Understanding the over-representation of First Nations children in Ontario’s Child Welfare System

Funded by the Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children Catalyst Grant, Dr. Barbara Fallon from the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto, and Amber Crowe, Executive Director of Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services, provide a summary of their work with First Nations children and families using linked census and child welfare data.

Using the principles of OCAP (Ownership, Control, Access and Possession), representatives from Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child and Family Services (DBCFS) and the Ontario Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect embarked on a groundbreaking project to better understand the over-representation and trajectory of First Nations children and families in the child welfare system. This initiative, linked cross-sectional data from the incidence study with administrative data from the Ontario Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (OCANDS) and Census data.

Key Objectives and Achievements

The project had several key objectives:

• Collaborative Methodology: Regularly meeting with DBCFS staff to discuss methodology and interpret results.
• Data Linkage: Successfully linking the incidence study’s cross-sectional data to longitudinal administrative data.
• Trajectory Analysis: Examining child welfare trajectories of investigations conducted in 2018, focusing on predictive factors such as recurrence of maltreatment and placement spells.
• Disproportionality and Disparity: Linking administrative data to Census data to understand disproportionality (comparing the general population to the service population) and disparity (service decisions).

A Collaborative Effort

The multi-disciplinary team behind this project received instructions from an Indigenous-serving agency and included members from academia and child welfare practice. This collaboration ensured a comprehensive approach to understanding the service trajectories of First Nations children in the child welfare system. The Leong Centre Catalyst Grant played a crucial role in enabling this research, which has provided valuable insights into the experiences of First Nations children involved with child welfare services.

Knowledge Translation and Impact

The data synthesis from this project is now available to DBCFS through the OCANDS portal, which offers secure access to administrative and Census data. This grant also facilitated the development of the “Ten Answers: Every Question Child Welfare Agencies Should Provide” tool. This dynamic web-based tool provides up-to-date information about an agency’s service continuum and disparities, now including updated Census information for DBCFS’s catchment area.

The academic team and agency staff met regularly to review the linked data, ensuring that the web-based tools provided the necessary information to understand the needs and challenges of the First Nations children served by DBCFS. Additionally, custom Census data were shared with DBCFS for internal use, supporting their work with children and families.

This project represents a significant step forward in understanding and addressing the over-representation of First Nations children in Ontario’s child welfare system. By linking various data sources and collaborating closely with DBCFS, the research team has provided valuable insights that can inform policy and practice. The ongoing use of these data and tools will continue to support efforts to improve outcomes for First Nations children and families in the child welfare system.