RESI LI ENCY: L E R I G FROI\1 I DI CE 0

S \\'Ol\1E

I

SOC I AL WORK

by

B . \\ . l'nl\crc.,Jt\ of \'1ctona. 2002
"'

THE J UB:vt iTTED I ~ P RTIAL FL' LFILL;v1E T OF
1 HE REQ UIREME TS F R THE DEGREE:, OF
MA TER OF SOCIAL WORK

UN IVERS ITY OF NORTHERN BRIT! H COLUMBIA
AU!:,'U t 2015

c Sonya Row land, 2015

II

b tract

Thi

e xpl o ratory ~ tud y \\ a .. undertaken to ga in a grea ter und c r~ t a ndtn g of the cx pcn cnces

ofre tli cncy among Ind1 genou ~ \ \ O ll1 Cn pt actt cmg ~oc t d l '"ork 111 child \\ Clfat c A~ p cc t~
oflinda luhi,\ al

rn1th · ~ ( 1999) and

larga ret K o , ac h ·~ (~009) Ind1 gcn o u ~ Icscarch

approaches were u ~ed to guid e th1 ~ 1e~ea rc h . and the n1 cthod of a n n l ;~ t ~ u~ed '' ns
thctnatic analy i ~ T he e "\p en e nce~ ~b a red h; th e Ind1 genous '' orn cn '" ho parti cipated tn
thi

tud y revealed that per onal a ttnbut c~ and '"o rk en' 1ronrncnt ca n h1nder or pr on1ote

re iliency The e '' o n1cn found th at ha\ rng a "trong ~c n ~c of tdentJty and be111g g1ound ed
in culture and pin tu alt ty. along \\ 1th ~tr l\ tng to crea te \\ o rk -I1fe balancc and pt ac tJ cJng
elf-care \\ ere impot1ant to mamtmntng a hea lthy\\ ell-he1ng. Othet facto rs 1dentdi cd as
promoting rc iliency included· Il cx ibd ity in th e v. orkpl acc. and bc1ng abl e to practi ce
ocial \\ ork in a v. ay that 1 refl ectl\ e of Indt gcnous \\ orldv tev. s Hav 1ng access to
resource and support s. uch a clinical uper-v is1on. and crea ting space \\'here genUJne
relation h1ps can be butlt with colleagues and clients were al o tdcntdi cd a signifi cant.
Recon1mendations to better suppot1 social workers were derived fro1n the interviews, and
furth er directi ons for re earch \.\ere also discu ed.

...

Ill

Tabl e of

ontcnt

...................................................... J
Chapter One lntroductt on .................................. ..
Pcrso nall )Catton. Id cnllt)'. Culture. and ocwl \\'otk Pt ac ttce ................................... 2
Dcfi ni tio11 o f T c1111 ~

. .. . . . . . . . . . . • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . 4

u rn111ary

.. .. .. ... .. .. ............... .... .. ....... .. .. .... .. .. ......... ....... ..... .. .. ..... .. .. .. ..... ......... .. ... .. .. .. .. ... 7
tu(l y Over\ tew .. ... .. . . ........... .......................................................................... .. .......... 8
Chapter T\\ o 1 tterature Re\ t C \ \ ..................................................................................... ! J
Chtld \\' cl rare A Cht onologtcal Canadian 0\ en. te\\ ................................................. 11
0\ crviev. of hi lei \V cl rare and Indtgcnou <, Peopl e .................................................... 14
In d1gc no u ~ \ \ ' t) tn c n .. .. .. .. ..... .. .. ............. ........ .. ........... .. ..... .. ..... .. .. ..... .. ....... .. .. ..... ....... I 8
Wcllnc and llealtng................. ................................................................................. 20
. . .. . . ... ..... .... .. .. .................................. .. .. ............. .. ..................................... 7?
..... .-...
Rc~ tlt en c c
.............................................................. . 22
Indtgcnous Re tlt cncc .......... .
ocial Work a ~ a Profc s~ i o n tn Britt ~.., h Colu rnbw .................................................... 24
Chtld \\'elfare EducatJ on 111 Bntt h Colutnbw ............................................................. 26
Challenge and octal Work ... .. .................................................................................. 28
Per onal charactertstt c . .... ...... .... .. .. ..... .. ...... .. .. .. ... .... .. .. .. ..... .. .. .... ..... .. .. ..... .. .. ... ..... . 28
Ex tern a! et1\'irontncnt . ........ ....... ............. .... .. .. .. ....... .. .. ....... .. .. .. .. ..... .. ..... .. ............. 3 1
Organi?ational characteristics .......... ....................................................................... 32
Bu1nout . .. . . ...... . ....... ..... .... .. ... . .... .. ........ ... .. ..... .. ............ .. ... .... .. .. .. ..... .... .. ..... . ........ . 33

Overview of the Re ea rch ..... ... .... ...... ............... ... .... ... ......... ..... ..... .... ......... ..... ........... 13
Retention and Social Work .. .... ... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. ... .. .. ................. ..... ... .. .. ........ 3 5
elf-Efficacy ......................................................... .. ............. .............. .......... ............ 35
Organizational culture ....... ...................................................................................... 36
Women in Social Work ....... ........ .. .. .. .. ...... ....... .......... ..... ..... .. ......... .... ... .. .. .. .......... . 3 7
lndi gcnou Women in Social Work ............................................................................. 38
SumJn ary ....... ......... ..... ... .... . .. ...... .. .. ............ .................. ................... .......... ....... .. .. .. .. 4 2.
Chapter Three: Research Methodology ........................................................................... 44
Theoretical Orientation ................................................................................................. 44
Mctl1odology ....................................................................................... .. ......................... . .t.R

San1pl e Selecti on ........................................ .. ........... .. ..... .............................................. 53
Participant Recruitrnent ............................................................................................... ')4
Ethi cal Considerations...... ................ ......... .. ................................................................ ') 5
Data Collecti on ........ .......................................... .. ........................................................ 57

Dctta Analysi5 .... ................................ ... ........ .......................... ...................................... .::;9

Integrity 111 Resea rch ............ .................................................. ...................................... () 2
Sun11nary .......................................... ......................................................................... 64
Chapter Fou r Research Fu1c.ltn g~ ......... ............................................................................ 65

IV

Dcn1ographt cal In forn1at1 on .. .... .. .. .... . .. .. .. .. .. ........... ... ... . ......... .......... .... .. .. .. ... ... ... . .. .. . 65
elf-Identity ........
........................................................................ ........................ 67
Indtgcnou<; \Vay of KnO\\ tng..................................................................................... 67
Culture and piritual1ty ................................... ............................................................ 70
Goodr1c ofFit .........
........
............................................................................. 7 1
Personal and Profe~ ~ t o n a l Values Allgntng ................................................................. 72
Workplace lnJ10\'att on ............................................................................................... 73
octal \\'o•·k Pt·actt ce ................................................................................................... 75
Accc. to R e~o urcc~ and upport. .................................................................. ......... 76
up en i 1011 and Dehtt cfin g ........................................................................................... 77
Trcllning and Cultural Rc o ut c c~ .................................................................................. 79
Thc Po\\'cr o rM ent<)r.. , htp ......................................................................................... Rl
Relation l11ps .. ............ .. ...................................................................................... 82
elf-Care and Work-Ltrc Balance .......................... ..................................................... 84
tr·cs and l-1ca 1th
.. ............. ..
. ... .. .. .. .. ............... .. .. .. ..... .. ..... .. ..... .. .. ....... ..... .. .. .. . 8 7
1111dati tt c ~ 111 the Literature and Rc"'ca rch ............................................................ .... 9 1
S umtnary .
.... ....... ...... .... ... .. ........... .. .. .. .. .. ..... .... ... ..... .. .. ..... .. ......... .. .. ... .. ..... .. ....... .. . 93
Chapter Fi\ e Concluding D i sc u ~ ~ • o n ............................................................................ 95
References ..................................... .. ...................................................................... ...... ! 07
Appendix A· Etnail Rec ruitment Po tcr .......................................................................... 121
Appendix B. Infotmauon Letter Con5cnt Fonn ............................................................ 124
Appendix C: Que tionnaire Guide ........ . ..................................................................... 128
Appendix D. Tran criber Oath of Co nfidentt altty ......................................................... 130
Appendix E: CSFS Letter of up port ..... ......................................................................... 131
Appendi x F: REB Letter of Support ................................................................................ 13I

Li t of Table
Table 1. Identifi ed Thcn1e ............................................................................................... 67

•

Vl

Li t of Figure

Figure l Vi ~ ual d1 play of themcc;, ................................. ............ ... ............................... 6 1

\ 11

ckn o\\ lcdgcmcnt.
There arc tnany people \\ ho ha\ c contnbutcd to the \\ I I tJ ng 0 r th I ~ the" I S and bel\ c
supported n1 e personal!; throughout tht JOUrn e;
I " ould like to ac knO\\ ledge the lnchgenou \\ on1cn '' ho (.., hat cd thctr ~ totJ e(.., and
thetr tin1 e \\ tth me I \\ ould ltkc to ex pre~~ 111) gratJtud e tn n1 y the(.., JI.., ach 1 ~o r, .J oa nna
P1erce and 1ny cotnn1tllcc n1 e tnhe r~o., fo r thc11 guida nce tht ough th e lea rn ing pt oc.c~o.,(.., of tht ~
the i . I \\ ould al o ltkc to extend 111) appreuct ti on to Chcr; l Tho n1a(.., and Mary 1eegce
for thetr on-gotng n1e nto r~o., hip , support and encouragcn1cnt
I could not ha' c '' eathcrccl the tonTll.., on th is JOurn ey \\'ithout th e love and
support or n1y famd y and fn c nd ~o., Thank you to n1 y mother, grand Jn o th cr~, a untJ c~o.,,
cousin and fri end who are all "tro ng wo n1cn 111 rn y Ide who conttnu c to chall enge and
in pire me. l want to extend a spec wl thank you to my be~ t fn end, La ura, for her tnput

and for her hours of phone suppori
Thank you to m y parent and brothers for all o\\: tn g 1ne to rea ll/c my O'A- n
potential. All the up port and love you ha\ e provided !TIC is one of the greatest gi n " I wd I
.

ever recetvc.
To n1y husband, Cru·is, thank you for pati entl y editing thi s thes is, for always
supporting 1ne. and for your constant love and strength through the years.
To tny son, I ludson, to whon1 I dedicate this thesis, I atn trul y hi e sed to he vour
tnom.

1

Chapter O ne: Introdu cti on

This research stud y focu\ed on the e "Xpe lJ c nce~ of lnchgenou" \\On1en \\hom e
ocial \VOrkcrs that ha' e practtced, or '' ho cuJTcntl y prac tt ce, \VJthtn the field of chdd
welfare tn Bnttsh Colun1hJa \11 an} of the problen1" Indt gen n u ~ peo ple face tod ay ca n he
linked to the hi\tOr) of "go, crnnle nt- \bnriginalt elatton"·· ( The \ho11gll1al Ju ~ tt ce
Irnplen1cntatton Con1n1t\ston. 20 15. n p ) The tntntston hy chtld ' ' elf are autho1JtJ C<; 111
the past ha been paternalt stl c and colon1altn natut c lndJ gcnou" children \\C te taken
frotn thetr fan111les and co1nn1unttte\. fir"t h) the re\tdenttal \c hool ~y\ t c n1 and later hy
the child wclra re y tctn Both ") ~ t en1 . hcl\ e had eleva tatJng effec t\ on gencratt ons of
lndigenou people and cotnmunttt es (\1cCa\ltn & Boyer, 2009) Today. fndt gcnous
children continu e to be O\ er-rcprcsented '' tthtn the child '' el fare "Y"ten1 ( K<)/lov:\kt .
Sinha, Hoey, & Luca. , 20 1 l ). Many Indt gcnou

ati ons arc cstabltsh1n g thctr own child

welfare agenc1cs . o they can dcll\ cr thctr O\\n chdd ,,e lf~lrc <;et'- JCe\, and a'> a '>tep
towards self-determination.
A quali tative, exploratory resea rch desjgn was chosen to help th e parti cipants
share their unique experi ences. and to ex plore how the concepts of'' cline<; and
resiliency are conn ec ted. Exploratory research is often favoured as a n1ethodology ""hen
little is known about the topic under stud y (Ma rl ow & Boone, 2005 ). I wanted to explore
the following que tion: What arc the experience of Indigenous oc1al '' o r~ er~ \\ or~tng
in chi ld welfare? This resea rch stud y was guided by the fo llowing econdary question"
What factors co ntribute to Ind1 genous ocial workers' resiltcncy \\ htl e \\'OJ ktng "1thin
the child welfare systcn1') What coping strategies do Indi genous ~octa l '' ot kct" cn1ploy to
pron1otc wcllncss and balance in their li ves while working in the fi eld of child'' elf:Hc·>

2

My goal \\a to pro\ 1de a "-pace that pr on1otcs th e ~ h a n n g of kno\\ ledge and the
expenence o f lndtgenous '' 0n1 en v.ho ha' e \\ O J ked'' tth1n th e field of chtld ,,clfm e, and
to re, eal ne'' kn o,,Jcdgc dnd p er ..., p cc tl\ e~ tcgardtng tht . ., top1c.
purposeful "an1pltng "-lt atcg) '' a..., c1pplr cd to rn' ttc lndi gcnou" '' on1cn ~ ho
ha\ e a degree 1n ocral '' ork and '' ho ha' c '' orkcd a~ ...,oc1al '' ork cr.. , for a 1111ntn1un1 of
t\\ O y ea r~ tn the fi eld ofc.. hild ,, clfatc to ptll1tc. tpct tc in tht . ., ~ tud y. Dur ing th e rc...,ea1c..h

to hi ghli ght so n1e of th e top1c..., that a1o...,c f1on1 the ex per1enc..c..., "harcd b) th e wo rn en who
cho e to parttc 1pate 1n tht . ., ~tud )
Per o nal Location : ld entih , C ul ture, and S oc ia l\\ o rk Pra ctice
~

The'' ay '' c 'te\\ the '' orld and h()\\ \\ e relate to the c n v 1ro ntnc nt ~ around u.. ,
in1pact our cholarl y \\ ork and our areas or 1nterest S1n1th ( 1999) . ., tate..., 1t 1" 1n1p011ant
for re earchers to ituate th e n1 ~ C I\ es tn relatr on to thetr famtl ), coin inunity. and cultural
background. I will begin by offering rny gencalogtcal introducti on 1 an1 a mixed-race,
Indi genous wotn an. My paternal grand father\\ a~ Cree from the Ia' e Lake area of
Albet1a, and n1 y paternal grandn1other can1 e fron1 a Metis settl ement tn Portage La
Prairie, Manitoba. My maternal grand1nother 1s pritnaril y of French ancestry and can1c
fron1 Sas katc h e~ an. and n1y rn aternal grand rathe r· s fa rn i1:- ic; o f I:::nglish a n ce~ tr) .
Although I have a trong connection to 1ny fan1ily and culture and feel grounded in 111)
identity, it has been difficult to n1aintain a connecti on to my Indigc nou roots and
traditi ons whil e living within an urban co n11nu ni ty , itu ntcd far fron1 rny traditionnl
territory. Like rnany other [n(ll genous people, I did not grow up on tn y t1aditional
territory. Several or n1y relatives were forced to att end church-based ~c hools a"' chddren.

Generation of tn y extend ed famil y v. ere di ~ pla ccd and ass in1tlated tnto dotninant ~ oc t e t y.
and when they returned to thetr hon1e co1nmuntttes th ey felt a ~cn ~e of dt ~c onn ec t and
alien ation A a re~ ult. chtld \\ cl fare p o l1 c 1 e~ and prac t1ces hcl\ c 1111pactcd ~e\ era I
gen erati o n~ of n1y fmnd )

Although it 1 ~ not c1 ~ unp le or ea~) p1 oce~ , I he he\ e 1t t'\ tn1po11ant to
ackno\vl edgc the p os 1tt o n ~ of prJ\ degc clnd po\\ er \ \ C hold \\ tth in ~o c t e t y In addJtt on I
belie\ e .. elf-refl cxt\ tty ~ ~ central to out grO\\ th a~ 111dt \ tdu a l ~. out 1e l a tt o n ~ h1p ~ w1th
others, and our abJIJty to pron1otc equ1ty I td entJfy a~ a hetetoc;cxLtaL abl e bodtecl.
edu cated, n1tddl c-cla s, n1r\ ed- race Indt ge n o u ~ \\ on1an. I \\ a~ fo11unatc to gro\\1 up tn a
n1iddl e cia~ . hon1e free frorn a hu ~e and neglect. whtch offered 1nc a ~c n ~e o f <;ecul tty and
belonging
•

O\\

a an adult. I an1 also prJ\ ilcged to he a moth er. \\ hi ch ha~ tntroduced

new meaning into life I would not ha\ c cxpcncnced otherv.. 1 ~e
Identity ca n be a hi ghl y charged subj ect for lndt ge nous peo pl e due to the ac ti on ~
taken by the government o f Canada to eradica te Indigenous Jd entitJ es In rn atnstrcmn
society, power and pri\ ilege can frequ entl y be linked to the colour of our skin , colour that
affects day-to-day social experience . The ways in wht ch Indigenous identity is
experi enced because of skin colour is the source of many tensions tn di sc u ~s i ons of
Indi genous issues between Indi genous and non-Indigenous people, as well as betv. ccn
Ind1 gcnous groups (Crey, 20 15). As a light-sktnned Indigenous wo n1 an, 1 ha\ e not
experienced the day-to-day burden of racisn1, or the le\ el of di scnn1tnat1on th at
Indigenous people who arc darker- kinncd and visibl y recogn11ed a~ Ind1 genou~ htt\ c
faced.

