Indigenous Policy Lens. Dena Carroll, Kate Russell and Chelsea Turpin Aboriginal Policy Ministry of Children and Family Development March 2014

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1 Indigenous Policy Lens Dena Carroll, Kate Russell and Chelsea Turpin Aboriginal Policy Ministry of Children and Family Development March

2 Agenda Context of MCFD Policy and Policy Discussions Aboriginal Equity and Inclusion Lens Applying the Indigenous Lens Policy Processes Aboriginal Policy and PracKce Framework Examples from the Aboriginal Toolkit Our Learnings QuesKons Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons Conference March

3 Context of MCFD Policy Current legislakon, policies/standards idenkfy requirements specific to working with Aboriginal children and families to improve services and outcomes. AOPSI prackce standards have applied to Delegated Aboriginal Agencies since In 2008, MCFD embarked on a project to redesign AOPSI standards. This was followed by a 3- year plan to revise, refresh and streamline all policies across 6 service lines to be inclusive of Aboriginal perspeckves. RecommendaKons were put forth that one set of policies should apply regardless of who serves the child (MCFD or DAA). In 2012, the AOPSI Redesign Project focusing on child welfare/safety standards was completed and not implemented. In July 2013, MCFD and DAA s began working on a Aboriginal PracKce Framework to build on the AOPSI Redesign and build a framework for policy and prackce that spanned all six MCFD service lines. Policy support is also enhanced through targeted MCFD cultural awareness training: Building Capacity for Aboriginal RelaKons, PHSA Indigenous Cultural Competency Training, Indigenous Leadership 2020, Building Bridges Through Understanding the Village. Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons Conference March

4 Policy Discussions DAA MCFD Partnership/ExecuKve Aboriginal Integrated Policy Table Integrated Policy Table PracKce and Policy Standing Commidee Service Line Policy Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe Organizations Conference: March

5 Aboriginal Equity and Inclusion Policy Lens Released in to support a more integrakve and collaborakve approach to policy development and promote equity and inclusion of Aboriginal perspeckves in ALL policies. The Policy Lens is intended to be overarching and a key part of the policy development process. The Policy Lens offers a series of queskons and common definikons to assist staff with building self- awareness and increase cultural competence, and ensure the integrakon of this knowledge in policy development Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons Conference March

6 Why have an Aboriginal Equity and Inclusion Lens? To focus on reckfying errors in the past and ensure inclusiveness for the future. To support working in partnership with Aboriginal people, agencies and communikes. To help idenkfy barriers, changes, and steps needed to avoid unintended consequences of government policy and to support policies that do not produce an inequality, inequity, disadvantage, cultural risk, or perpetuate cultural racism. To support and respect universal human rights. Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March

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9 Applying the Aboriginal Equity and Inclusion Lens - Policy Processes Aboriginal perspeckves recognized as having an equal influence in policy along with legislakon, evidence, alignment with Ministry values/principles, promising prackces, child/ family/community perspeckves. A key ackon in the policy idenkficakon phase is to determine how partners including our Aboriginal partners are to be included In the research and analysis phase of policy development decision point Has the Aboriginal perspeckve been applied? In the implementakon/communicakon/training phase decision point Aboriginal partners and DAA s consulted? Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March

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11 Overarching Framework for Aboriginal PracKce and Policy (currently being developed) Similar to the overall Helping RelaKonship Framework which currently is an overarching framework for all MCFD policy and prackce the Aboriginal Policy and PracKce Framework will be high level and apply to all new and exiskng policies and prackce. The goal is to establish a unified, community developed and culturally appropriate framework to guide MCFD and DAA in their prackce and policy to increase Aboriginal competency across the 6 service lines. An implementakon plan for the framework is currently under development. Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March

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13 Aboriginal Policy Toolkit (currently being developed) This document is complimentary to the Aboriginal Equity and Inclusion Policy Lens. This resource will assist policy staff and other prackkoners with accessible informakon related to Aboriginal policy development Key websites, facts, resources, areas to access further learning, and historical Kmelines related to MCFD policy development are included. Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March

