the Indian, We Must Catch Him Very Young": Colonial Constructions of Aboriginal Children and the Geographies of Indian Residential Schooling in British Columbia, Canada', Children's Geographies, 7, 2009, pp. 123-40.
68. Foster, People, Politics, and Child Welfare in British Columbia.
69. P. Johnson, Native Children and the Child Welfare System (Toronto: Lorimer, 1983).
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73. Hughes, BC Children and Youth Review.
74. Walmsley, Protecting Aboriginal Children.
75. See also Assembly of First Nations, Leadership Action Plans on Child Welfare (Ottawa: Assembly of First Nations, 2006).
76. Foster, People, Politics, and Child Welfare in British Columbia.
77. See Hughes, 'BC Children and Youth Review'.
78. See Pivot Legal Society, Broken Promises.
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80. M. Polack, Message from the Minster (Victoria: Government of BC, 2011). In March 2011, Polack was reappointed as Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. She was by replaced by Mary McNeil.
81. Government of British Columbia, MCFD, Ministry of Children and Family Development Revised 2011/12-2013/14 Service Plan (Victoria: MCFD, 2011b), p. 3.
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85. Government of British Columbia, Responding to Child Welfare Concerns, p. 3.
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89. See M. Bennett et al., A Literature Review and Annotated Bibliography on Aspects of Aboriginal Child Welfare in Canada (Ottawa: First Nations Research Site of the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare and The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, 2005).
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103. See for instance Cameron et al., 'Indigeneity'.
104. Government of British Columbia, Family Development Response, p. 2.
105. Government of British Columbia, Child, Family and Community Services Act.
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111. As per personal communication with MCFD, 2011.
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130. Turpel-Lafond notes that all 21 infants who died before the age of two years old, while involved with MCFD, between 1 June 2007 and 1 May 2009, were born into families facing 'tremendous' challenges. Serious poverty and inadequate housing were common to all cases. Nine of the mothers were either single or very young parents. Five were first-time mothers. Twenty of the 21 families had intergenerational trauma in the parent's family of origin and 15 of the 21 families had a documented history of abuse or neglect in the mother's family of origin. Fourteen of the 21 families had domestic violence issues in the immediate family. Eight of the families had documented domestic violence in previous generations. Sixteen of the 21 families had substance abuse in their immediate family, and 15 of the 21 had substance abuse in previous generations. Twelve of the 21 families had documented mental health issues such as depression, suicidal behaviour and anxiety.