“Pathways in a Forest: Indigenous guidance on prevention-based child welfare” is a law reform report developed collaboratively by West Coast LEAF and the families, Elders and staff at Tillicum Lelum Aboriginal Friendship Centre, Lii Michif Otipemisiwak and the Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association. The report highlights efforts by Indigenous families, communities and Nations to revitalize Indigenous approaches to child welfare, develop comprehensive community-based supports and fight for self-determination.
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 21: The BC government and MCFD should work with Indigenous communities to fund and develop comprehensive services for families that are experiencing violence including services for abusive men and services for the entire family. These services should address intersecting needs including historical trauma, parenting skills, and substance use.-
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 22: MCFD should work with community-based groups to develop safety and risk assessment tools that are adapted in order to recognize the unique cultures and ways of life of Indigenous communities across BC.-
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 23: For expecting parents, it is important to have an advocate or family support worker do initial visits to enhance the chances for engagement with services prior to birth. MCFD must work with community-based organizations that have developed best practices in engaging expectant parents to assess how the Ministry can develop a pathway whereby expectant parents could voluntarily seek prevention supports prior to their child’s birth.-
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 24: Frequent family visits and family reunification must always be the top priority and never delayed due to shortages in MCFD resources. MCFD should ensure that staff understand the need to prioritize frequent family visits and, where feasible, work with community-based organizations that are supporting the parent to ease access.-
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 25: Children in temporary care must be kept within an accessible distance to the parent with due consideration to the parents’ circumstances (financial etc). Where a child needs to be close to their home nation, parents must be given financial supports to ensure that there is adequate access to maintain family connection.-
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 26: MCFD should work with community-based organizations to assess creative ways that social workers could be placed directly within community including mechanisms that would need to be put in place to ensure this does not undermine the relationship of trust between community and families (i.e this may include frontline workers focusing only on prevention and no apprehension).-
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Recommendations for improving prevention-based efforts
Recommendation 27: MCFD must work with the Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General to develop a comprehensive strategy for parents that are incarcerated or on parole.- The strategy must recognize that it is not always in the best interests of the child to remove a child from a parent or guardian that has had engagement with the criminal justice system.
- There must be supports to allow parents to have access with children in prison and while on parole. For example, the government should re-open the mother and baby unit in prisons.
- The policy should set out a strategy for expediting criminal checks so that no child’s placement is delayed because of a criminal record check.
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Recommendations for improving advocacy for parents and Indigenous communities
Recommendation 28: The BC government and MCFD must ensure that each parent engaging with MCFD has access to a trained community-based support worker to help them navigate the child welfare process. Community-based support workers must be trained in collaborative, trauma-informed, and culturally safe practices.-
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Recommendations for improving advocacy for parents and Indigenous communities
Recommendation 29: MCFD should work collaboratively with Indigenous communities to develop training and tools to support Indigenous peoples and communities to understand their rights regarding child welfare.-
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Recommendations for improving advocacy for parents and Indigenous communities
Recommendation 30: The BC government and MCFD to fund child and family advocates in each community-based organization and Nation as a support service to families and the broader community.-
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