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16 Draft Timeline First Nation communities with well developed governing systems to care for and support their families Traditions, practices and beliefs form the basis of inherent right to care for children Effects of colonization and government imposed legislation and policies including oppression, genocide, and loss of lands 1876 Indian Act directly impacts families 1885 Métis children and families become known as the road allowance people having no land base or recognized inherent rights 1861 First Residential School in BC (the last one in BC closes in Mission in 1984) 1955 Less than 1% of CIC are Aboriginal 1964 More than 38% of the CIC are Aboriginal 1960s- 70s 35%- 50% of CIC are Aboriginal 2013 Although Aboriginal children represent 8% of BC s children, more than 56% of the CIC are Aboriginal Pre- Contact & Time Immemorial Contact & Colonization 1951 Indian Act amended to apply provincial child welfare legislation to Status Indians 1982 Aboriginal inherent rights are constitutionally protected 1980 Spallumcheen First Nation bylaw asserts authority over their children and families, Minister agrees to respect the bylaw st delegation agreement in BC with the Nuu- chah- nulth Tribal Council The Sixties Scoop 1987 Alarming number of Aboriginal children placed in non- Aboriginal homes leads to moratorium on adoption 1996 CFCSA is passed, it mandates Aboriginal community involvement in care and safety of Aboriginal children 1997 Adoption Act amended to include Aboriginal provisions, and a new Ministry for Children and Families is created 1999 Signi+icant disruption in the lives of Aboriginal children, families and communities can be attributed to past provincial child welfare practices Minister of Children and Families New Relationships ( ) 2006 Elders Advisory Council shares cultures and traditions to help support MCFD initiatives 1999 Aboriginal Operational Practice Standards and Indicators are developed to support Delegated Aboriginal Agencies (by 2000, there are 16 DAAs) 2002 Tsawwassen Accord declares inherent rights of Aboriginal people to assume responsibility for services to children and families 2005 The New Relationship and the Transformative Change Accord outline a new relationship with First Nations and a 10- yr plan to address socio- economic gaps between Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal peoples Recognition and Reconciliation ( ) 2006 Métis Relationship Accord signed to address socio- economic gaps 2006 The most recent delegation agreement is signed for a total of 23 DAAs 2006 Canada establishes the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 2007 Complaint +iled with Canadian Human Rights Commission alleges Canada is racially discriminating against First Nation children by providing less child welfare funding on reserve The Dialogue Continues BC endorses Jordan s Principle, a child +irst approach for First Nation children 2008 Prime Minister apologizes on Canada s behalf for Residential Schools 2009 Touchstones of Hope identi+ies principles for reconciliation in Indigenous child welfare (all MCFD regions directed to establish a reconciliation plan) 2013 Cultural Competency training and development of APF 2009 The Aboriginal Integrated Policy Working Group, made up of MCFD, DAAs, and other Aboriginal Partners, shares policy and practice issues and contributes to policy development and implementation 2010 Canada endorses UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People 2010 MCFD releases the Aboriginal Service Delivery Change Conceptual Framework ,900 Aboriginal CIC are in the care of Delegated Aboriginal Agencies. 19 First Nation DAAs represent 130 of approximately 200 First Nations in BC, and there are also Métis and Urban DAAs.

17 Our Learnings Working together and maintaining relakonships with our Aboriginal partners is the most crikcal aspect to ensuring Indigenous perspeckves are applied Processes oken require longer Kmelines and diverse strategies to ensure full and meaningful engagement of Indigenous perspeckves including face- to- face interackon We must ask ourselves, are the outcomes framed from an Indigenous perspeckve? Be clear and transparent about intenkons Diversity of Indigenous perspeckves involves a variety of Aboriginal partners Be adenkve to language language holds power There is a need to acknowledge the past as unintended consequences have a ripple effect Indigenous lens is also required for communicakon and training associated with policy Inclusion of Aboriginal PracKKoners is key in order to ensure a conneckon between policy and prackce Voice of Aboriginal Youth is also crikcal and oken overlooked Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March

18 QuesKons? Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March

19 Thank you! Moving Forward: Building Culturally Safe OrganizaKons March