4

For the past thu1een yea r" I ha" c \\or ked as a "ocwl \\ orket. in the a1ea of child
\\ elfarc tn a' anety of Indtgenou" cornn1untt1 c throughout R11t1 ~ h Cnlun1h1C1 I hrough
these ex penences I ha\ c \\ 1tnessecl ho\v s ystcm.. contt nue to oppt e'-~ Indt gc n o u ~
population and perpetuate and pron1ote cultur al a~~ 11n i latt nn of In<.h genous children and
vouth Into rnarn ~ t1 ea n1 ~octe t\ \!though there 1'- no "tt aiuhtf on.\did ~o lutton . It 1nav be

.,

•

'-"

'-'

J

po ~ tble to de\ clop appropnate "Y~tc n1 s of chtld \\el fare th at\\ Ill not only ~ upp o 11
Indigenous co n1n1unill c~. hut pcl11ap~ the larger Cc1 nadian ~<lctc t y In ord er fot thl'- to
occur. agcnc1e~ and chtld \\ elfm e \\ orkct" need to ~ho\v a e.enutne r e~pect for Indt gc n ou~
peoples· self-detenntn allon and a\\ tlllngncss to learn new\\ ay~ of prac ti ce
My professional c"\pcncnce'-, ha\ e led tne to helte\ c Indtgenou" ~octa l \\ orkc r~
face uniqu e .. truggle \\hen \\ orkt ng in ch tl d v. elfa t c
•

!though the tn ajo ri ty of the cit en t~

I have worked\\ 1th are Indi genous. I ha\ e v. orkcd alongstdc few Indtgcnous soc1al
worker~ . The~ c per onal experiences ha\ c tnfluenced my dc'-,t re to help de' clop

know ledge about how , ocial \\ orker!:> can be better su pported. and to protnotc and
empower Indigenou social worker working within the fi eld of child welfare.
Furthennore, I hope 1ny re earch findings\\ til infonn tn y O\\ n clinical practi ce and that
the collective experi ence of the Indigenous won1en who par1icipatcd in the study are
honoured and provide orne in ight to th o~c suppo11ing soc ral workers.
Definiti on of Terms

The fo llowing definitions arc given to provide clarity and context to thr~ rc~cdrch
stud y:
Indigenou s peopl es. There arc 1nany different tcrn1s used ae ro

literature to c..knotc

Indi gcnous popul ations, such as Incl igenous, Aboriginal. Na ti ve, lnd wn, First Nat1ons.

Metis. and Inutt Many scholars hen e cho ~c n not to usc the tct 111 ·· \b01t g1nal .. hcc au ~c the
concept 1 con. tructed \\ tlhtn colontaltsn1 dnd \\a defined thr nugh gcn cn1n1cnt
legi lation (A lfred. 2005). l·or the purpoc:.e o fthi ~ paper the tcnn "' lndt gc nou t.;'' \\i ll be
u ed to tnclude f tr\t

at tons, \1 e ll ~. and Jnutt peo pl e\\\ ho ha\ c ance'-. tt al rootc:. V\ tthin

Canada The tcnn ·· Ahongtnar· \\ dl -.,t tl! be u ed tn relation to go\ ct ntncnt poltucs.
agenc tcs, and \\ 1th 1n d 1reel quote'-.

Child \\ Cifarc. The tcnn "child \\ clfarc·· I\ u'-.cd throughout t ht ~ tcc:.cclrch c:. tucl} to relet to
protcctl\ e . en ICC'-. for ch tl clt en. ) ou th. and (clln tlt cc:. pt ovid eel b) dc'-.tl!natcd go\ crnrn cn t
and del ega ted Abongt na I agcnc tc'-. The tcn11 "ch tl d pt otectton.. 1~ al <.,o con1n1on 1y u<.,eel
wtthtn lllcrature Child\\ clfare a<., a <.,tate tn Britt<.,h Colun1bta t<., re'-.pon<., lbl e foJ prO\ tdtn g
safety. petmanency. anJ \\cll-be1ng for chdd ren Child \\elfa tc ~e r\t ccc:. are legally
sanctioned by the pro\ tncw l go\ ernn1ent under the Child. Fa rndy and Comn1un1ty
ervicc Act (CFC A). as \\ ell as other rclc\ ant lcgt<., ]ation <., uch as the Adoptton Act
(Gough, 2007).
Child welfare ervice can includ e receiving and Investigatin g reports of poss1 hie
child abuse or neglect providing ~c rvices to families who need assi<.,ta nce 1n the
protec tion and care of their children: arrangi ng for children to li ve v. ith kin. fo~ter
fatnih es, or approved group hon1c facilities when th ey are not safe to be at hon1 c:
arranging adoptive hom es for children in co ntinuing custod y: and prO\ iding tndcpcndcnt
living support to youth in care (Canadia n Chi ld Wei fare Resea rch PortaL 2014 ).
"'Child weifare \\ orker" or "'child protection worker" refer to a person delcgc1tcd
under the CFCSA to provide child\\ elfarc services (Ministry of Children and Fatnily
Devcloptn cnt, 2014 ). Chtld wei fare servi ces are provided direc tl y through the pn)\ inc tal

go\ ctn 1ncnt knO\\ n as the Mtnt5try of Children and Farndy De\ clopn1ent ( 1 1· D), or
through delegated

horigtnal agencJe~
<...:

<...:

ad\ cr11 cn1cnts. con\ er~a tton . and C\ en at '' ork \ lth ough th et e 1~ no un 1' ct ~a II }
accepted defin1tron of '' cline <;. Cha1le~ B Corhtn of \r liOnel ~tate

Ill\

ersitv
.. defines

\\CIIne 5~ a<; .. a nlultJdmlcn ~lo nal . ., tate o f h~1ng dc(\trthiiH! the C\. l ~ t c nt e of po~Jlt\C health

in an tndt\idual a e\. ctnpltli cd h): qualtt) of'ltfc an d a scn(\c o f \\cll-bciJlg .. (Dc finttJ on of
\V cllne~5. n p ) \\' c ll n c<;~ ca n al . . o he de fined ac; an ac t1 ve. p1 C\ entd t1' e pt ot..c~~ to\\ at d ~

heahng'-' and balance.'' ht ch 1 not linlJtcd to the a b ~c n c.c of d1~cac:;e and til n ee:;~ (Definition
ofWellnes . n p ).
Re ili ency. There i tnuch debate among rc~ca rc h c r conccm tn g the cont..cpt of

re !lienee: hov. e\ er Bottrell (2009) define rcsilJ encc. 1n the b1 oade<;t <;c n ~e. a~ a p o~ 1 tJ " e

adaptation de pite ad\ er 1ty. The An1cncan PsychologJCa l A~~octatJon refers to resilience
as .. the proces of adapting \\ ell in the face or ad\ crsit). traurna . tragcd:. threat\ or
significant source of trec:;s- such as famil y and relatton hip probkms. ~cri o u " health
problems or \VOrkplace and finan cial (\tresc:;or\·· (20 14. n.p.).
Culture. Culture can be under tood as a net\vork of shared n1 eanings taken for granted as

reality by those who interact within the net\\Ork (Zap[ 1993. p 696)
Marginalization. Margi na Iization is "'an intcrd i c ipiina r} tern1 :· \\ h ich rc f'er~ to "the

process in which a subj ect is rend ered n1arginal through the exercise of power \\'ith111
patriarchal cultures wotncn, despite thei r nun1eri cal n1ajority. are n1arginal11ed h): a range
of practices and discourses includ ing ernp loyn1ent law and acaden1ic di~ciplinc..., ..
(Andennahr, Lovell, & Wo lkowi tz, 2000, p. 150).

7

Burnout. Maslach, chaufcll . and Lettet (200 1) de\icn he burnout a\i .. a pt olongcd

rc, pon c to chrontc etnollonal and 1nt e rper~o nal ~ ll e~so t \ion th e JOb. and 1\.i de fined hy the
th ree ditncn ~ i o n~ o r C\.hau~llon. C) n1 1 ~ 111. and mcllicaLy .. (p I ) Cr~lliland and Janl e\i
( 20 13) ~ u gges t ~otne 1ca o n ~ fot bun1out 1ncl ude lc1rgc Ld~cloa d ~. Ide k of \\ orkct ~

e:xpcrt1 c. demanding ctnpln} Ct ~. unbend1n g 111 lltull ondl rules and p1 ocedure\i.
co nttnu o u ~ papen\ o rk. and long'' ork da)'

T ra uma . The tenn 1\ defin ed'' 1th1n co n ~t ru ctn J\l ~e lf- d e\ elopn1cnt theory 111 the

foliO\\ ing'-' \\a\"'
as the un1qu e 1ndl\ 1dual e\.pen cnce. d\~ouated '' 1th (111 e\ ent or en dun ng
condition. in \\hi ch. ( I ) the inUJ\Jdual·~ ability to mtcgratc a fTec.tJ\C expc ri cn<..c

i oven\ helmed or (2) the 1ndt\ 1dual e"X pe n e n cc~ a threat to I d e 0 1 hodJiy
integrity . The pathognon1onic rc pon'c~ arc changes in the llldiv idu al'~ ( I ) frarne

of reference. or u ual \.\'3) of under~tanding ~elf and \\ orld. 1ncludtng sptritual 1ty.
(2) capacity to modulate affect and mat ntam benevolent inner conncct1on w1th ~elf

and others. (3) ab ility to meet ht s psychological need tn mature v. ays. (4) central
p ychological needs. which arc refl ected in di srupted cogni ti\ e chernas. and (5)
memory systctn. including

en ~o ry experience. (Pcarln1 an & Saak.\ itnc. 1995. p.

6 1)

Surveys of th e general po pulation suggest that at least half of all adult~ tn the
United States have experienced at least one n1ajor traun1atic strcs or
S ummary

Chapter one prov ided an overview or the purpose. questions, and ~1gni fictH1CC of
th1s stud y. I suggest that the experiences of Ind igenous wotn cn need to he heard B:

crcattng pace for\\ omen to hare their\.\ 1. do tn and kn O\\ ledge, I an1 hope fu l that\.\ c ca n
ga in a better u n d c r~tanclJng of how to ()Upport ~ oc tal'' orkers '' ork1ng tn chtld wei fare
Thts the 1. ~ ~ a ~ tat11ng p o 1nt in pt O\tdtng th at ~ p ace. ho\\ C\CJ, th er e ~ ~ c1 need fot n1orc
re car h th attncludc

lnd1 gc n o u ~ \\ O nl c n ·~ t<-.\UC\ anJ pcr()pC( tl\ e\

At the pre~e nt t1n1 e there arc (C\\ Ind 1ge nou() 'oual wot k.cr' pt act H... I ng 111 th e fi eld
of child'' clf~1re 1 he h1. totJcalt clatton, htp o l dJq n.J <., t hel\\ ecn Indt gcnou<., Ln tn n1 unrtr e~
and the chtld \\ elia rc . y~ t c n1 ~ ~ \ lgndica nt. e~ p ccw ll } fot Inclt gcnou<-. \\Olllcn \vhn choo<.,e
to \\Orkin tht s fi eld. L1ttlc tcsea tch has hccn con1plcted that ex plore<., the un tqu c
expcn cnces or Indt gc no u ~ \\ Ol11Cn \\ ho practi ce \OC IC\ 1 \\ ork In chJld \\ cl f aJ e R c~ea rch Ill
th1 area i. en tt ca I to und crstanch ng the connec t ton hct\\ cen Ind1 gc n ou~ <.,oc ial \.\ 0 1k
theory and practtcc Ind igenous <.,OC tal '' o rker~ \\ ho arc dedt ca tcd to practJ c tng <.,oc ial
work in child \.\. elfa re arc rare and hi ghl y coveted It j<., crucial that \\ c deve lop th e
knowledge ncces ary to support Indi genous octal wo rkers worktng tn the Iicld oi child
wo rk Thts qualitati ve tud y \\ as designed to ga 111 in ights into lnd igc nous \\ omen· s
experi ence of re iliency \.\ hile \\ orking tn chtld welfare. and to begin to address the gap
in the literature concerning Indige nous social ''- orkers · expen cnce
S tudy O ve rview
~

This thesis is di vided into fi ve chapters that fo cus on the relevancy of this
resea rch top tc and provide an overview o f the pertinent literature and re earch. My
resea rch journey and proces , as well as the finding and recon1tnend at1 ons fo r futur c
research and practice, arc also represented within these chapt ers.
Chapter two includes an overv iew of th e literature, which C'\dtn inc-., the
development of the child w e lt~1rc systcrn in BC and its irnpact on Indtgcnous people The

9

current delegation process that tnany lndt ge nou~ co n1n1unit1 e~ arc u~tn g to 1n1plctnent
the tr own chtld ,,·clfarc agencies, and s ta tt ~ tt cs related to Indt genou ~ con1n1unJtJ es, arc
also hJ ghlt ghtcd in th1 chapter 1 he petsonaL 0 1gant/d llonaL c1nd en\ 1ronn1 ental fa ctors
that pre ent challenges fot ~ocw l \\ orke1~ practJc 1ng 1n child \\ d farc ate C"\ plot eel In
additton. barn cr . ~ tru gg l e~. and the rc~t ll c n c) fdctor~ pet1dlning to Ind igeno u ~ won1 en
practi ctng tn chtld " elfare c1 rc al~o di~cu~~cd
Next, cha pter three o utlin e~ the n1ethoclolog1e~ th at gu1ded tht~ ~tudy and the
n1cthod I ha\ c used to co n1plcte the research t\ qualitatl\ c explo ratory resea rch
rnethodolog) \\a~ cho en tn thts ~tudy hecau~e Jt •~ an ep 1 ~ten1 olog i cally appropn atc
chotec a the goal or thi. research~~ to gain knO\\ ledge abou t a pa11tcular g r oup·~ l1 \cd
experi ence linda I uhi,\ai ~tnith· ~ Ind1 gcnou

project~ and \l arga rct Ko\ach·

lndigenou n1 ethodological characteri sti cs \VCJ e also considered and u~cd to guide n1y
resea rch process. It was in1por1ant to u. c a process that respects Indt ge nou ~ ways of
know tng as a rneans of honouring n1y ov. n va lues and bel i e f~. and to ~ h ow respect for the
wo1nen who cho e to partiCipate 1n thi study
In chapter three. self-refl exivity. tnaintmning transparency. and choos1ng to u~e an
exploratory research design are described as n1 eans of rcrnaining accou ntab le and
promoting integrity in the research process. An inductive thcn1 ati c analysis tnethocl V\ a-;
compl eted u ~ ing Braun and Clarke· s (2006) step-by-step approach as descnhed 111 th1~
chapter.
In chapter four. I present the then1e that emerged frorn the e1ght 1ntcn lC\\ s
con1pl eted during thi s research process. The rnain therne include sclf-tdenttt) ·
subthen1es: Indigenous perspecti ves and child welfare, culture, and spt tttuctllty. Gooclncs...,

10

of fit

subthcn1c.

p er~ onal and profes tonal \ alucs a1Jgn1ng, \\ orkplacc 1nno\ alton, <mel

social \\- ork practt cc: Accc<:.,. to re<:.,o urcc~ and upport"- '->uhthcnle'-> '-> upcn J'-> lon and
dcbncfing, traintng and cultural rcc.,ources. and the p<n.vcr of 111CntOJ shtp. relationship".
and elf-care and\\ ork-lifc balance The fincltn g~ c1rc p1 c~c nt ccl us1ng 11lcll1)' o f th e

in the workplace, and . ys tcn1i c harn crs arc al'->o d• c.,c uc.,c.,cd.
Ftnall ), chapter fi, c 1ncludec., an mterprctdtton of th e key find1ngc.,, <:.,t ud y
1in1i tat1on , rccornrnenda ttons. and td eac;, fo t f uturc 1c<:.,earch. ·1he fi ncl111 g~ of th is the"' c.,

clearly show that spec di e factors ca n pron1 otc or h tndcr res l11 ency for c.,ocial worker<:.,
practic1ng in the fi eld of child\\ elf~1 rc The fi ndtn g~ al<:.,o Jn c!Jca ted that Ind1 gcnous <:.,Oc lal
\Vorker 1nay benefit frorn suppot1c.,, uch ac., rnentorc;,h1p fron1 other Jnd1 genouc., c;,ocial
•

workers who hare comn1on expen ences and perspec ti ves, and t1n1 e to build relationships

with tho~e they\\ ork with Although 1l \\-a<, not a top1c of focus\\ tthtn the rcc.,carch. rn oc.,t
of the social worker ex pre ed feeling 'A ell suppor1cd while~ orktng ~ tthin delegated
Aboriginal chi ld welfare agcncie .

II

haptcr T" o: Literature Rcvicn
Child Welfare:

hronologica l Canadian 0 ' ervic"''

Chtld \v elfare a a natt onal1 "suc ha" un oh ed Jn\a ~ l\ e and dJ ~ ruptl\ c go\ ct ntn cnt
sanctioned 111lCf\ c nti O I1~ 111l0 the d o rn c~ tJ C <:;p ace~ o f fcll11Jl1 Ct.. rhe IJt et atUI C ~ u gg.c~ tS that
one of the rnost 1ntrut.. 1\ e rc~ p o n t..c~ for d Lhtld at 11 ~k '" 1en1o' tng the Lhlld f'ron1 thcu·
fmntl y Respondtng to chdd protcc t1 on co n ce rn ~ u ~ u a ll ] 111\ oh c<., ~ocia l \\ 01kc1" and
other professionab. such a5 pollee offi cc1~.~c hon ! ~. and ho ~ plt a l <:; , oft en '' 1thout the
parent or child . co n5cnt. I he \\ Oik . urroundm g an a pp1 ch e n ~ l o n 1 ~ t1n1e-co n ~ un11n g and
can tn\ oh c ~oc tal \\ orkers. courh. I a\\ ) c r~. fa n1d y n1eciJat1 on prog ra n1 ~. and parental
upcn 1 ion progratn requ1rc n1e nt ~ In tn ) ex pcltcnce. tht ~ procc<.,<:, ct ca tes addttJ onal
tre
•

to fan1dy ystctn and parents De I eeU\\ (20 14 ) ~ t ate" th at children ha\ c oft en

de cribcd the experience a<.; ..dcvat..tating" (p. 63 ). hild \\ elfa re poli c1cc; and th e oc wl

workers who wo rk within the e . y tern .. n1u ·t balance the confli ctin g pressure of
soc iety' s de ire to protec t children fron1 abu e and neglect \\Ith the larger society v1cw
that the famil y unit i impot1ant and hould be presen eel whenc\ er pos ibJ e (de Lceuw.
2014 ).
In March 190 L the first child \Ve l fare act wa pa ed in the BC Legt()lativc
Assetnbly, supported by the Council of Wotnen o f Vancouver. This act gave the state
authonty to retnovc children and place them with fo ster famili es to en ure th e chil dren
were removed fro1n situations where they faced abu e, neglec t. or abandonn1 cnt. Ilt o..,tonc
assesstnents were often subj ective and based on the hyg iene of the hon1e. n1tH alit) of
parents, and the beha viour of parents and relativ e tO\\ arc! eac h other and thct r chtldrcn
(Mora les, Shcafor, & Scott, 2007 ). ln early years, child wclf~1rc \\ Ork.cts \\etc n1ost

12

co n1rnonly vo lunteer. or n1 cn1berc;; of rell gtouc;; <;,oc t etJc~ Bet\\ ecn the 1 910~ and 1960s
there \VCre stgnifi crmt chan ge~ that occ urred Within th e field or chdcl \\clfate Ill Ca nada.
By 1939, unl\ cr tt y affil tated progtatns bec.an1 c tecognt;ed c1ncl thu~ '.Oc tal \\O tk a" a
profcs~ 1on (Mo rale<;,,

hec1 for. · Scott. 2007).

