A special report on ending the overrepresentation of Aboriginal young people in care - A new story

Under Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate Act the OCYA has the mandate and authority to advise government on best practices and gaps in the child intervention system in Alberta. The OCYA has committed to sharing the... [ view full abstract ]

Under Alberta’s Child and Youth Advocate Act the OCYA has the mandate and authority to advise government on best practices and gaps in the child intervention system in Alberta. The OCYA has committed to sharing the perspectives of young people, families and other community stakeholders on the overrepresentation of Aboriginal young people in care through a special report. This report will be released in the Spring of 2016 and is the focus of this submission.

Objectives:
“Our hope is that a new story is created for Aboriginal young people and their families involved with the Child Intervention system.” Elder, Saddle Lake
To that end our goal was to develop findings and recommendations that will:
1. Improve Aboriginal children’s and family experiences and outcomes with Child Intervention.
2. Push Aboriginal Child Intervention to a greater level of practice excellence.
3. Collectively influence Government and others to change their relationship with First Nations and Métis peoples regarding Child Intervention.

Methods:
In 2015/2016, the OCYA reached out to Aboriginal young people, families, caregivers, and key stakeholders through focus group gatherings, interviews, and online surveys to hear from them what is important and helpful to Aboriginal young people before and after they are brought into care. We heard from 746 people who generously shared their views on best practices and suggested ways to rewrite the story for Aboriginal young people and their families.

Conclusions:
Conclusions and recommendations will be shared from the Special Report to be released in April 2016. The data provided will include the voice and perspective of the 746 participants, including young people, families, Elders, caregivers and key stakeholders.

The report includes information gathered from, questions that explore the past, present and future state of being for Aboriginal children, a literature review and identification of good practice for improved outcomes.