Indigenous Child Wellness in Manitoba: Measurement Considerations Guided by a Community Council

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - Solicited Content: Indigenous Children and Families

Abstract

Introduction. Colonization has perpetuated serious harms on Indigenous families, which are reflected in health-inequities today. There are increasingly widespread efforts, mobilized by Indigenous agencies, to promote wellness through reclamation of Traditional family support services. However, challenges exist working within colonial systems that have structural gaps to addressing family needs. One such gap is the lack of culturally aligned measurement of wellness appropriate for Indigenous children and youth. A team of Indigenous student researchers are now leading the development of such a measure through an Indigenous Community Council. This approach is crucial in ensuring work be conducted through principles of self-determination wherein Indigenous Peoples lead decision making pertaining to their communities’ wellbeing. The objective is to determine a culturally aligned metric and terms of use that are feasible and acceptable to local Indigenous families.
Methods. The Advisory Council Meetings are conducted online in small groups of 3-4 participants, a facilitator, and note taker. There have been two rounds of these small meetings across June and August with a third and final round planned for November.
Questions for discussion have included:
• What is wellness?
• How can we make measurements and reporting more culturally appropriate?
• What kind of permission would be required for this assessment to be brought to communities?
Participants were recruited based on experience in areas of child-welfare, education, policy development, and Traditional Ways of Being and Knowing. Methodology is guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP, 2007) and the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation, (TRC, 2015) with cultural protocols, sovereignty and self-governance as integral aspects of respectful engagement (FNIGC, 2020).
Results. Work to date includes two rounds of Council meetings, with 11 community members participating, two of which are First Nations Elders. Participants in this study represent a diverse body of knowledge including those who have professional experiences with Child and Family Services, community social service organizations and local community schools. Preliminary analyses suggest conversational and arts-based methods to be most culturally relevant and reflective of processes of storytelling and relationship-building. Findings also demonstrate that providing resources according to needs identified through conversation is paramount. Additional results expected by December 2020 include a measure with usage guidelines for the respectful assessment of Indigenous child wellness. Culturally appropriate knowledge dissemination strategies for this work will be implemented January-March 2021.
Conclusions. Taken together, this work will represent the first culmination of an Indigenous-led multi-collaborator process to understand child wellness in the Canadian context. The ultimate goal of this tool is to facilitate community agencies’ ability to better meet the needs of Indigenous community members they serve. The impact of this research will span across community, policy and practice to contribute to the growing movement toward reclaiming control over our health and wellness as Indigenous Peoples. The knowledge developed through this project is expected to have high value to the Manitoba context and beyond. Further implications for social service agencies serving Indigenous families and communities will be highlighted in final reports of this work.

Authors

• Sydney Puhach, University of Manitoba
  Presenting Author

• Leslie E. Roos, University of Manitoba
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sandra Hunter, University of Manitoba
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lynette Bonin, University of Manitoba
  Non-Presenting Author