In addtti on. the \ tate' <;, fo rn1 c.ll a~'.tlnilation pro<.C\\ o r lndt gcnou~ people\ lc.l
go\ Cl11111ent pol icJC\ etncrged throu gh the <.. rca tton or church-bcl\ed ~<.. h oo l ~ and Indian
rc idcnttal sc hools The nUJnhcr or rc~ tdcnttal ~c h oo l ~ 1cached XO tn 1911 The Go tdon
Rc idcntial chool \\a s the last federal!] operated rc~ ld c ntt a l ~c hool and 1t c l o~cd 111 1996

in

a~ katc he\\ an (Abton-o·connor. 20 I 0)

The lndwn '\ct \\a~ an1enclcd tn 195 1 to

tnclude child \\elfare and to pro' 1de the pro\ tnce \\ 1th the authont} to dcln et chtlcl
welfare en. tee on re~e l\ e~

In the 1960 , the . i"<tics ~coo p en1 crged. a tenn coined by Patnck John ~o n In
1983, Johnson prepared a docutncnt titl ed lVatn ·e Cluld and the C/111d IVel(are Sv\tcn7 ,
which was one of the fir t publicly access ible docutn ents that recounted the 1111pact of the
child welfa re ystern on Indigenou

co n11nunitic~ (Han<.,on, n p ). Kulustc (2005) suggcsh

that " pO\\er. privilege and po\ ert) are co n1pl e ~l} rel ated to the di sproporti onate nun1ber
of Aboriginal children who vvere removed fro111 their con1m uniti e ·· (p. ?6) Indi genous
children were ren1oved based on Eurocentri c govetnmcnt standards and delivery tnodelc;
that stated it was in the best interest of the child ~ however, there lacked input and a
recognition of traditional Indigenou s culture and kin~hip caring sy tcn1s (Paltner &
Cooke, 1996 ). The pcrn1ancnt ren1oval of thousa nds of Abori gtnal children during the
sixties scoop continu e to effect Ind igenou con1n1unitics today (Abton-o·connor.
20 10)

11

There ha been a Significant ll1C rca~c 111 the nunl ber o r Incli gcnou() children
enten ng care smcc the 1 960 ~ ( Hud ~o n , 1cKen11 c. 2001) Il l" n I a/A rnunpcd Scn ·1c c:
A Dec ade of I o \t Opportun in · fo r . lh o1a~ina l Cln /dru1 and } outh 11 1 H C ~ ta t cd th at 111

20 11 an Aborigina l child '' a" "7.4 ti n1e ~ more likel) to he au n1i ttcJ 111to c,11 e. and I 1 4
t1n1c. tn orc like l) to rern am rn car~ ·· in Bl (The R~pn?\t: nta ll\~ l'o r C hi ldrcn ,tnd Youth.
20 13. p 20) In 20 11. the Rcpre\cnt<lll\e lo t Chlld1cn clnd Youth (RCY ) ~ tat ccl tha t rn nre

than 52 per cent of children 1n care of the BC go\ crn n1 cnt wet c \ hnt tginal (20 l 1. p 7)
lnd1 gcnou chtl dren conttn uc to fare \\ or\ c than non- bon gtnal chdd ten tn U l! C 1n BC
They fa ce hi gher ra t e~ of u1carceral 1on. \ Ut CJdc. \ el f-harn1 beha\ JOUJ. and lo\\ er rate\ of
choo l con1plction ( \11 n1 tr) of Children and t an1ll y De\ eloprn cnt. 2007: The
Reprc. entati\ e fo r Chil dren and Youth. 20 13) 1 he RC Y ha ~ \ ugge"tcd that th e Federal
. child welfare funding policy ha abo influenced a grea ter nurnber of Abon ginal child ren
coming into enre due to a lnck of f\.t nd tng fo r pre" cntatt vc sennccs (20 13, p 2 I )
Chil d welfare in BC i. cun cntl y practiced wi thtn the legal fran1cwork of th e
Child. Fan11(1 ·. and CoJnn7uniiy Sen ·1ce . l et (CFCSA), \\ ht ch \\as pa s~ ed 111 1996 and

atnended in 20 11. In add itt on to the Ch Ifd. Fanulr. and Con1Jnun1 tr Scn ·1ce , 1c 1. child
welfare practi ce is guided by the Child and Fanuh· S crr[(.:e S tandard\ created by th e
Ministry of Children and Fa mily Dcveloprnent (Miru stry of Children & Fan1ily
Development, 20 15). The purpo c of these standards i to pron1ote better sen ices 1<.1 r
children, youth, and families. as wel l a to preserve cultural connecti ons for Abon gi nal
children, and to strengthen fa rni lies and conununiti es (Mcnitt, 2012)
The A horiginal Op erational Pracl1ce Standards and Jnd[( a/oJ' ( A OP <; I) \\ et e
developed in 2006 with the support of delegated Abori ginal agencies and n1ttn}

14

Indi genou cotnn1un1tt e

genctes and conltnunJtJe. collahoJ<Ited \\ tth the pt O\ tnc wl

governn1ent ~ tth hope of developing a ne\\ set or ~ tanclm d that \Voulcl exceed current
goYerntn cnt ~ tand a rd s. and hettc1 ~u pp o rt chtld1 en and f cllntlt c~ 1n a 11101c cu It ural Iy
rcle\ ant v. av..
In adciJtt on. there\\ a~ optll111 0.. l11 th<lt chcliH.!,CO.. 111 pl c1C llCC ~ta ndaJ de;;\\ nuld lecld the
way for the de' elopn1cnt of nC\\ lcg t ~ l at J on

uK e 20 1!. th e 1\1CfD h ct ~ puhltcly o.. tated

they would no longe r ~ upport cparatc o...tanda rd ~ and pol t e t e~ fo1 del ega ted Ahon glllal
agenctc . 1n rega rd ~ to child \\clrmc 1\ . Cl 1esult, th e dc\e lop1ncnt o f the AO PSI child
\Velfa re tandard dtd not co1ne to (ruttion ttnd \bori gi nal age n uc~ continu e to be heav tl y
tnonttored and crittqucd b; the pre)\ 1ncwl go' ern n1ent.
Overvic\\' of C hild \\'elfare and lndi genou People
•

The evolution of Ca nadian child \\elfarc polictes and prac ti ce~ tn rclallon to
Indi genous co tnmuniti e wa desc nbed by A11111tage 111 2003 a~ be1ng dtvided Into three
pha e.. : the a imilation penod fron1 l 6 7- 1960, the ch1ld welfa re pen od ( l960-19 XO),
and the devolution of ervt ces penod fro tn 1980 to present (Mand elL Carlson, Ftnc, &
Blackstock, 2003, p. 11 ).
The ass imilati on period reflects the broader assitnilation policies in Canada.\\ hde
the second phase describes the integration of services to status Indians vvithi n existin g
mainstream services. The third, and current phase, illustrates BC' s current child \veil are
systetn, wh1ch supports sotne degree of co nununity self-governance und er the tenn~ of
tripartite agreements between the fed eral and provincial go' crntnents, and the abori gtnal
com1nuniti cs/bands (MandelL Carlson, Fine, & Blackstock. 2003 ).

IS

Dunng the ass ttntlatton penod 1e td cntwl c:;c hool ~ \\ ere crca tcd thr oughout
Canada. ~ an c ti o ncd by Indran fTa11 ~ ac:; an altcrnatl\ c pc1rcnttn g tn c:; tttutt on in an ntten1pt
to a ~ itn date Indtgcnou.. ch tldren 1nto don11 ne1 nt ~oc tel)

~, on1cn \\ ct c fnt ccd to V\ atch

hc lpl e.~ l ) as th etr chtldrcn \\ ere taken d\\ ay ft orn thcn1 c1 nd pl <Kcd in tCI.i tdcnti al (..,C hool(.., .

1any o f thc(..,e chtldren \\ ct c \UbJcctcd to ph\\IC<.ll. cn1 otr onc1 l. and \e\ ual abu \c \\ hd c
res tding 111 re tdentwl sc hooL and cultural pt act tee' \ LH..h a(, language\\ c1c fod1tdd cn
frotn bctn g . pokcn ( Foun11er &

re). 1997) \lthough rcc:;tdcn ti al (..,C hoo ls ha\ c hecn

clo ed fot the p a~ t l\\ o d ccd d c~. th e negat t\ e effec t(, of th c~c (..,c. hoob arc still afTcc..ttn g
Indt genous co mn1untttes toda)
In the 1 94 0~ the Ca nadtan

''octatt cHl of oc tal \\'orkcr(.., and th e

anaclt an

~'c lfare Council created a bri ef ad\ oca ttng ror an1e ndnl e nt ~ to the lnclt an Act

rhey

recommend ed th at provincta l chtld \\ elfarc ~c rv tccs be offered to o n - rc~c rvc p o pul a tJ o n ~
10 the hope

of pro\ tdtng equitable '-,Ct"\ 1ces \\ here the federal go\ emn1 cnt V\ a(, I a i lrng to

offer any ervice . At that titn e. the prO\ tnccs provtd ed o n - re~C t'"\ c en Ices tn ctl y tn
cases of extreme etnergency, referred to as ··a life and death .. po!J C) ( ~inh a & Ko/I O\\c, ki .
201 3,p.3).
In 195 L Sec tion 88 was introduced to the Indi an Act.\\ hi ch n1 ade '"all Ia\\ s of
general appli cation from time to tin1e 1n force in any province applicabl e to and rn re~ p cct
oflndianc; in the province: · (Sinha & Kozlow ki, 20 13, p 3) and for the fir t tunc
provincial child welfare legislation appli ed on-reserve. With the new allocation of fedc ra!
fund s throu gh Indian and Not1hern AlTair Canada the provincial govcrnn1 ent begc1n
deli very of child welfare services on re erve.

16

a tlon ~ cotnn1un1ttes to fonn

In the tnid-l970s there \\'as a 1110\ ctn cnt by Fast

their ow n chtld \vel fare agcnctc . '' h tch reflected the conltnun tlt c~ · gt ow1ng desire for
sclf-detcrmtnatJ on Tht. occurTed tn tcsponsc to the lm ge o\e t tcprc"'cn tati nn of
Indtgcnou.. chdclren 111 the Ccl r C or the ~ tate

tnce the Ccllh 19X0 ~ child \\cl lcll C
-'

lcgi latlon authont; has ren1c1tned '' 1th the pn)\ 1ncc. hut n1an) Indt l!cn ou~ co tntnunttl e~
are current!; tn the p1 oce

n r nego ti atlng. de' clop1ng. ctnd 1111 p le1nentt ng th ei1 O\\ n

progratn, designed to better n1cct the need "' of their nl cJnhcr"' llo'' C\ ct. thct c arc' ""'t
'ariancc throughout the pro' 1nee 111 hO\\ , \bon g1nal c h II d ''el larc "'c ' 'tees <ll c del tvcred
(MandelL Ca rbon. f-tn e. & Black"'toc k. 2001)
There are inc rca tn g number"' of lndigenou"' co n11nun1ll c~ opet at1ng del egated
Aboriginal agencies in BC. hO\\ e' cr. thc ~c agcnciC<; tnu ~t 1ncct the q tJ ct readtn cs"' and
legi lati ve requiren1cnt , through the prO\ Incial delega ti on model crea ted hy the
provincial authority known a~ the M1nistry of Chtld ren and Farnlly Devclopincnt

(MC FD). to receive auth ority and fundin g to pro\ 1de crvice to their rn etnbc rs. Reser\ ebased Ftrst Jation communttie . urban-ba ed Aborig1na l con1n1unit1 c"'. and M ct1 ~
cotnmunitie are granted authority under their delegation enabling agreement~\\ 1th the
province of British Colutnbia to dcli \er services to their 1nembcrs as an Abonginal chtlcl
and fa1nily service agency.
Within the delegati on agrcetn ent. the agencies agree to enter into a three-t1Crcd
operati onal proces defin ed within the Mini try of Children and Fan1tly De\ cloptnent
"delegation of authority to J\ bori gina I agcnc ie " n1atri x (:~005, n.p.). l ach de kgation
level has speci fi c operationa l and practice standard associa ted \V ith it. The tlu cc
delega tion levels arc defin ed within the Aboriginal Operational and Practice Standards

I7

and Ind icators (AO P.. I) as \ o luntary sen 1 cc~ (C l ). guat chan'-,h1p c:,er\ I CC~ ( C 4 ). and ch del
protcctton .. en 1cc . (C6) (M1n1stry o fChtldt en and Fatnd) Devclnpn1ent. 200'5 )
The chdd \\clfare delegati on tnoclcl can tnclude full author tty bc1ng gt\ en to
delegated Abon ginal agencle'-,. 0 1 through par1ial delega tion th<lt all en\ " agcnue<., to
proYidc child \\ clfare-<.,pccdic . en tccc; up to their tt ppt O\ eel level of delega ted author tty
Delegated

borigtnal agcnctc" pnn tdtng htunan c1 nd <.,nual <.,et vice<., to thcll n1 etnhers

li' ing on re. en c n1u ~ t adhere to the pro\ tn ctal leg t<., latt on. }HH\ e\ ct. the) rcccl\ e th ctr
funding through the federal go' crmnent
Dtrectl \ e 20- l. the current fcdcral Depar1rn ent of A bot 1grnal ,\ ff atr<., and

nrthcn1

Developn1ent ( AA~DC ) fundtng poltc) 111 BC. lc1c kc; pecdi c Ct Jtcn a for adJu<., tm cnt of
fundin g to meet pec tfi c con1n1untty n eed ~ There ha' e been no fundin g fo n11ul a changee;
since the creation of Directi\ c 20- 1. \\ htch occurred 25 yea rs ago. For thi s rca<.,on.
delegated Aboriginal agencies haYc bee n lobbymg for enhanced preventi on funding ~o
they ca n better uppot1 the needs of th e1r coinmunity tn ctnbers through prcv cntatJ vc
.

en 'tce .
As described by Mandell et al. (2003). fundin g ha c; been a .. th orn ) probletn .. fo r
the delegated Aboriginal agencies. because ··organizati onal fundin g benchtn arks and
fon11ula s inhibit agencies· abi lities to de\ clop ervice · dcern ed n eces~a r) ·· (p 40) .
Delegated Aboriginal agencies have stru ggled with inadequate resources, and have had
difficulties recruiting and retaining qualified social vvorker du e to thctr tnabtlrty to
provide competitive wages and benefits in compari on to the proYinc tal go\ ernn1cnt
(Representative for Chil dren and Youth, 2013 ). In 2015. the Truth and Reco nctli nt ron
Com rn ission of Ca nada call ed for acti on rron1 the provincial and federal gc)\ Cllll11enh to

JR

pro\ ide '·adequate rc (\ourccs to cnahlc
orga ni/ations to keep

hori ._gina I co n1 n1un it ic ~ and ch tid-\\ cl f~1re

borigmal fa tnilt e~ togeth er \\here it~ ~ ~a fc to do ~o" (p. I)

Many del egated Ahnngi nal agenclC\ regard the del cgcttton n1 odcl as dn mtcttn1
tnod el of go\ cn1ance pcndtng the 1ccogn1tion o l \hon g1nal l d\\ ~a nd ~e l f-gc)\ ct nan<..c
The dclcga tJ on procc~~ 1 ~ ~cc n a a\\ a) to budd cn paci ty. \vhilc active!\ ex plnt1ng longtctm opt1on. . to pro' td c chtld \\ elfm c ~e n ICC\ 111 a \\a) thc1t ctnpcnvcrs co n1n1untltc ~ to
su tai n their O\\ n \ aluc . . . belteL . and tradtt1on ( ~1and c l ct al . 1001)
I ndigcnou \\'on1cn

Taktng tnto co n tderatl on the h1 ~ ton c contex t ou tlined abo' c. n1 y rc\CaJ ch wi II
focu on the role of Ind1 gcnou \\ nn1cn and gend er 1 (\UC\ Ht \ tott ca ll y and cu rrentl y.
5ocial \\ orkers are prcdotn tn atel) \\ otnen (\\' altn\ley. 2006) To date. I ittl e rc(\ca rch hac;
been cotnpleted to exatnine the need ~ and ~ tren gth ~ of v. otnen ""orktng 1n the fi eld of
child \vel fare.
A nun1ber of cholar argue I nd igc nous v-. on1 en · ') pO\\C r and posttton tn the1 r
cotnmunities have been altered ubstanttally ince contact with Eu ropean settl ers (Alfred.
2005). The Indian Act played a key role 111 changing the roles of Indigenous ""otncn

through the banning of traditi onal and hereditary govern ance ystetn s Patriarchy i ~
deeply embedded in the ideology and practices of European culture. The Ind ia n Act
created conditions of econorni c di sparity between Indigenous n1 cn and won1cn, vvh1 ch dtd
not exist prior to contact with European (Green, 2007). Wotncn had equal rights to land
and resources and often held protninent po itions a tnatriarchs in thctr co n1n1un t t1c~
Thomas (2009) describes this significant change in the follow tng \\ ay

