Blackstock, C. (2011). The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations child welfare: Why if Canada wins, equality and justice lose. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(1), 187-194.
On 26 February, 2007, the Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada took the historic step of holding Canada accountable before the Human Rights Commission for its current treatment of over 160,000 First Nations children resident on reserve. The complaint alleges that the Government of Canada discriminates against First Nations children on reserve by providing them with less government child welfare funding, and therefore benefit, than other children in Canada. This article presents the facts leading up to the filing of the human rights case, the process after the complaint was filed, and the implications for First Nations children, individuals from minority groups, and the moral fabric of the country if the Government of Canada wins the case.
The government of Canada has attempted to have the case dismissed. Canada’s arguments prioritize legal technicalities over the central question of whether or not First Nations children are receiving lesser benefit because of federal government policies and practices. Canada’s pattern of behaviour seems out of step with its international human rights obligations to prioritize the safety, well being, and non-discrimination of children.
On 14 September, 2009, the historic Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on First Nations child welfare began. The I Am a Witness Campaign was launched to educate and engage the public by inviting individuals and organizations to follow the tribunal. The author concludes that if the Canadian government wins this case on legal technicalities, they effectively immunize themselves from ever being held accountable for discriminatory funding practices for public services; this will substantially erode the principles of democracy and equality that define the country.
Clarke, J. (2011). The challenges of child welfare involvement for Afro-Caribbean families in Toronto. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(2), 274–283.
This study used an exploratory qualitative design to examine the experiences of Afro-Caribbean service users – specifically mothers and youth – and workers of the child welfare system in Toronto, Canada. Service users and child welfare workers were purposively selected because they were of Afro-Caribbean descent and had experience in the child welfare system in Toronto. The sample consisted of nine participants, including three youth (age 18 to 25), three mothers, and three workers. Data were collected from participants through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews, and were analyzed using open coding and comparative analysis. Mothers reported feeling that they received differential treatment by child welfare workers and other professionals with whom they interacted, and they also felt criminalized for issues that were structural in nature. Youth reported feeling angry and resentful toward the child welfare system for having been removed from their families, as they felt that this separation caused them to lose their culture, feelings of belonging, and their siblings. Workers noted that the child welfare system conflates structural barriers with personal failings, and that the system fails in understanding Afro-Caribbean culture and immigration patterns. Although the findings are not representative of the views of all Afro-Caribbean service users and workers of the child welfare system in Toronto, the narratives advance our understanding of the complex dynamics and challenges of the child welfare system.
Harkness, K.L., Stewart, J.G., & Wynne-Edwards, K.E. (2011). Cortisol reactivity to social stress in adolescents: Role of depression severity and child maltreatment. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 36(2), 173–181.
This study examined the relationship between child maltreatment, depression severity, and cortisol responding in adolescents. Cortisol is a hormone that has been implicated in depressive disorders. This study utilized a psychological challenge paradigm entitled the Trier Social Stress Test to examine cortisol responses (TSST; Kirschbaum et al., 1993). Participants included 71 individuals ages 12 to 21 years recruited from a mid-size community in Ontario. The sample included adolescents with depression and those without depression. All participants received: a diagnostic interview to evaluate the presence of current/past mental health diagnoses; a questionnaire assessing depression symptoms (BDI-II); an interview to assess stage of development and history of child maltreatment. Saliva was collected from participants at numerous time points: before, during, and after the administration of the TSST, in order to examine cortisol responses over time. Of the 71 participants, 26 adolescents reported a history of child maltreatment. Results indicate that among those with mild/moderate depression severity, a history of childhood maltreatment is associated with significantly higher and more prolonged cortisol levels in response to the TSST. This study has significant implications for our understandings of the biological pathways to depression, and suggests that individual differences in both depression severity and maltreatment history should be considered in all studies examining biological aspects of depression