The overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Ontario child welfare system: A call for systemic change

First Nations children are overrepresented in Canadian child welfare because of generations of colonial practices that separated them from their families. Comparing Ontario’s provincial child welfare data from 2013 and 2018, this study found that, after accounting for child, family and case factors, investigations involving First Nations children were about twice as likely as those involving White children to result in out-of-home placement in both years. The disparity persisted despite major policy and practice reforms in between. The authors call for restructuring Ontario’s child welfare system and replacing its investigative model with a supportive, community-based, prevention-focused approach.