19

In ) ct another atten1 pt to dc"tro:- '' o m e n· ~ ro lc<;, in the co tntn unit) . in I R69 the
lndtan Act'' as an1 cndcd to forb tel won1cn fron1 parttctp atm g tn the tn anagctn ent
of our co n1n1un1tt c~ Onl; n1cn '' c1e able to run fo1 po<;,Jtl on<;, of p O\\ c1 cht cf nnd
counctl A , '' el l. all propcrt) thc1 t '' on1cn held '' <1~ no'' Lon tr nlled h) her
hu band and" til e;; and e<;td t c~ \\Ctc tt an"Jcn cd frnn1 the f~llhc t to th e Lhddr cn by
pa, sing ' ' on1cn all togcthct (p 6)

Untll as recent a 19R 5. the Indwn
'W OJTI Cil and thetr chddren I

ct cff cell\ cl v rc n1o\ cd Ind wn <., latu" f1nn1 lnd1 gc nou"

r they n1 atT1Ccl a non- Indt gc no u ~ tna n

Con' e r~c l y . "hen Ind tgenous tncn n1arn cd non- Indtgcnou<; ' ' on1en. thc"c \\.O n1en
\\ Cre automattca ll ) pm1 of the Indt gcnou ~ comtn untt) /\"a rc<:,u lt. Indt genou" \\.O nl cn
and their children faced greater dt <., pantt e<:, a<, the} \\ere not afford ed the an1c acce"" to
hou ing on re erve. educati on ponso rsht p. and other soc ial and health progratns
ava ilable to rncn1bers with Indian status Tht also placed won1 cn in sttu att ons that
1ncrea ed rate of po' er1y, ocial excl uston. and v 1olence.
In 19 5 the Indian Act \.\. a amend ed and granted Indigenous ~ otncn and th et r
children the ri ght to regain thetr Indian <;tatus through Bill C-3 1 This mn endn1ent dtd not
eliminate the inequiti es that Indigenous women stdl faced within thetr O'W n cornmuntttes
(Big Eagle & Guitnond, 2009). The amcncltnent was rnct by resi tancc fron1 son1 c tna ledominated Indigenous organizations (Mc ivor, 2004). Women who openl y ach oca ted tor
gend er equality were often labelled a fetnintst and troubl emaker \\ 1th1n thetr
comtnunities Political groups criti ciLed Indigenou

\\Ol11 Cn for focustng on gendet ~~~ue~

and suggested that their agenda took focus away fron1 fi ghting the larger collectl\ c bdttle

20
of e tab Ii hing con1n1untty ~clf-gc)\ crnancc Toda) . thct c arc ~ttl! fc\\ Indt genou<; '' on1en
in leadershi p po~1t1 on s across Canada (LaRocqu e, 2007).
Colonwh 111 and patt rarchy h<n c ~ t c t co t) peeL ohJ cctdi cd. and dchunHlntJcd
Indi gcnou '' o1nen One o f the n1 o~ t datnag.tng ~ t e reo t } p e~ 1 ~ th at lndi ge n o u ~ \\On1cn arc
unfit 1nother. fhe fo II O\\ ttH....?. 1efet encc til ustrate"' the neJ..?.a
._ lt' e c1tti tude~ th at do1n ina ted
the ea rl v"" 190()~.,
Probably much of tht ~., tnfanttlc tnortall t} tnay he traced to pr crn ature rn arn agc.
'' ht ch rc ult tn "eakl:y o ff~pn n g. and to tgnorance of lncxpetJcnc..ed n1oth c r ~., as to
''hat co n~ tttutc , uttab lc noun~hn1ent for their c.ht ldrcn. and a" to thc11 care 'A hen
, ick (Canada. 19 1L a" cited tn \1 ofTat & fl etTing. 1999. p 1X2X)
Indi genous con1munttt e 'tC\\ '' on1 cn a the centre of th ctr nat tons bccau<;c of the
. important role they play a caretakers To date. one cou ld argue there 11., no other grou p of
women 1norc crutin11ed for their parenting abi l1ties v.-hcn we considc1 th e
di proportionate nu rnber of lndigcnou children 1n care (Fi ke, 2006). Kline ( 1993)
chall enged thi notion by tating tructural oppres 10n. 1111p eri al t ~m. coloni/ atJon. and
racism are the true factors co ntributin g to Indi genous fan1ilie · ~ tru gglc<;, in additi on to
the high level of rnoni to ring and interventions by child \\ clfare authori t1es.
Wellness and Healin g

Ptillelyensky, Nelso n, and Perison (200 I ) state well ness i not only the a b.. cncc of
di sease but rather it is defi ned by the '"prese nce of positi\ e n1ar~cr characte ri \ltC<; that
come about as are ult of felicitous co1nbinations of organi rni c. fan1diaL con1n1ur11t) dnd
<ioc icta l elerncnts·· (p. 7 ). Furthen11o rc, we stri\ e to,vard s wellness ' 'hen "c clc,lrc
wholeness and con1pctency wi thin ou r lives.

21

Pappas (2004) define ~ healm g a ''th e aggregc.1te o f tee hn tquc ~ u ~e d to rnak c
human beings \\hole again b) counteracting dt \ lre" tnthc hod!. n1ind. and \ pint'' (p. 2 )
All ocicti c · ha\ e c\ oh ed n1 cth od ~ aitned at re"tonng ph y\ tcd l health and pron1nttng
en1ottona l contenttncnt In n1 an) lndtge nou\ culture""' ound th e \\oriel. hca lct" ha\ e
approached\\ cline"\ frorn a holt "tt c p c r~.,pcc tt \ c. tr) tn g to ct Cd te c1 nd n1 atnta1n balance
and hannony tn nlultt-dtnlCn\ JOns Crencrally. tradllt onal appr oac hc" tn co rpor atc
culturalJ y-ha. ed healing ~ tra t eg 1 c

I '\ a rnpl e~ of' . trategtc~ u~ed clround the\\ olld n1 ay

tnclude. hut are not lunttcd to. ce re rn o n1 c~. trddttional mcdicrnc~. "P" itu al prac tt ce".
ntual . prayer . dance. ong and c h a nt~. ar1. r~l~ts, fea~t~. and mcdJtatton
~' a ldram (20 14) h a~ ex plored contem porary Inclt ge n ou~ healing progra n1 ~ 1n

Ca nada and

ugge~ t

that there i .. often an tnterconnect ton bet\\ ccn hca ltng and ht ~ ton ca l

traurna for lndigcnou peopl e due to our h1 ~to ry of coloni altsrn J Je fut1hcr suggests th at a
co1nmon cletnent of many Indigenous hea ling progranv; 1s a focu on the on-go1ng
journey of healing \Vithout a pecific. fi xed d c~ tina tJ o n . WaJdratn (20 14) al o s u ggest~
that, while there i a focu on the individual to engage in the healing process. their
Situation can be placed fin11l y \vithtn the colontal context. In tht way, htstory ~ ~ not
denied but helps individual under tand their circum lances in relation to the hi storical
processes of oppression and intergcnerati onal aspect o f trau1na . Brave Heart and
DeBryun ( 1998) have asse11ed that Indi genous peo ple toda; ··ha\ e a pen as i\ e ~e n ~e of
pai n fron1 what happened tO th ei r an cestors and inC0111plete 1110Urnin g o f th o e I O<.,~C<; ..
(p. 68).

22

Rc ilicncc
Re thence ts ofte n\ te\\ cd as a pt occ~s defined hy accc~~ to, and cffec tt\'C u~ c of,
protect I\ e tnflu enccs 1n 1c pon c to n sk and ad\ cr ~ tt), a~ \\ell a~ the \\d) that pc1 ~o nal
and con1n1un1t) co nte~t help to produce \\Cline~<:.. (\\' c~lcr. 20 14). 1\ ~ tud y that cxa rn1ncd
re iltcnce in respon~c to ltfc ~ tre~~ ~uggc~h that t\\ O pcufic \<lllable~. cogntlt\ C
hardines and the effe ct ofcopmg ~o.,t)le. n1cl) pt on1otc P")chologJcal fun c. ttonmg and
well-being when ~ c arc faced\\ tth acher~e ltfe C\cnt~ and p<:..yc hol ogical di~o.,t J c~s
(Beasley. Thon1p on, · Oa\ tdson. 2001. p. 77) \\ ex Icr ( 20 14) al ~o po1 nts out there 1~ a
d1rect ltnk bct\\een rcs!lt cnce and cu ltuJc Culture ts an unpor1ant \ariahle that Influence<;,
how people approach. tnterprcL and respond to cH.h er<:., tt; and d d ficult ~ ~ tua ti on~
lndigcnou Re ilience
•

De pite the legacy of genocide and colonialisn1. today tnany Indtgenous
comrnunities and their n1en1ber lead resilient II\ es tn the face o { cx tretn e adversity
(Smi th ~ 1999). Optimi m

tcn1 fro n1 the belief that now , n1orc than ever before,

Indigenous people are better able to respond to their cotnmun ity stru ggles. Act1visn1 and
trategic alliances Vv ithin Canada and internationally ha\ c helped reinforce 1110\ etncnt
towards a positi ve future and space for reclaiming identity ( tni th. 2004 ). Rmnirc; and
Ham1nack (20 14) state Indigenous strategic of res ilience arc derived frotn both
traditi onal and cultural re ources and paradigtns. and rcOect th e on-going responses to
challenges posed by evolving relationship with tnain trcatn society. Chandler and
Lalonde (1 998) co1nn1end cd Fir t Nati ons co mn1unitie in BC for thctr actl\ c
engagctnent in cotnn1unity practices that ha ve pron1otcd cultural re\ ttaltzation and
significant positi ve change. such as lowerin g youth sui cide rates in spec ific con1n1un1ties

23

For n1an y Indt genous cotntnunttte tn

anada. \\ olncn pi n) a central 1ole a~

fa cditallng agents or re~ tlt cncc dcspttc a lack of publiC ackn O\\ ledgcn1Cilt ( Rnn111 C/ &
I Imnn1ack. 20 14) Se\ era! tn ale lndt gc no u ~ leaders ha\ e cn1ph n" tled the 1111po1 t<tncc
tn atcrnal figure. ha\e pl a)cd tn thett ll\e ~ pct"onall). a" \\el l a~ the 'igntfi cctnt tole
\\ on1en ha\ e pia) cd 111 bnnging con1111unity n1ctnhc1" hack together to \ ll cngth cn the1 1
comrnunJti CS The roJI O\\ tng C'\ceq1t de\cnhc\ thJS ~ tl c n gt h
o being ~o clo e to hct [grand rnoth c11. 1111 h1 other and 111) <:,c l f \\ere a hi e to lea rn
a lot about. or get a lot of k.nO\\ ledge fro rn hc1 I do hd1c\ c the n1ost 1rnpo11ant
thtng I did learn fron1 n1y grand rnothcr \\as ho\v to treat oth er people aJound rnc
and ah\ a;~ be re pcctful A lot about our ~atJ\ e \\a)" carne fron1 her 1\t ni ght.
he\\ ould ah\ ays n1ak.e us \a)' our pr a}er , and \he\\ ould pea k 111 our

ative

tongue. (Ratntrez & Hamn1ack, 2014. p. 125)
Another leader d c~c ribed the quiet strength and resdtcnce h1 s grandtnothcr n1odcled ""hen
he recalled:
I had a real pecial relati onship wtth tny grandm other... Shc went compl etely blind
due to diabetes, and then she had her leg amputated . ot one da y in her hfc d1d
she have any self-pity, did she talk negative. She \vas the 1110 t optimistic and
happi est person. (Rarnirez & l Ianun ac k. 20 14. p. 121 )
The leader went on to describe his grandmother as the n1ost in1portant and po~ tll\ e force
in his ea rly life. Indi genous won1en remain th e guardi an of the values, culture,, and
traditi ons of their cotntnunitics. They play an essential role in fa cilitattng hea ling\\ rthtn
families and co1nn1unities.

?4

. ocial Wo rk a a Profes ion in Brit i. h Columbi a

. a profcs~ ton. socwl \\01 k 1" focu ~~ed on pt ohl cn1 ~o.,o h 1ng and chan ge Soc tal
workers arc often seen a change agent5 111 t.,OC tety and 111 the It\ es of th e tndl\ tduals.
fa rntlie., and con1n1unitJ es they sen c (Johnt.,on · Yanca. 2007). The Cctnadtcln
As. ociallon of octa l \\' ork e r~ ( \ \\') de~o.,c11he<> th e pr ac ti ce of th1 t., p1ofec.,~ton 111 the
foll o,ving \\a y:
I Iutnan n ghts and ~octal JUc.,llcc arc the phtlo~ophtcal und erpinn ings or socia l
\\ ork practtcc The untqu ene~o.,~ or c.,oual wo rk pt acll<.c 1~ 1n th e hI end o f ~o n1 e
part1cular \ aluc , knO\\ ledge and sk tll ~. Jnclucltng the u ~c of rcla tt onsh1p a~ th e
bas15 of all in ten entt on and tespect for the cl tcnt' cho Jce and 111volvcn1cnt
(2015. n p )

Ethical co nduct and practice i at the core or rnost professions, includtng social work. -r he
Briti h Colutnbia As ociat1on of octal ~· o rk cr (BC A \\' ) Code of Eth1cc., \\as adopted
in 2003 and con i t of 11 principl e guiding the pract1 ce of soc tal \\- ork 111 BC. w h1ch
include the folio\\ ing:
1.

A ocial worker shall n1aintain the best Interest of the client as the pnmary
profe ional obligation.

2.

A social worker shall respect the intrinsic wot1h of the perso ns she or he scr\ cs in bet
or his professional relationship with then1.

3.

A social worker shall carry out her or his professional dutic and obligation" \\ ith
integrity and objectivity.

4.

A socia l worker shall have and rnaintain con1pctcnce in the pro\ t\ 1011 of a ~o.,ocial
work service to a client.

2)

5.

A social wo rker shall not C"<plott the rc l a tl o n ~ htp \\ tth a ciJ cnt fo1 pcr<io nn l bene fit.
gat n or grattfi catton.

6

A social \\ Orkcr shall protect the co nfi denti al tty of all pro f c~~Jo n a ll y acqturcd
1nformatt on

he or he ~ h c1 ll dt ~c l o'-.c ~ u c h 1nforn1all on onl ) \\ hen 1cquu ccl 0 1 all o\\ Cd

b} l<nv to do o, or \\ hen c li e nt ~ ha' c con"cntcd to d t ~clos urc .
7.

A ~oc i a l '' orker \\hO e n gage~ 111 anothct pro f c~~ 1 on. occu pc1tion. af'fi li ation or calltng
hall not allo\v th c~e out ~ td e 1ntcrest ~ to a ffcc t the ~ocwl \\ 0 1 k rc Iat 1o n ~ h 1p v. tth the
cltcnt profes tonal JUd gtncnt. tndcpendcncc andlot co n1pctc nce
A ~oc t a l\\ orker shal l not pro' tdc <;OC Jdl \\ ork <;,CJ'-tcc<;, or othcn.\ t'-.c hchcl\ c 1n a
n1 anner th at di ~ c rc d iL th e pro lcc;~io n of OC tal \\O rk or dl ll1tn t\hcc; the public..'-. t nt ~t
in the pro fc ion

9.

A ocial v. orker . hall pron1otc '-.crvicc. progran1 and agency practices and poiictc\
that are con istent with th1 Code of Eth1 c and the Standard<;, of Practi ce o f th e BC
College of oc tal Worker .

10. A ocial worker hall pron1ote C"<cell ence 1n her or hts pro fc~s io n .

11 . A ocial worker hall ad\ ocate change in the best interest of the client. and fo r the

overall benefit of society.
The BC College of Social Workers (BCCS W) has also adopted Standards of
Practice that arc used to set the tninirnuJn acceptable level of practice, guidance, and
criteri a for the assesstn ent o f complaints about practi ce for registered social \\ o rker~
Although it is not mandatory in BC for ocial \VOrkcrs delegated to practt ce tn child
welfare to be registered social workers, uni versitic in the pro\ incc re\ t C\\ tht~
infon11ation within the Bachelor or Social Work curri culUJn and encourage
.... ~tudc n ts to

26
becon1c registered soc wI \\ orkers 111 order to <;,upport and enhan ce thcu ~oc wl \v ork
practice

orne \-\Orkp lace . , ~u c h a ~ ho ~ ptta) <;, and n1 ental health oJganJ ; ation". arc

reque. . ttn g that c1npl oycc hecorne t eg 1 ~ t cr eel <;, octell \\ 01ke1~ a~ p ,ll1 o f theu ctnpl oyn1 cnt
rcqu1ren1 ents
fh e BC

1int ~ tr) of Chtldr en and Farntl;

De\cloptnent ( \ 1C f D ) req uire"

en1plo) ce~ cntcnng tnto child pt otcL lton to hen c. at 111111itnu rn. oht<ll l1cd cl hac helor·s
degree 111 social work. chdd and youth cat c. or a l11 cl'-.tcr lc\el dcgtec in cduca tJ onal
coun .. clltng p ~ ) ch o l og) \\ 1th d prac tt curn cornpl ctcd 111 chtld and fmn tl v ~:.,e n Jccs
(Internal tonal Credenu al E\ aluallon .. en ICC. 20 15) \ll C I D and delega ted Ahori g1nal
agency social '' o rk e r~ are not rcquu cd to he rcgt'-. lcred ~:.,octa l \\ nrk er~:.,
The InaJont) of ~oc t a l \\ orkcr"' \\ orktng tn chtld \\ elfaJca re en1ployed hy \11 C r D
throughout the prO\ ince withtn one of the1r 429 tnintstry o ffi ce~ Child welfare ~:.,oc i a l
workers are also e1n ployed by 23 delegated Abon gtnal chtld and famil y servtcc agc nctcs
tn BC \\ ho are given the authority to prO\ td c de]ega ted sen ices through th e MCFD
(20 15). According to the Canadian ccn us data frorn 2006. approxJmatcl y 85 percent of

social workers \\'Ork \\ ithin the health and ',Ocial service sector (Goven11nent or Canada.
2015) .

