Pacific Child Welfare

Integral to the New Brunswick child welfare system is the idea that family and community are the most beneficial and desirable environments in which to raise a child. The foster family is intended to act as a temporary support system for the child who can no longer remain in her home. The primary goal is to return the child to her own family as soon as possible; or, where that is not feasible, to find an alternative, yet permanent and loving arrangement in which she can develop and succeed. This system has all but failed many New Brunswick First Nations children. While Aboriginal peoples comprise a mere two per cent of the New Brunswick population, Aboriginal children come into contact with the child welfare system at significantly higher …show more content…
The majority of these cases involved child neglect rather than physical or sexual abuse, and were often directly linked to poverty, poor housing, domestic violence, or substance abuse. These statistics are staggering. The New Brunswick Child and Youth Advocate’s 2010 report on the state of Aboriginal child welfare entitled Hand-in-Hand noted that such statistics come as a rude awakening “for those who pride themselves on our province’s record of equal opportunity and our ability as a society to bridge the cultural and linguistic identities found among us.” As these statistics suggest, the opportunities and inclusivity enjoyed by many New Brunswick residents have not been extended to First Nations children in care. The Hand-in-Hand report asserts that young First Nations parents who were interviewed for the purposes of the report often described a deep attachment to their First Nations communities, yet many admitted that they do not want to raise their own children there. The sentiment expressed by these parents highlights the collective failure to provide many First Nations children with the healthy and safe homes to which all Canadian children are