Northwest Territories' child welfare system

Although they are large in size, Canada’s three northern territories are more sparsely populated than the provinces and have a much higher proportion of Aboriginal people in their populations. For example, the Northwest Territories’ (NWT) population in 2005 was 42,982, and approximately half (21,413) were Aboriginal people.

Because of the relatively small populations, social workers in the territories also tend to play a much more general role than their southern counterparts. In many communities, child protection workers and supervisors are also responsible for providing social services to seniors and persons with disabilities.