Child Welfare Education in British Columbia
Following the publication of the Gove Repor1 in 1995, schools of social work 111
BC began discussing ways in which Bachelor of ocial Work (8 W ) progra n1 ~ could
better prepare stud ents for work in child \vel fare (Pierce, Hctning\\> ay, & chtntdt. 201 4)
Recotntnendation 57 of the Gove Inquiry stnted that schools of social \\ ork tn BC ~ ho ul d
increase child welfare content in their cuiTi culun1. In response, sc hools de\ eloped chtld

27
welfare spccialuation progrmn ~ to ~ p cc i fi c<lll y pt cpare ~oc ia 1\\ ot kct ~ fo1 ch Jld v..'c lf~u c
"ork. chools also co nsulted \\'tth 1 FD dunng p1 ogran1 plan111 ng 1n 1cga t d ~ to the11
co tnpctcncy rcqutrenlcnt fot 11C\\ Ctnpl O) ce~ en1p loyed ell \1 cr [) (.\I 1111 tage & M1tha,
2000) The child\\ clfarc "pcc Jahl clt ton ptogram~ thcll ''etc e~tdh lt ~hcd tncl uck BS\V core

cour e~. child ''clfmc co re cour(,c~. telc\ant clcctt\C~. c1nd a fourth ycarchlld protcclton
practicun1 ( nnttagc. Callahan. & l C\\ '"· 200 l ).
The nC\\ collahoratl\e t c l at t o n ~htp hctv.ecn ~choo l (, of"oc tal \\ork and MCf·D
ha brought about dt ~c u ~s t o n ~ rcgatclt ng ''hat shou ld be tncluclecltn the ch Jicl v.-elfme
social'' ork cutTtculun1.

chool~ of ~octal \\ ork h<l\ c ~ h cnvn a con1 n1tttn ent to pn)\ tdtng

opportunt tie. fo r di. c u ~. ton~ and anal y~ t ~ of the child ''elf arc "; ~ten1 tn BC. a~ \\ell a~
the i1npac t that the ch tld '' elf'a re ; ~tc tn hc1~ had on lnd tgcnou~ people In aclclJtJon.
schools of social\\ ork ha\ c c rnpha~i?ed the need to teach ktllc:, that'' til enhance
tudents' abiliti es to think cntt cally and ad, ocate for social justJ cc and change (A llcnMeare, 2008). MCFD. intere t ha\e foc u"ed on gai nin g ne\\ B.'W cn1pi O)CCS v..ho
have been tau ght the cotnpctencies and ktll that v.. ill en5ure that they arc JOb ready for
frontline child welfare work (Armt tage et al.. 200 1).
Armitage (200 1) state that the Gove Inquiry did not make spectfic
recotnJn endations pet1aining to delegated Aboriginal agencies, and at the tin1c there\\ ere
few full y delegated Abori gina l agencies in BC . Today, n1any school of ocial 'Work
collaborate with local delega ted Aboriginal agencic to ensure students ha\ e the
opportunity to compl ete their practi cum fi eld placetnents wtthin the e agencte~. and to
develop initiatives and progratns as a strategy of recruiting and retaintng Indtgenou~
social workers within the field of chi ld wei fare (Pierce et al., 20 14 ).

2X
C hallenge and Socia l \ Vork

ocial worker~ \\ orktng 111 the field of chdd \\ cl f~11 e face ongo1ng c hall e nge~
dtrectl y related to the\\ ork l ' nd c r~ t a ndtn g th e e'\ p en e n ce~ ol ~o t.:i al wnt 1-. c r~ \\or k1n g 111
chdd \\ cl fare 1" cs en ti a I to 11npro' 1ng oc1<1 I \\ 0 1k prac ucc and dec rca<\i ng ~td fl tUJ no\ cr
in the fi~ld . ' n11th '

~ tud ) (2004) ~ t'"llC\ that c.htld pt oteLtt on \\ orker turn o\cr rat ~~ rr.trH!C

frorn 23 to as h1 gh a~ 85 percent pe1 :car. atnnng local age n c 1c ~ 1n the l ntted S t ate~
Another study cl cscnhed by . n11th (2004) ~ u ggc~ t ~ that tur ncn er 1ale\ ate hH.?.hc\t among
taff\\tthtn thctr fir~t three )Car of practi ce lnt er c~ ttn g l ;. Srnllh (2004) \ late~ tl tak e~
approx1n1ately t\\ o ) car~ for a ne\\ ~oc tal \\ orkcr to lea rn the JOh and to he a hi e to \\01 k
orne'' hat independent!). hO\\ C\ er tt dppcdr~ rnan: \\ orkcr\ lea\ c duttn g th1 ~ ctdju~tn1cnt
period.
•

Ellet. Elli . We tbrook. and Oe\\ S (2006) ~ta t e that the ch1ld \\Cifare \\Ork
environment i one of the n1o t co n1pl ex role or area or pract1cc 1n soc ial work. They
de cribe three rnain area that can be u ed as a co nceptual framework for exmntntng
factor contributing to recruitrnent and retenti on t ~5 ue fo r 5ocial \\ o rk er~ : 1) personal
characteristics: 2) external en\ irorunent such as policy tnaking context and the j udt ctal
system: and 3) organi?ation · s characteristics. An overvie\v of on1e related li tcraturc
findings will be described to hi ghlight son1e of th e factors nega tively in1pac ting social
workers working in child welfare.
Persona l characteri tics . Socia I \\ orker · oven he lrn in ....g

tre<)~. due to tee 1IJH.?.~
..... of

fear and anxiety, has been noted to contribute to social \\Ork tun10\ er ( Fllett et ttl., 1 000) .
I laving to make deci ion that have serious consequences for children and fan11lte~. d\

well as legal liabilities, ca n evoke anxiety and co nfl ict for soc ial \\ ork er~ \\01 king in

29
chtld \\c) fare (Ellett et al ' 2000) It I S these dtl\.tctie~ and conn 1(. ts that ca u ~e \\0 1kcr <:, to
" protect" thetn eh c<; t,O the) can un I\ c '' ithin the cn1otionall~ lhargcd ,1nd <:, lrc ~~ rul
work en-v iromnent The \\ ay tn \\ ht ch a ~oc tal \\ orkcr copes, 0 1 C\ en ~ un 1\ e~. \\1 thtn
these Ituatlon

IS pe r~o n a ll ) con~ tru ctcd and ~o tn e cop tng <;tl atcg1c" arc unpt od ucti\ C,

ncgau' cl)' affecting good pr ac t1 ce (I Ion\ ttl. 2006)
tanl ey, Manthorpe. and \\'h ttc (2007) found th at theiC IS the potenti al rnr ~ocw l
\\ 0 1ker

practici ng tn child \\ el fat c dt all le\ d ~ to e\.pctt cnc.c wo rk -Jcl<ttcd dept C~'-'ion .

De pre ' ion h) its \ Cr) nature tend~ to lead to the u ndc nn in ing 0 r one.~ ah II I tiC~ to a <:,<;crt
hts or her need and 1t ca n rc~ulttn need~ go tng untnct Any organl/atJo nal barnet~ or
sl1 gtna related to dcprcs ion c.Jn 1gn 1fie anti) 1111 pair a ~oc. t a I \\ ot·kcr· ~ road to
O\ crcon1ing d epre~~io n and co ntnbutc to htghcr tuiTIO\ cr rate~. further undcrrntn1ng th e

profession ( tanl ey ct al., 2007). Hunsung and . toner (2008) found that chdd protect ton
\\Orker continuall y reportrnore fec ltng of dcpcr onaluatton. role an1h1gu1ty. chronic
stress, and conflict. leaving chi ld\\ clfare agencies in a continual retenti on and
recruitment crisis.
Various tudies suggc t it can be rnore 11npor1ant for \\ orkcrs to protect
thcrnselves than to protect their clients (Mora7es, Benton, Clark. Jacquet. 201 0)
Research suggests that mintmi zing ex posure to traumatic situations is a way to ~ upport
self-care and reduce work-related stres . Hon" itz (2006) found that child protection
workers tri ed to redu ce nega tive experi ences at work by avo iding face- to-face cllcnt
Interactions. Regehr ct al. (2004) also found that workers who fed they do not bel\ c the
reso urces or suppor1 to fa ce adverse client situations rcpot1 increased syn1pton1~ of
depression, avoidance, traun1 atic stress, and burnout.

10

It 1s clear fron1 the literature that it can be pmnfu I to face th e an \l et), the
po~ eric . snc s. c rnptinc~s . gn e C ange r. and ~ adnc~~ that accompan y \ \01 k1ng w1th

farnili c.. fa ctng 1 s~ u e o f abu se and neglec t ConJ ad c1 nd Kcll aJ-(,ucnthcr (200()) csttn1 atc
that appr0,1n1atcly 50 percent of child prote<. \1 011 \ \ 0 1h Cl ~ 111ay he Cl l n ~ k o f C0 111 p a<;~ JOI1
fall gue (the traun1a uffcrcd b; help1ng prnh~~~ l o n a l s). h() th beca use of' what the}\\ 1tn e~~
fir~t - h a nd and fron1 the cun1ul atJ\ e e ffec t ~ o l ' l Cclrio u ~ t:\ p c tt c n cc~ of tratuna. '1 he In\\

pay relat1 \ c to rcs p o n ~ 1 hd 1t y. long hour of potcntt <l ll ) ~ t1 c~~ f ul \\ ork. 1naclcq twtc ~e r \ 1 cc~
of cotntnuntty agc nciC~. threa t o fpc t ~o n a ll ta hdtt)' 1clatccl to th e cc1~c \\ Ot k. and the
co ntrad 1ct1 on bet\\ cc n ~ uppo rt 1\ e 'c1~u~ 1n\ c~t1 ga t l\ e 1ol c~. a II c1 cld to a \Vo rk ct \ O\ c1all
job tre s
Bnde (2007) .. ugge. h th at front llnc ~oc t a l \\ ork e r~ prac. ll u ng 1n chtl d wei fare
with client are \'ery likely to be ex posed to ~eco nd ary trautnallc C\ en h. and h ccau~e o f
these events many wo rkers arc likely to expcn encc a nutn bcr o f ~cco nd a ry traun1 atJ c
stre s ympto1n . Regehr et al. (2000 ) found th at front line s ta ff~ ork1ng 1n Ontan o
Children· Aid ocieti c are exposed to traun1 atic eYents touttncly 1n thctr dail y prac ti ce.
frequentl y resulting in ytnptom of <,econdary traun1atic stress. They concluded that.
even if workers feel well supported in their personal and professionalli \ c~. \.\hen the)
encounter a trautnatic event. they still experience high levels of traumati c stre~s .
Anderso n's (2000) quantitative stud y of coping strate gies and burnout nn1ong 151
veteran child protection workers showed that nearly two-thirds o r work er~ san1pl cd
scored in the hi gh range for en1otion al exhau tion. In hi

~ tud y . Anderso n !:>et out to

exam inc the relati onship between veteran child protecti on \\ orkcr', · usc or coping
Strategies and their levels of etnotiona) exhaustion, depcrsonali;atlon. and ~en ~C of

1I

reduced p cr~onal a cco rnpll ~ hn1 ent. The stud } confin11 ccl that netther the u ~c o f nc lt \e not
a\ oidant coping ~ tra t cg t c~ a\ ed the'c \\ ork cr' ft on1 \O tn c fo nn of cn1ott onal e '\lw u ~ tt o n
I Iowever, when worker tndt ca ted that the)\\ ere U\l ng ae tJ\ c coptng ~l t clt eg t e~ ltkc
focu. ed probl cn1 ~o h tng and U \C of \OCtal ' uppot1 . 11101e 0flen they t cpot1ed t educed
fce ltng.. o f' d e p e r~o n a ll za tJ O il and an tncrea eel \C l1 e of pel ~()llCl l ,\CC0111 plt ~ hn1cn t
E" tern aI envi ron n1cn t . l 1nrec\ It<;, ltc detna nd <;, nne! pet ccp tJ on<;, held hy

cornrnunny or the larger oc tet) ahout the func tion and tole of \ncia l \\O t ker~ worki ng in
child\\ elrare can cau~e <;, trc'' for ~on1e \\ ot kef\ and t<;, cl con1n1nn cxatnplc of an ex terna l
en\ 1ronn1ental fac tor affectin '-'g ~oc t a l \\ orkcr' ( hter & Grahan1, 20 15) Soc tal wo rkers
practi cin g 1n child \\ c 1fare arc com n1on I~ refe rred to a~ ··hah~ ~nate he r~ .. or kno\\ n f'o r
rernoving children. and are often not tru. ted or are thought of in a ncgatJ \C \\ ay and
di regarded for thetr fundan1 ental ro le tn co n1n1untttes Ch1ld protecti ve acttons arc
frequent! ) ' ie\\ ed a .. too ltttle too la te .. and <;,tnlu ltancou I ~ a~ .. too tn tru<;i\e ... ~hic r and
Graham (20 15) ugge t that ocietal pcrcep tt ons of oc tal worker<> and thetr \\ ork often
conflict with the altruistic va lues that n1 otiva te indiv tduals to jotn the profession.
The n se in regul ati on and increa ing preoccupati on \\ tth protccttng the
profess ion· s reputati on ha resu Ited in another . hift tO\\ ards orga n izationa I defen~l\ ene~"
and a new era of burden and stress on indivtdual social workers ( hi er & Graha n1, 2015)
Change in the soc tal policy environtnent affect funding, resou rce , and social \\ orkcr~o~·
ability to c(Tectivcly carry out their wo rk and interact with client in a supportt\e n1dnne1
D1rect practi ce implicati ons al o include a hilt where professional j udgn1cnt ~~replaced
hy ''burea ucrati c" practi ce and a greater en1phas is on c h cc k.li ~ t ~ and procedure' (CdrdtnaL
2005).

12
Accordtng to Hansung and , toner (2008). the 1110 1c hu1 en ucrallc th e\\ 01ktng
en\ ironn1crH. the tnore nan O\\ 1) de fin ed \\ 01ke1~ bcco n1c 111 theu knO\\ ledge and hO\\
they appronch thctr task . These h1 ghl y burea ucratic'' 0 1k ~e tt111 g~ ca n t c~u lt tn ht gh
le\cl of.Joh . trc~ .. reduced le,cls of hohstt c thtnk1 ng. c1ncl tll1J1cllt da d\ ~ocial \\ Otk
practice (1I an ung · . . toner. 200 )

11 tical envi rontncnta I ~h 1ns can ta\. the copttH!. ~ k rll s

of any chtld '' el fa re \\ orker I lo\\ C\ ct. Regeh r ct al. (2004 ) f ou ncl that the 0 1ga n u a ll onal
en\ 1ronn1 ent '' a~ the ~ tro n ge~ t prcclt ctor in p1oduu ng po~t-trau n1cttic di~ tt c~~ an1ong chlld
\\ elfare \\ orker
Orga niza tional charac tcri ti c . A~ pre\ 1 0 u ~ l y Jn cnuo necL orga nuati onal
e h a racten ~t t c

and parttcul arl ; the orga niza ti onal truc tut e and 1nanagcn1ent of a child

\\ clfare agency ca n 1n1pac t a ~ocial \\Orke r·<) \\e ll-be ing. Co l ling<) and Mu rra; ·<) ( 1996)
tudy of British chlld protecti on v. orkcrs conc luded th at the n10<) t powerful predt ctor of
O\ crall tre

wa re lated to the pre~~ure tn\ohcd in pl anning and tnecllng ad nlmt~tra t l\c

ca eload ex pectation . Thi '' as de cnbed by a . ocial \\ Orker in the foll O\\. tng \.\ ay

The part I liked the least i the feeling th at the ad mini stratio n ga\e )O Uof don't
spend too n1uch time and ITIO\ con nlO\ con, the constant rush, and alv. ay<) feeling
that .,vo u co uldn't lin ge r long enough \\ith those rarn ili cs so that .,\O U cou ld <)ee
'-'

'-

~

thctn through connectin g with service<; ... I think th e issue that eA i ~ te d then \\a~ the
size of case load ... 1 had 54. and I think the state· standard i ?. 7. You .1 u~t pu~h
peopl e. You don' t ge t to do yo ur job ... People j ust don' t get th e ~e n ice <; the) need
because )O U don' t have tin1 e to give - you ha ve ge nerati onal proble rn that )Ou·re
~ upposed to fi x in I 0 n1 inute~ and yo u don· t C \ en ha \ e I 0 m inute~ ( ~ 1 or"ve~ et

a l. , 2 01 5, p. 238) .

11

rntth (2004) uggcsts that upport fo c u~ed on pt ornot tng \\01 k It lc balance affcch ~oc tal
\\ orker , and that organt7atloncll factl ttnti on of \\Otk-ltf e balance tnuc cl ~c~ cl ~ocw l
\vorkcr · abdtty to do thc1r \\Otk and d ec tca ~c~ ab c;c nt ce t~tn and turno\ er.
Burn out. 1 he llte1ature ~ pcc tfi cdll) Jcl<ttcd to burnout dcscr d1c~ burnout as a \ tate

of ph y~ ical and mental C\.htlu~llon cc1u~cd by. long-tcrn1 in\ oh cn1 cnt 111 cn1otionall y
dcrnanding s ttuatton ~ (Andc r ~on. 2000) .lob cl t ~~a tt c;fcll tton 1 ~ reported to be a nl <lJOI
factor leadtng to burnout

on1n1on ~y.n1pton1~ e\. pcn cnccd b) those\\ ho arc f~tc in g

bun1out include dtn1tnt ~hed ~elf-concept. irritttbtltt). l o~c; ofco rnp d~" t o n. rccun·ing
headaches, cold . and other ~ trc~ -related dln c~~cc; ( Andcr~on. 2000)

nd ct c;on (2000)

found that altno t t\\ o-thi rd s of ~oc ta I \\ ork ct ~ practlcr ng in ch tid \vel far c ~u ffct f 10 111
etnotional cxhau tion. \\ hich t knO\\ n to be a core factor of burnout \1ora; c~ ct al.
(2015) found that \\Orkload and qu alit y of upcnt ion arc t55ucs related to \tress and

burnout for . ocial \\ orker practt cing tn chtld \\ cl fare
MacDonald, Phipp , and Lethbndge (2005) tate that "'cn1pl o) ecs \\ ho e\ pcrience
role O\ erload are more likely to report tres . burnout, or poo r physical or rn ental health"'
and .. hi gher role ove rload fo r \\ Omen than men rc ga rdle ~s of job t) pe .. (p 66).
Futihermorc, women working in social work arc forc ed to tnaintain their crnpJ oyn1cnt
and their homes, de pite the often relentle s yrnptotn of illness and the consta nt
demands of both the agencic they work for and fatnily obliga tion (Kali. 200 J ).
Overview of the Research

Rycraft ( 1994) and Moraze ct al. (20 15) found th e follo\\ ing factor~ to be
impot1ant to the well-being of social worker practicing in child \\ elfarc ha\ tng a "cn"e
of rnission or sense of personal and professional tnvestn1 cnt in child\\ c lf~1re. goodnc!-ts 111

fit between the per on and agency. qualit y and po ~ itl\ e ~ up e n l ~ ton , and in' c~ t 1n ent in
po. iti' e staffworktng cond1tlon

~ uc h as con1pettlt\ c co n1pe n ~c1t1nn. bene fits, and

fleXJ b}c hour. 0 f \\ ork. Cl5 \\ d} a oppOI1Ulll tJ C<., l O cKh a nee. and dCCC~~ to train l ng and
learning oppot1un 1ti C~ ( Ry.c t an. 1994)
In Barak. Nt<.,~l\. and l ~\Ill·~ rnt.ta-anah~t~
- of2~ d rll clc~ clbou t the tetentl on or
~

protecti on \\ ork.cr th at cxmn 1ned the rclatton<.,ht p bet\\ ccn dcnlnt?.t a ph tc 'atw h lc<;.
per onal perccpttons. and organllallonal co ndtllon". on the one hand. and turnnv cr 0 1
tntentt on to lc<l\ c. on the other. found that humou L JOb d 1~~a t 1<., { actJo n, a\ cui ahtl1 ty of
cn1ployn1ent altctllatl\C .IO\\ organvat1oncll and ptofec;<.,tonal c.on1JTI1tn1ent. <.,tte<.,<.,, and
lack of social supp o t1~ are the <.,tro ngc<.,t prccltctor~ of turno\ er or tntentJon to lea\ e
(200 1)

ince the pred tctor ''ere often organtzat tonal 01 JOb related. thc<.,e authors '" ct c

optimi tic that agencte . managen1ent. and policy. -Inaker<., can contn bute to the pre\ en ti on
of high rate of tumo\ er an1ong socwl v. orkcr wo rktng tn the fi eld of child we lfare
i tn i larl). Jenaro. Flore . and Ben ito· s (2007) stud) of ~ pan ic;h hun1an <.,crv ic.c

practitioners \\ ho engaged tn child protection \\ ork found that coptng <., trategJe<., alone do
not preclude butnout. but dtd hel p \\ tth staff tumo\ er. High job and salary sattsfactton.
along with active coping strategie pl ayed the tn ost important role in protnoting per<.,onal
accompli shment thus reducing burnout and etnotional ex hausti on. In additi on. child
protecti on workers who feel included in decision-n1aking and experi ence supcrv Lory and
organi.1..a tional suppon are n1ore likely to engage a.. active etnpl oyee and are lc~~
1nclined to leave the agency (Travis & Barak, 20 10).
I low ever, Stnith (2004) noted in her resea rch that fc\v , tafT\\ ere ll\\ arc of job
alternatives, whi ch raises the qu estion of whether child we i fare work ers stay in the11 jobs

at tunes beca u ~e they feel trapped

1111th aL o ~u ggc<.,h further c'an11natt on ts needed 111

regard to the link bel\\ ecn ~upcn 1 0 1 <.,upport clnd JOb 1ctcntion bccau"e turno\ e1 J<., ht gh
an1ong t supervisors as well a~ frontltnc staff.
Retention and Socia l \\'ork
.. clf-Efficac\.
~1o~t lllcratuJ e focuc.,ec., on the nce.alJ\ e <lspet..tc., o f "ocia l ' ' ork 111
•

child welfare and stJll ltttlc ~ ~ knO\\ n rcgard
tn """g \\hat n11ght
ent..ouJ age '-loual \\01kc1 c., to
._
.....
'-

practice tn chtld \\Cil~lre and to 1cn1din 111 the \\Otk (C,J clhtt tn ct al.. 201 1) <..,clf-effit..at..y
n1ay be a pO\\ crfuI dctcnn i nant to one·" ab 111 t} to ren1a in in the \\ ork \\here there dre
taxing en\tromnental den1 ancb

ell-crficacy bcltcf~ me dcc;cnbcd by I ·llett (200X) ac.,

one · abillt) to organ11e and c'ccute d cour c of actton ~uch belief() also influence the
cour e of action people choo~c to pur<.,ue. thctr rec.,tllencc to ad' cr~ity. \\ hcther their
thought pattern arc clf-hind cnng or . cl f-atdtng. and their perccp tt on oJ
accompli htnent (pp. 79. 0). Thi ca n be particularly 1n1portant \\ tthtn the context of
child welfare a there are n1any baiTiers. fru~trattons. and confusion a. c;octated \\ Ith this
work.
Bandura ( 1994) fur1h er ugge b that indJ\'tdual are le s tnfluenccd by obJCCll\ e
facts than by their own personal beliefs, and their belief: affect their interests. tnoti\ ation.
and behaviour (Ellett, 2008). Martin and Dow on (2009) en1pha ize the i1npo11ance and
process of relatedness in their tudy regarding student and th e acaden11c context The)
suggest that hurnan beings have a dri ve to fon11 and maintain positiv e and c.,tgndicant
Interpersonal relationships. This fulfilln1 ent produces positi ve cn1otional rc'-,pon~c~. '' htch
in turn innuence our achievcn1ent behaviour and motiv ation such a out rc'-,pon"c" to
challenges, self-regul ation, and our adaptability. Stud y findings sugges t that per~onal and

indivtclua l clctncnts tnay contn bu te to .. tafT rctcnt 1011 in c hJI cl \\ cl fat e. hO\\ C\ et,
organtJ.ational clement arc ai <\O ~ cen a<\ \ tgnificant to ~ octal \\ O tk e J ~· tntcntt on\ to
rc1nan1 pracllctng 111 child \\clfarc

Organizational culture. l !lett (200 ) ~o., u gg.c \<., that orga ni zati onal cultUJ e 111 child
\\elfarc n1a) he tmprc)\ eel tht nugh ~o.,e\ et ti l n1ca n ~o.,
CtnplO)'CC \\ ho pO<\\e\ . a \ OCial \\ ork degt ee

\ gc n c t e~o., ~o., hould consider h11tng

tudt c~o., h<l\ c sho\\ n that O t ......f.!di1Ji a tion ~o., that

rcqutrc a ocial work degree a.. a n11nttnun1 1equ11 ctn cnt e\pcr1 encc greatct 1 etentlon
rate . ProvJdtng "trong n1 cntonng fot ne\\ ~ ta n· h cl~ a l ~o been found to he helpful Fonnal
hand -on, prc- ~en tee trmntng and onentauon to child \\ elfat c <l ' \\ ell as assigntn g
rca onable c a <.,c l oa d ~ ha\ e been 1 ccognucd as ~o., upp o rti ng co n1petcnt pt dctt <.. c
lmplen1entin g n1odcb of cltn1cal ' up cn 1 ~ 1 o n tna; help 111 n1aintaimng ~o., t a ff Vl orc
specifically. ha\'ing adapti\ c lead er\ with ' trong interp cr~onal ' kill can pro\ rcl c
consistency 1n upervi ion for taff(Carey. 2011 ). In add1tion. dc\ eloptng no nns o f
sharing, support, and new lcarntng arnong ~ taff help rctatn octal v. orkcrs. Spec ific
example could include effecti\ e perfor111ance-ba5ed evaluati on . clea rl y defin ed
expectations andre ponsibilitie . competent upen ision. and ()taff pat1tctpatl on in
decision-making. In additional. n1aintaining a coll egial \\ ork cnvironn1 cnt \\here th ere is
recognition and presti ge within the profc~s ion is al o identified a a \\'ay of suppo11ing
social workers. Lastly, providtng experi ences that enhance professional con1n11ti11C nt~,
such as offering career development. have been found to i1npact etnployee retcntton
within public child welfare agencies (Carey, 2011 ).

17

\\'omen in .. ocia l \Vork

l it. ton call y. \\ on1en \\ eJe 1e~pon 1hie for th e \\ ork '' 1th tn the hon1 e and n1 en \\ ere
responsible for the pa1d labour v. ork out td c ofth c11 h o rn e~ ((loJclon. Benn et. c '
oddtng~. 1996)
111 neteenth centur)

OUt

\\"hen the '-,hift ft on1 agrarian to tndu ~ tn a l snuct) ~ ta r ted 111 the ea rl y
tn

anttda. tt hecdnlc ncce~~arv., lot both n1cn and wo tn cn to '' ork

ide of their hotnCS In order to pt O\ td e (or thCll f~un J!t C~

rht~ affected the tracltllOnnl

role of\\ on1en a'-, thctr labour tncr ctl~cd ~I n L e the\., Lnnllnued to Jn aJ nl<u n thcu
hou ehold ~ and \\ orked ouh td e of the horn e <1~ ''ell I he value or thcu labour ou tcorne
did not tncrea c accordtngly (Go rdon, Benner. &

o cl cltn g~. I 996)

1ender . octah7atron tnOuenccs the t) pc~ of etnpl oy n1ent and profes ~ton~ n1cn and
women pursue. Baine . E' an and

cv. 1n1th ( 1991) ~uuuc'-,t th at \vonlcn tend to be d1 a \A. n
'-' '-'

towards the ocial \\'Ork profc ion because they arc soctall/cd tnto canng ro l e~ Cold wel l
( 199 ) tates that caring 1. a ocwted '' ith ~oc t al \\ ork a a profcss ton, a~ wclJ a'-, v.. ith

soc iety's conception of the tnothenng and nurturing role. \\ htch ts often a cornn1on
attribute of women. Patnarchal structures that govcn1 our organi.Lations impact women
'Working in the profession of ocwl \\~O rk . The Canadian Research In ~ tttute for the
Advancctnent of Won1en states that various ttuctural fac tor tn ake v. on1en tnorc
vulnerable to povct1y, and the majority of th e poor in Canada are won1en (n.p. ).
In addition, women working full-ti tn e are e tuna ted to cam 74 percent of'' hat
men cam , in additi on to racing less access to edu cati on. training. en1pl oyn1ent. and other
producti ve resources. Kelly (2009) rctninds us that. although the n1aj onty of v. orkcrs 111
social work professions arc wotncn, they arc concentrated 111 the IO\\ cr-pcl) tng. cltrcct

servi ce po ittons \\'here they are co n1tntttcd to an cth1 c or caring about, and for. n1 a1 g1nal
populations.
Man) \\ OITICll tn . octal \\ 0 1k ha\ c de.. Cll heel a \ell I Cly 0 f e'\ p e tt e n ce~ () r
Inarginallzallon and o ppre~~ 1 o n \\ tthin thcu pr )fc~~1on. which cla1n1'- to 1C'-peLt hutnan
di gnity and sclf-\\Ot1h K e ll~ (2009) furth~r arp.uc' thc.ll .. opptC\<.\ ion. p<.ttria tLh<.tl. and
cla .. 1 ~ t structure th at arc 111 place to tn\ ut c th e don11n<1n<..c 0f the n1alc-ccntcrcd g.a;c tn
the profc ion ofsoc tal \\O tk arc the \CI") '.tructut C'- that \\O tk cl~a tn '- t \\Ol11en tn ou t
. tru gg lc .. ·· (p. 37)

he also ~ u ggc~b that'' o1nen ha\ c ortcn hce n cxpo~cd to direct and

1nd1rect trautna and do1nestJ c \ tolcncc n1orc often than th c1r n1<tlc co unte rpm1 ~. \N h1ch
iinpact.. their ctnottonaL n1cntaL and phy,Jcal health and '' ell -hc1ng in practice
Indige nous \\'omen in
•

ocia l \\ ork

lndigcnou '' otn en \\ ho arc soc wl '' orkc r~ po <;~ess un1qu c qualtll c~ and

con1petencie that arc often tgnored or tri' tali7cd by our cun·cnt child we]fare systen1
(Pooyak & Gomez, 2009). I belie\ c Jndtgcnous "' 01nen face cornmon struggles and
stre or in their li\ e and 1n their\\ ork Pre\ ious generations of Indtgcnous \\omen in
social \VOrk, a well a cun·ent generations. will likely face cutnu latt \ c stresses that co tn c
from reliving these truggle as th ey mentor and fo ter the next generation of Ind igenous
women entering the social work profession. For tnany Indigenous cotntnunitt cs, there is
an impo1tant connection between wotnen and intcrgenerational transtnis ion of
knowledge. In their roles as tnothers, aunti cs, grandmothers, and leaders tn con1n1un ittcs,
wo1ncn shoulder a great deal of the work of con\ eying knowledge, c'\pcriencc. and
leadership to the nex t generat ions (Stout & Peter , 20 II ).

19

Currently, there IS a ~hortagc of qualified Ind1genou" p1 ofcs\tonal \\ 1thtn health
and oc1al sen 1ces field ~ tn BC ( ookraJ. J lutclun"on. I· \·an\. & \1ur ph). 20 10).
lndigcnnus \von1en arc partlcularl; undcrrep1 e<.,c nted \\ 1th111 the prore\\ lon of <\OC ial work

and the nu1nber~ dec rea c cl<., one p1 ogres<.,e<., frorn a "nc Jal \\01 ket to cl "upcn l"nr. and
then to a n1anage r The 2008 .\uciltor ,eneral· \ rcp<)rt "ll gt?.e\h that \1( ' I D and delega ted
Abongt nal agcnc1 es ha' c struggled to recru 1t and rettu n Ind 1gcnnus \OC 1al \\or kc1~ 1 h1 s
1ssue of rccruttn1ent and 1ctcnti on \\ cl" adell e""ed bv the \uditot General. and a
J

rccom1nendation \\as n1adc to ··de\ clop \borigi nal hUtn an 1e\ource\ to n1 cct the need" of
both the f\1ini tr) and dele gated

bonginal agencic<.,·· ( 1\linl ~ tr) of Ch1ldren & I amily

Oe\'eloptnent. '00 . p 7). \1Ct o·" \l anageme nt o r \bonginall hlld Protect ion ~Cf\ ll C<.,
report outlined its fonnal cotnrn1tn1cnt to\\ ork collahorati\ el; \\ 1th delegated agcncJe\ to
recruit and retain Aborigtnal ocwl \\ o rk er~ through JnltJall\ es. The repot1 ~ ta t ed th at
there\\ ere 239 Aboriginal staff cn1ployed \\ 1thtn the tntni try. and of tho<,e hu·ed, three
were Director .
The last forn1al MCFD initiattve was co n1pl etcd in 2009 and IS known as the
Aboriginal Child Protection Recruitment Proj ect in the

1

orth In 2014. MCFD released a

report stating they plan to hire O \ er one hundred new staff by 20 16: hO\\ cv er. there \\a"
no infonnation regarding who would be rec ruited for uch positions and no collaboratton
with delegated Aboriginal agenc ies regarding this decision or\\ here these p o~J ll onc;
should be located (Culbeti & Sherlock, 2014). The diffi culty ofrecruitino0 Indt '-'~enou~
~ocial workers n1ay be linked to the challenges Indigcnou

won1en soc tal \\ ot ker" race,

which include intergenerational trau tna, intentional and unintenti onal ch"cnnlt natton,
individ ual and institutiona l racisrn, as well as perso nal nnd pro ressiona I barn er~

40
Ind tgenou s women 1n oc ia I \\ ork fa ce per ona I cha llcngct, regard mg .. \e Ir in
rc lation ·· to the ern irontncnt tn '' h tch the\ \\ o rk. \ \ dc t,c rihcd h\.
~

aka Iah i and

tark \

(20 10), hetng aware of an ctnottonall y and poltttca ll ) dn vcn \\ ork ern tronn1 cnt can be

tre ful and ha\ c a negd ll\ c m1pact on" 0111en · ~ rtntual het.llth anJ '' ell -hctng . . tout
and Peter<; (20 I I) ~ tate that .. gt \ en that proh~\~tonal I11dt gc11oU\ '' 0 111 ~11 t~nd to he
und erstudtcd, th e alan111ngly ht gh \tattsllc\ on tnc11tal health t\\UCS o f Ahongtnal won1cn
tnay under-repre ~c nt then,·· ( p 4 )
In contra ~ L Vakalaht ~ ta t e~ that .. one canno t c.hangc
..... a cu lture of rau\nl \\ tthout
Investing heavy sptritual po\\cr .. (::~0 1 0. p. 114) Rcl\cn tnelcur (2004) acknowledge\ that
the t\\ o kc) concept that underp 111 '\ bori gi 11a I \\ orlch tC\\ arc th e co ne cpt

or ..!\ II 111 )

Relati ons.. and the concept of the ~ac red. ~p iri tu a lit) i often tntrin<;ic.all) v\O\c n into
daily livtng and valued by rnany Indt genous people. 1 he concept of holtstt c bal ance ts
described a a con11non Aboriginal '' orld\ te\\ and 111ay encourage tndn tduals to lt vc tn a
harmoni ous and n1oral1nanner ( inclaic 2004) Vaka lah i · s ~tud y identi lied sp tntual
values, beliefs, and practices as key factors tn supporting rnarginali;:ed women wtthin the
profession of social work (Vakalaht & tarks. 201 0).
Indigenou s \\ Onlcn are also raced \\ith th e challenge o fbeing "politicall) ~a\\) ..
They n1ust contend with their desire to be visible (recognized for her accomphshinenb
and cornpetence as an individual) a well as invisible (not being vie\\ cd solely through
the lens or the dotninant view of an Indigenou s won1an stereo type and a\ oidi ng being
labeled i ncon1petent or criti cized) Indi genou s wotncn trike a balan ce bet\\ e~n .. rock tng
and not roc king the boat" (Vakalahi & .. tark ~ , '0 I 0. p. 115) v. tthtn the chdd \\ clfare
systetn .

4I

on1e Indtgcnous '' on1en cnlbracc thctr ractal and cthntc rcalttt c<;, and often enter
tnto .. octal'' ork 'JC\\ tn g thctr hfc c' pcn cncc a~ an C \.p ct1t ~c that'' til he re,pectecL
va lued. and helpful. II owe' cr, the '' ork en\ 1romncnt and the acln11111~l t altvc pt act1ccs
n 1ay pcrccl\ c th e~e cx pcn ences a c harac t e tt ~l t c dcfictcnc1e~

\\"01nen lllcl)' ~ It ugglc '' tth

e motion ~ . such a~ fccltng 1~olatcd or alienated. rc~ulting rrnn1 oppt e~~tn n and

di cnn1t nation p r c~cnt 111 thctr \\Otkplacc \Vorncn flllth cr e\ pen cncc dual rol es and n1u ~ t
\\Ork hard to balance th e dualtt; ora coll cc tt VC \C J ~U~ an lndt \ tdu a ll ~l l L p er~ p eLtl\C An
exatnplc of this'' as de. en bed b) a '' on1c1n '' ork tng for the ~C\\ Y 0 1k <)tate t!.O\ en1n1 ent
I clearly bclic' c tn y cn1plo;er v.as act1ng unethically tn 1 t~ bullytng of Ftr~t
allon people. yet strong ~ta tc n1 e nt ~ to tht~ effect \Vould not '' tn Jnc tn any
friend among pO\\Crful people ... rvt) fear~;) continu e to lead n1 c to be cautiOU'-, 1n
•

ex pres tng n1y vI C\\ s on 50\ creignty and other tndtgcnous I ss u e~. eve n th ough I
ha\e [a ecure po~ition]. <;,upposedl). freedon1 ... Jo ~a) th at 1t 1~ a\\k\\ard being
an indi ge nous per on and an empl oyee of the ';tate .. i an understate1ncnt
(Vaka laht, 2010, p. 116).
Outcomes of racism and d1 crimination in the \VOrkplace ca n lead to feel in gs of
vu lnerabi lity, fear, distru st, isolation. and a lack of feeling safe wi thin the en\ 1ronn1ent
This was described by a wo1nan of color wo rking within a uni versity ~e tting.
Consequently, n1y tendency is to take on too n1uch to prove n1 y v. orth and \ alue
to the un iversity. Often I feel seco nd-guessed and like r an1 on caJl all the tin1c.
which ca n be a wea ryi ng, d t ~cou ra gi ng experi ence, 1 guess \:V orktng hard and long
is the price that is paid fo r institutional support (Vakalahi. 201 0. p 1 1X)

42
arda Ra?ack (200 1) exmntnecl the challenge that ~oc wl \\ ot k. ~ tud e nt ~ f1on1
racta l n11nonty group~ tn Toronto arc confronted \\ tth in ~new t \ \ 0 1k fi eld pla cc n1 c nt ~
Rae ta ll y di\ cr~e tud cnh oft en repottcd both c;. ubtlc and clcltbcr c1te fo rn1 ~ or rac 1 ~ 111 c1nd
preJudice tn thetr prac ltcutn ~tlcs \1m ~hac k . Hcndn ck5. and Cddd~tc1n ( 1994) ptopo ~ed
that agency ~upen i <:;o r~ frequent!; cl\ otd ch ~c u ~~ • o n ~ abou t dl\ cr~ tt). cc;..pcctall y v. hen the
student 1.. a n1 cn1ber of a tnargi nall;cd group From tll y C'\ pcrt cncc. dl\ ct ~~ ty and the
rea hti e ofrac1~n1 and dt ~c nn11 ndtion arc c:,t tll not cornn1onl } dt~cu~~cd arnong ~oc t <d
\\ orker and . upel\ 1 or \\ tthtn the child \\ clfarc conte'\t
Summary
•

Indi genou, \\ Onl cn 111 , octal \\Ork orfct untque co tltrthuttonc:, and rc~ tli ency in the
rnid t of the previou ly d c~c rib cd barrt crc; and chal lcngcc., R e~ea rc h ~ugge~h that
Indigenou wotnen can nurture rc~t ll cncy \\. 1th1n them eh c~ through fan1lly support,
rnentorship. and spiritual forces. M ar~h ack. Hendri cks. and Gladstei n ( 1994) abo ~ u ggest
that. within an organi7att onal context. policic need to be created th at en hance the
political power of lndigenou won1cn. Agen c i c~ should continue to pron1ote pol t ete~ and
practice that arc culturall y relevant and effec ti\ e by workin g coll aboratt \ ely\\. ith
Indi genous wotnen and Indigenous cotntnunitics who hold \ al uabl c kno\\ ledge,
experience, and experti ~e.
I believe the differences between Indigenou s wornen should also be constdcrcd to
ensure indtvidual differences arc not di srega rd ed. The dynan1ics of res tlt cnc) need to he
better understood so those suppot1ing Indigenous wotn en can build upon thcu· s tre n gth~
Indi genous won1en social workers ca n help to suppor1 one another and future gene t tltton

43

by leading and leaving a legacy of cultural connection. n1cn tonn g, nctworktng, and
spiritual con11ntt111 ent.

In this chapter. I ha\ e pre~c ntc d a hteraturc rc\ tC\\ to prO\ td c context to th1 ~
research stud y The de\ eloprnent of the cl11ld '' cirarc sy~ tcn1 tn BC \\ a~ hudt on a
foundation of colonialisrn and patn archy. and tht ~ ~)~ tern h a~ ncga tl\ el y tn1pactcd
lndi genou. people and co n1n1unJt1e ~ Despite h1 ~ tory, rn any Inclt gcnou~ co nltnunttt c~ arc
resilient and cotnmitted to healing and v. e lln c~~ An O\ en JC\\ of th e pt of c~~ 1 o n of ~oc t et!
worker wa. al o di cus. ed \\ tthtn tht s chaptc1 :'v1ore spec t fi call y. th e p c r~onaL ex ternal,
and organizati onal challenges ocwl \\. orker. face. as"' ell a~ burnout and retention ~ ~~ u es
were di scu. sed. In add tll on. literatu re related ~pec Jfi ca Jl y to gend er ~oc talt~atton and
culture and hO\\.' the e i sue impact social \\Ork crs was a l ~o explo red In the nex t
chapter, the proces of 1nquu)' u ed tn this tudy \vill be ex plored in dctatl

C ha pte r T hree : R e~ e a r c h l\1eth odo logy

.. Ir rc carch doe n ·l change} ou a\ a pcr<.,on. then ) ou htl\ cn·t done Jt 1 tght."
(\\ tl \on. !OOX. p 115)
In th1 chapter. I '' tll cxpl<un n1y chot ec ofqunlttall \C C\plotatoty tc\cat ch a~ a

111ethodolog,tca
l ft<lll1 C\\Oik I abo dtC\\ from \C\Cldl orLinda TuhiWc\1 ', tn ith.\ 7')
.....
lndt gc n o u ~ PrOJCCh ( 1999) ror gutddllCe \\hen Cl eclllllg 111) resea rch dcstgn '\\pcc t~ of

the instd cr and outstd cr rcla tt on\lup het\\ ccn l n d t gc nou~ n1cthodolo g tc~ and qualJtatJ\ c
rc ea rch de cnbcd by Ko\clCh ('009) \\ere ullll/ed du11ng 111) tC\carchjourncy to <.,upport
relational conte'\ t and '' 01 k The 1c\carch de\ 1gn and 1ncthocl\. cthtcal co n\tderation <;.
pha e of the data analy 1 ~. and steps taken to promote tntegrtt)' throughou t the pro cc~~
\ \I

til be described tn detatl .

Th eoretical Orienta tion

A de cribcd by Linda T uht \\lai n1tth ( 1999). research IS linked to coJonwli sn1
and it i ge neral!) een a .. one of the dirtie<:>t \\Ord<., in the indigcnou\ \\Orld.\
vocabulary" (p. 1). Research ha typically perpetuated Eurocc ntri c \ ie\\ s of Indi gcnou\
people through n1i srepre entation of hi story. It ha been u cd to deny the rights of
Indigenous peoples to thetr land and resources, and ha not ~ uppo 11ed Indi gcnou \
co1nmunities· inherent ri ght to el f-detenninati on. Many co tnn1uniti c~ have felt re~earch
cotnplctcd withi n their co1n tnuniti es ha not been relevant or helpful. cicnce, cu ltural
arroga nce, and political power wi th1n re ea rch continu e to be a real threat to lndt gcnou~
people as they inhibit Indigenous alternative knowledge and the process or reclai1ning
(Wilson, 2008).

4)

I ha\ e per. onall y ~truggl ed ' ' 1th bcmg i:ln Inch gen o u~ ' ' otn an '' ho 15 tn\ oh cd
' ' 1th acad cn11 c resccu ch. 1 hen c a d e~ u e to .....
l!clt n a h1 ....ghet IC\ cl

or educa t1 on through
... a

rccogni7ed uni, c r~ Jl y, wht ch ts also supported h) nl\ fcllnd ) and con1n1u n1t) fl o\\ ever. 1t
cannot be to the deti1111Cnl () f ha\ tng. to adJu~ t rny Ind 1g.enous va Iue~. () I I r it oppl c~"'e~
other Indt genous people

\ ~a n In dJgc n ou ~ 1e"'earc het. I dill <l\Varc that there arc ri sks and

otneti tn c con cqu enccs a~~oc t a t c d '' 1th co ndu ct tnt?. 1c"'ea rch. I '' 1tn e~~ccl the ur ban
Indt genous comn1untt) \\hc1c I g J C\V up '-.UbJCLted to conti nu al resea rch stud 1cs that
lacked co nsiderati on for con1n1untt) need <1nd goc1l~ Even as a you th. I naive ly
participated in resea rch fOCUS grou ps b eca u ~C of th e nlOilCtary 111CCntl \ C \\ tth no thought
to hO\\' tht n.: earch \\ ou ld he used 01 ho\v it \\ ou ld 1n1pact the f uturc I ha\ e I Cell eel betng
criti cized by other l ndi ge n o u ~ CO I11111U11It) ll1CI11bcr~. c..,chola t ~- and Eldcl ~ b cca u ~c or my
decision to u e an exploratory re carch rnethodology that is rooted tn \\'estern ~c1c nce
Margaret Kovach (2009) uggec..,ted th ere are n ~ks as<;.,ocw ted v.'ith bnng1ng
cultural knowledge into 'V\-'c tern re~ ca rch paces. Although coloni al h1stOI] h a~
dismissed Indi genous \Va) o r kn O\\ ing. Ko\ ach tate th at " n1any Indige nous peo pl e
recognize that for their cultural knO\\} edge to thri\e It n1ust li \e In many ~ Ites. Incl udtng
Western educati on and resea rch.. (2009 . p. 12 ). I bel1 ev e ex p!orator) re~ea rc h a llo\\ c:;
space for research regarding Indigenous issues to be ca ni ed out in a n1anncr that is
respectful and ethicall y sound, and can be incl usive of Indi genous per . pccti' es In
addition, '' this process natu rall y cha llenges We tern rc earch paradi gn1 5. :et it al<;.,o
affords opportun ities to co ntri bute to the body of kn O\\ ledge about Indi genous peop l e~ ..
(Louis, 2007, p. 130). Utili/ ing an ex ploratory re earch de tgn \\ a beneficial fo t n1e a~ a

novice researcher bccau, c tt prO\ tdcd tnc \\ 1th a clea r franlC\\ ork. and ga' c n1 c the ab dtty
to incorporate ' a lues and co ncept~ to pron1otc a re pcc tfu l re~Ccll ch proce~<.;
n1ith ( 1999) tn1plt ed that debate

IHl\ e co ntinu ed to occ ur rega rell ng th e co ncept

of authenltctty. \\ ht ch h a~ heen cntl cc1l to the c.o nflt Lh dnlo ng Inclt genou" peo pl e tn
rela tion to knO\\ ledge and culture She ~tel ted that <:, uch de helle~ ell c clc~H!I1Cd to fI agnlent
and margtnali;c those \\ ho ~ p ea k up ahout Jn cJJ ge nou ~ ~ ~~uc~ ()thcr g1oup" \\ tth111
Indigenou5 ~oc t et). like \\ on1cn and non-~tcltu~ people. arc often ~ tl e n uxl or 1nadc
111\ i iblc

haring altcnlatt\ c Indi ge nou ~ \ I C\\ ~ or the \\oriel I~ llnportant to rn e a" an

Indigenous \\ ornan. To ha\ e so n1ctht ng \\ orth shanng allO\\ ~ for rec1proctty, whtch gl\ e~
dtgni t) to the g1" cr and the rccel\ ct ( 1111 th. I 999) I n11nd fu II y cho"c a 1c~ca rc h to pte
\\ hich I could relate to and had e\pen cnce<., to <., hare "o th at I could pron1ote 1ec1proca l
interac ti ons wi th the Indt genous \\ otncn \\ ho partt ctpated tn tht s stud y.
I felt it\\ a tmpot1ant to u. e an Indtgenous lcn5 throughout the re<.,ea rch proces<., to
ensure respect for cultural belief:. tradition. , practices. and \alucs ren1aincd at the
forefront as the c factors arc integral to pron1oting a hutnbl e and etht cal proce55 My
hope was that thi re earch study\\ ould benefit and ernpo'' er the Indigenous\\ ornen who
participated in thi s study to share and reclai n1 their experience each in their ov.:n way
and for their own purpose .
Kovach (2009) states that Indi genous and qualitative 1ncthodologies sha re
common characteristics. Both approaches arc relational , require self-rcf1exi' It). and n1u <., t
show evidence of process and content. I was cognisant that. as an Jndtgcnous rcscarchct
compl eting qu alitative research, I was an insider and an outsider \N nhtn lndu!cnou~
.__
contex ts, and I identi fi cd that there was a constant need for sci f'-refl exi\ tty through

47
joumahng dunn g the research pt oce~5 In 111} JOurnal I fo und tt helpful to tnclude a' t"ual
reminder list for tn y elf or key' a lu e~ and co nceph I had td en ttficd a" 1n1portnnt to refl ec t
upon during tny re ea rch JOUrney
T he con1p lex 1tJ e<;, of an 111'-.H.ler app t oach can he tned tel ted tht nugh suppot1

. ltntnclfu llv c h o~e to e n ~u t e

n1 cc ha nt ~ n1 s that 1deall v 111\0hc the Ind1g_enou<;, co n1n1un1t\
~

~

~

there is an lnd1 genou.. wo n1an, \\ hon1 I 1e'-.pec t a~ <1 n1e ntor. to ~ t t on tny rcseruch
ad\ i ory comn11ttee to cn'-.urc the re 1~ ~pace for n1e to ha' e c..ul tUJ ally 1ncl u~n e d 1a Iogue
rcgardtng i ucs a~socta t ed \\ tlh the C0111p l e\.tlle~ or In dtgenou~ re~earch, gcnde t ~~~uc~.
and ne>-.. i bi Iit} \\ here\ cr needed. l ou i ~ (2007)

uggc~t ~ that ··ha \ I ng a ~ll ppo t11 \ e

lnd igcnOUS C001111U n 1l) I11 c1Cadcl11 ia Ccln pnn Ide '-.lUdt:nl <:, \Vi th the oppot1uni l y for
intJigu tng di5cu~~•o n about thctr 1c"carch and n1ak~ graduate work on Ind 1genou<;, t<;,~uc~
. feel less J5olattng .. (p . 136).
A an Indtgenou per on 1t 1 tmponant I ren1a1 n hutnble and hone t by
ackno"' ledging the limitation of thi

tudy Although the research a1n1s to honour the

experi ences of the Indi genous \VOtnen vvho have vo lu nteered to share thct r experi ence5,
and I believe there were collecti\ e cxpencnccs that ctnerge V\ htch \\ tl l be' aluab le to
others, there will not be furth er ex tensive cotrun unity co1laboration and action taken
wi thin tny first graduate level research expen ence. This study IS not a repre entation or
Indt gcnous peoples or Indigenous ltfc. My hopei that the ex peri ence~ shared\\ tthtn tht~
Study will capture SOme or the C0111plexities, real-li fe dileiTII11 aS, and strengths of a Ul1l<.}UC
group that share cotnmon ex peri ences. Like Ko\ ach (2009), I con.. td ercd n1y role to be
that of a fac ilitator rather than a 'knO\\ ledge-keeper' . and I \\ anted to help "crcc.lle entr~
points for Indi genous kn ow ledge to co n1 c through" (p. 7).

4R

l\lethodology

My intention \\a. to ~ hare a perso nal app1 oac h to 1 e~ea rc h that \\ a<5 culturall y
, en iti\e, balanced. ha nnon1ou . ctrcular. holtstt c. and unfold <:,\\ 1th Ilutcl1ty and grace fo1
me and th o. e ' ' ho choo c to partt<..l pate 1n th i~ rc~c,trc. h ~tu u) "n1i th · ~ ( I 999) hoo k.
··occoloni;in g

1 cthodolog~t:

R c~cJ rch and lnd1 gcnou~ People<' \\ J<:, \\ nttcn to su pport

Indi genous re. . carcher. rl \\ enty- fi \ e prOJ cch arc de~Cll bed \\ I thIn the tex t and pl ()VIde
sotne paratneters that . hould be con~ 1d ered \\ hen p1 oceedt ng \\ 1th a 1 e~ea rc. h p1 occsc; 1 he
proj ec t de cribed do not cia 1m to be entt rei) Ind 1 gcno u ~. and . 1n 1th ( I 999) <:, uggec;t ~ that
Ind igcnous mcth o d o l ogic~ <He ofte n .. a 1111'\ of CA i stm g n1 ethodologH:a I a pprocH. hcc; and
Indigenous practice ·· (p 143) I u~cd many of 1111 th · <:, <;uggc<:,ll onc;. ern bedded 1n her
project '. to guid e n1y re. earch proce~s. incluchng celebrati ng <;Uf\ 1\ al and remernbenng.
connecting, representing, gend enng. net~ ork1ng, and protectin g.
tnith ( 1999) uggcst there 1 val ue In celebrating sun 1\ al \\ 1th1n re~earch that
focuses on the po itive and ce lebrate re ·i tance at "an ordin ar; hun1 an level .. ( tnith .
1999. p. 145). 1 cho e a re carch topic and de ign that I believe celeb rates the ~urv i va l

or

Indigenous women. This approach ha helped affitm sotn e of the collective ex perience~
we share as Indi genous wo tn en. and celebrate the journey that each perso n has taken
Smith ( 1999) also notes th e in1p011ance of retnembering and discussi ng our collccti\ c
htstory of colonialism. Although I did not ask pec dic que tion related to the hi~tot)' or
Indigenous people during the interview process, accounts of systetnic racisn1 and
tntergenerationa l trautna were brought up wtthin the experience

bared by n1any of the

Indi genous won1cn who participa ted in thts study. I belie' e creating <:,pace to t,dk. dbout
and share experiences regarding the history of coloni alisn1 ca n be tran"forn1atl\ e and

49

healing.

pon refl ection of the in ten te\N process, I noted 111 n1y JOUrnal that 1 felt

fortunate that many of the\\ otnen felt the) had a ~a rc ~pace 111 \\ htch to "hare thetr
experiences Fngnging in perso nal prayer and cultUJ nl pt actJcc~ \\ et e he!p ru I 1n keeping
rne grounded dur tn g th e datc1 co llect tn g pr occ~~
tntth ( 1999)

tate ~ that repre"entntt on ~ hould he co n ~ tcl e t eel \\hen rc~em c h e r~

crea te thetr research tud) design. I be he\ c that rc~earch co tnplcted by In cltgenou~ people
for lndt gc n o u ~ peopl e h e lp ~ c. ounter th e dommant ~oc.tct: ·~ \ IC\\ o f lnclt gc n ou~ people,
and allO\\ the re~earc h to ca pture the cotnp lc"\ llte" of betng ln clt gc n nu~ I ''a" nltndf'ul of
the va lue of rcp rescntatton \\hen csta bltshtng tn y re~ca rc h procc"s. and I belle\ e I wa~
succe sful 1n captunng . on1e of the untque 1~~uc that ha' e unpactcd Ind tgenou" \\ on1en
v. orking in child v. elfarc
•

Gendering, network1ng, and protecting arc also conce pts descnbcd by Sn1ith
( 1999) that helped guide tny research proces~. I c h o~c to rec rutt \\omen excl u ~ t\ ely for

this research becau e I believe that Indigenous wo rnen traditionall y held unique roles
within communities that are impacted by colonialisn1 and patc n1al i ~ n1 . As descnbed by
Smith ( 1999), I al o behcve women continu e to tnaintain a central role 111 creallng
han11ony wi thin the world today. We need to continu e to create spaces for won1cn to
dialogue about issues that are unique to us to pron1ote empov. en11ent.
Relationship building and protecting were itnpot1ant principles that hel ped gutde
me during this research journey. Networking processes between Indigenous peop le t !:> a
form of resistance, which I deliberately chose to engage in. It vvas very 11nportant to tne
during thi s pro cc~s to build connec tions with the parti cipants throu gh f~l ce- t o-t:1 cc
interaction s. Being respectful and transp8rent were at the foref'ront ore\ cry Interacti on

50

and dec t~ton lrnade regard1ng the research des tgn proccs

I clear! } d e~c nb ed 1ny

personal and profc~~ 1onal background and 111) purpose for do1n g th1 ~ 1cscclrch at the onset
with each participant I belie\ e th1 . ts particularl y ttnportant '-'hen co1nplcttng re ~earc h
\\ tth Ind1 gcn o u ~ people \\ ho ha\ e co ntinued to he n1 a1ginal11ed 111 the pctst tht ough
research proce scs I ab o ensured pd11tcJpant\ had oppo11un 1t1e" to en!.!.cH!e 1n th e anal)' s1s
proce .. s by creating opportun1t1es to share th e1r o h ~e n at io n ~ and th1 ough 1C\ 1evv and
feedback of the1r transc nph
I noted 111 n1y, JOUn1altng that sotne ol the\\ on1cn Interac ted 11101e freely\\ tth n1 e
and shared n1ore personal experi ences once the fonn al tnterv te\v \Va~ con1pl cte and th e
audio reco rding had stopped Although I hell e\ e I had e~t ahlt ~ h ed respectful and
meaningful interac tion \\ nh the par11c 1panh, ~e \·e ra I Jndt genous \\ on1en \\ ere ~ till
cautiou of what they hared during th e fonn al tnteJv 1ew process and asked that I not
share orne of the torie they told n1e dunn g our n1cet1ng. The princ1p le o f protecting
Indigenous peopl e, knowledge, and \\ ay or life \\ Cre at the forefront o r my thoughts
throughout this research process. My resea rch process was found ed on the idea th at
Indigenous people have something to offer the non-Indtgenous \\'Orld Several guiding
principles for completing research with Indigenous people outlined in m ith · s ( 1999)
works described above were adapted and incorporated into my re earch proce~s to
promote research that is respectfuL relevant, and helpful to the Indigenous\\ on1cn \\ ho
agreed to participate in this study. 1 a111 also optitnisti c that the outcotn cs of th1 s \\ ork \\ Jll
he of benefit to other social workers practi cing in the fi eld of child we if~1rc.

The tenets of qual ttatt \ c rcc;;carch pro\ tde a pro ccs~ o f tnqutry that tc; conducl\ e to
all o'W tng the researcher an opponunJt) to dlun1Il1clle the e ~p c tt e n ce~ and t e ahll c~ o f t h o ~c
\\ ho pa rtictpatc tn the rc<:,earch \\ ' tl ~o n (200 ) ~ t a t e~
Rc, earch \\tlhtn J\bot tgi nal co n1n1untt1 c~ ca n he pt ohlctna tic iftt 1 ~ not
tnfon11cd b; Abon gtnal people th e m ~e h C<:,. b a~ed on ctlllccll k.nO\\ ledge
and proce dure~\\ ht ch lt)ca te th e pro t ocol~ o f \\ ork.1ng \\ tth \hon ginal
peoples \\ 1th1n th c tn ~eh e~ R e~ca t <.. h n1ust he approa<.. hed \\ tth 1nteg1tly
and fid e lit) to thec;,c kno\\ ledge pt ocedurc<:, c1n d p ro toco l ~ ( p 54)
Furtherm ore. \\' tlli

~ tatcs rc~ca rc h ~o., h o ul d co ntn hu te to c;,cl f-detenn tn a tJ on a~ defi ned hy

the con1mun1ty 1t elf

ctl (2000} d c~c n be

borigi nal re~cmc h 1n the fo ll o'W Jng v.ay

AboriQinal
re carch i ~ re carch '' htch re fl ec t ~ the \ alu cc;, and belt clc;, or our
.....
peoples. Hopefull y\\ hen Ahon g1nal re5earcher do re~ca rch. they v. tll keep th et r
thinking broad in tcnn of 1nethods and approaches. and w dL at the same tun c be
able to construct and conduct the1r re ea rch in a'' ay \v ht ch is tn accord ance v. tth
their \V OrldYie\VS ( p. 145 ).
eil also states In di ge n o u ~ research i not defin ed as such JUSt becau e you self- Jdent tfy
as Indigenous, rather it can be defined thi s way when the methods used. the way the
research has been conducted, and the way the theory is constru cted all refl ec t an
Indigenous worl d view as given to us by our 1nothers and grancltn other . I belie' e I ha\ c a
responsibility to my corn 1nuni ty to adhere to n1y cul tural teachings\\ hen conducti ng
resea rch. The cultural teachings that guide n1y life, whi ch include honour and respec t lor
allli vtng things and my ancestors. ~ h a p cd the approach I too k. \\ tthin 111 ) enti re rc~o.,ean: h
.
JOUrney.

52

It \N3 S 1n1peratl\ e that I matntatn a en ~ ttJ\ C and hurnbl c att1tudc clunng and aft er
the re earch proce

to ra 1~e a\\ arcnc s~ and rc ~ p cc t I nd i gcnous \\ om en· ~..o pcrspcct 1' cs

Fu r1hen11orc. I bclte\ c the per pecll\ es ~ h ared by th e parti ci pant c., d c n1on ~..o t1 ate ~ tl cngth
and rc illcnce A an lndt gcnou l e~..oc clt c h er . I c h o~..oe to uttlt ;c a q ua lit <lll \e- h a~cd
rncthodologtca I fratnC\\ ork.. along \\ llh fo n11 al ~..o tt a t cg t e~ or Lo nd ucllng 1c~..oearc h '' 1th
Indi genous people to pl 01110te han11011)' po~ lt l\ c Lhange. and gt 0\\ th in th e hopes or
decon tructtng prl\tlcgcd. \\'e tern ~..oys tcn1s of kn(nd cdge ( CI C\\\ CIL 2001 )
In order to be tra n ~..o p a rent in tht ~ stud ). I JtJcntdi cd 111} prcco n Lc ptl o n~.
as un1pti ons. and b e li ef~ about the related ic.,s u c~..o fh1 1dent1 fi ca uon process occ un ed 1n
e\ cral \\ ay~ . ''hich Included on-go tng d1 cu ~ t o n '' 1th 111} ach t~o r and through <.:,e ll refl ecti ve JOUrnaling \duch helped n1e to retn ain open and scnsttl\ e to intcrnal and
external cruttny. Cressv. ell (20 13) ~ u ggest

tht ~ ts rele\a nt to the i sues ofrefl cx t\ Jty

and the influence of the rc earcher 111 relati on to the research and parti cipants. Qualitati ve
methodologie
........

-

hare a co n1rnon goa l in that .. th e\... seek to arnv e at an understandin ......g o l a

parti cular phenomenon from th e perspectiv e o f th ose ex peri enci ng it" (Vai moradi .
Tu11.1en, & Bond as. 20 13. p. 398). A qualitati ve approach supported my Intent to ex plore
the complex experiences and perspectives of the Indigenous worn en who pm1ici patcd 111
tht s stud y whi le preserving the meaning indi\ iduals attribute to their untque ex pen cnces
More specifi call y, an exploratory approach \vas cho en as it allowed 1n e to
exa mtne tn y research topic using words, instead o r numbers, and enabled tne to f ocu~ on
the underl yin g meanin gs and patten1s or the relati onships (Ma rl ow. 2005 ). An
exploratory strategy is often used when very little is knov. n about a topic of ~t u d)

Ptt l }~

(2003) states that using explorati on can be useful fo r researchers when they ha\ c li ttle

51
knov. ledge about the group. process, or ~ 1tu a t1 o n they \va nt to C'< 3111111C Stcbbu1 (200 I )

aL o sugge, ts that re carchers need to n1 a1ntmn fl c'\tbllit) and o p cn - n1tncl edn es~ \\ htl e
exploring a phenomenon. Focu 111g on c -xp c n c n cc~ ~ h a red th1 ough 111tct' tC\\ c; all <n\ ed n 1c
to gau1 a deeper undcrsta11cltng of th e 1ndl\ tdu al and coll ec tI \ c C\ p Ctl c n cc~ ~ h a rcd \\ ht ch
I do not belle\ c could h<n e occurred tht ough a ~ un c; 0 1 tht ough qu anti tall\ e rn ca 11 ~
Sample . . election

A purpo cful ~arnpltng ~ tra t cg; \\ a~ ctnpl o) eel 111 th1 " ~ tud } to Ill \ ttc lndt gc n o u ~
fern a)e OC tal \\ Orkcr \\ ho ha\ e a degree 111 ~OC l a l \\ ork and Cl 1111111111 U l11 or t\\ 0 yea rs or
social \VOrk prac ti ce \\ tthtn the fie ld or child \\ c lf~l re to pal11 Ctpate 111 the ~t u dy Thl ~ type
of atnpling ts de cnbcd 111 Koerber and ~c \llt c h acl (?QQg) a~ a non-prohahd ity approac h
where par1icipant are chosen beca u ~c of the e()senti al charac teri stic<> they po <)e()s ~o th ey
can an \Ver que ti on about the toptc betng ex pl ored. I choc;c tht approac h as tt ~u pp o rt cd
the election of parti cipants v. ho possess a ri ch body of kno\V ledge \vith reference to rn y
research toptc. I v. anted to create a pace v., here th e parti cipant· knO\\ ledge and \\ J ~d otn
could be honoured. I believe thi re ea rch process and analysis has strength ened rn y ov. n
ocial work prac tice. and I think It" ill deemed as helpful tnfonnation by oth er ocwl
workers working within the fi eld of child welfare.
Refl ecting the diver ity of the current Indi genous populati ons and cotn 1n unrt1 cs tn
this region, the participa nts are fron1 va ri ous ind igenous con1 1nuniti es~ howe\ er, they arc
allltving in urban communiti es outside of thctr traditional co rn tnunllics \\r'1th the "cope
o f thi s proj ect and the diffi culty o f fi nding pat1icipants who n1cct the pat1i cipati on
cn teri a, tn y proposed an1pl e size was six to nine participants. I \\ as ab le to tntcn tC\\
c1ght Indigenous women who met the prc-detcnn ined selection critcn a.

Participant Rccruitrncnt

There were C\ Cral \\ ay

111 '' hH.;h 1 rec ru ited partJ ctpclnt<; fo1 n1 y 1 e~carc h

I hegan

the rcc tui tn1 ent proces ~ h.J etnall i ng 1111 rectut ttn ent p o~ t e r d 11 ectl ) to th e It ~ l en e
tn cn1ber of the Bnti h Colun1 bia \ ~~oc t d ti o n o l \ oc tal 'A o tk c r~. " orth crn 'A o n1c n ·~
et\\'Ork. and ocial \\'ork. \lun1n1 (. ee J\ ppcndt'\ \ ) FJ\ e l nd tgc n ou~ '' nn1 en
responded to 111 y call fo r pat1tctp a nt ~ through c nld tl I al~o cn1a i led tht ce In cil ge n o u ~
'' on1en dtrec ti .J. '' hotn I had had n1 ct p1 C\ tou~ 1 1. to cnq u ire " hcth et they '' ould he
interc ted 111 partlctpallng 1n th e rc~car ch.
In each ca e. I replied 'ia cn1 atl and a'-lkcd for p e rn1 1 ~~ t o n to p1 en tde n1orc
infonnation about the re~cn rc h tu d) I attac hed a cop: or the "i nl on11atio n letter co n ~c nt
fon11·· in m) rep!) and I encouraged potentia I part ic 1pant() to rc' ic'A th c~e docu n1 e nt ~ (Sec
Appendix B) 1 al 0 a ked potenti al pat11Ctpant ~ I r they \\ ou ld prefer to eO I111TI Unica tc via
telephone. etn aiL or tneet in per on to di cu

the re earch stud y de ta Jl ~ and any qu c~ ti o n s

they might ha\ e. Email was the preferred mca n5 of comn1unt cattng cho5e n by eac h
pat1icipant. so interview were an·anged via en1 ail con espond enee and set up to occur
within a month of the initial contac t tn ade.
Al l pa11icipants indicated that they would prefer it if I travelled to their

co1nmunity to conduct the intervie\V . ~o I Inade a n·angem ent~ to travel to conduct thc\c
interviews. Interviews were an·anged in locations that the pm1ieipant identifi ed a~ be1ng
the tnost cornfortable for then1. Each pm1icipant \Vas gifted at the end of the Inter\ tew
process as a gesture to show n1y appreciation for their wi lli ngness to share their
experi ence w1th rn e and those who read thi

thcs 1 ~.

1 continued to\\ nte 111 a p e r~o nal JOUn1al dunn g tht ~ proce.;;s to 1efl ec t ITI }'

thought . fee1Ing • and obsen at1ons I anti cipated th e rec ruttn1ent pt oce~~ to take longet
than it did a~ child\\ e ) fare\\ o rke r~ c1re often\ cr\ hu~\ and alreadv tnundated \\ tth
J

J

J

papen~ ork., hO\\ e\ er, a)] o f the part tctpct nl. e\.p t C~~ed an tnlCJC~ l 111 111) I e~ca rc h topi c and

\Ve re enthustastt c and e<~ge r to par1lctpate Throughout tht ~ pr occ~t,. I tn atnta 1ncd 1111 O\\ n
self-ca re and ltnat ntatned balanced~\\ ell th1ou gh pta; er. srnud gtng. clnd ~ pe ndtn g tin1c
111 nature\\ htl c I \\a

ga th cnng data.

Ethica l Con idcrati on
Becau e e"Xplorato ry tnquir; •~ a qualttatl\ c clnd tntcrprctt \ e appt oac h. thet c <ll c
many eth1cal co n tderatt ons to be a ddrc ~~e d Ftr~tl;. the O\Ciall stnall nUJnhct or
Ind igenou fen1a le oc ial \\ L)rkcrs \\ orkt ng in chJid \\ clfare and the nUJn ber of ch tid
welfare agencte \\'ithtn Bnttsh Colutnbta tnak e~ anonymtty n1 ore dtffi cult to tnmntatn I
tried to maintain anonyn1it y by a ktn g each pat1Jctpant to choose a pseudonym Other
identifying Information, such as na1nes and places, \\ere rcn1o\ ed fron1 the 1nfonn atton
repor1ed in the tudy to en ure confidenti ality.
All re ea rch parti cipation was \Ol untary and participants \Vere pro\ 1ded V\ it h a

description of the proposed research, the rationale for the research, the associa ted n~k~.
and the requirements for their partici pation a described in Appendix 8

P a t1t ci pant~ \\ere

provided with informed co nsent infonn ation that outline the research focus, as well as
th e participant's ri ghts, ri sks. and potenti al be n e fit ~. Participant consen t() \\ere signed
prior to participating. Each pat1icipant was re1ninded tlu·oughout the process that ~h e
could wi thdraw at any tin1c without con cquencc All igncd consent Conn~\\ ere kept 111
a locked ca binet in a secured offi ce at the University ofNorthcn1 British Colutnb ta .

Re carch apprO\ al \\as ~ ought and obtatncd fron1 the L1nt\ et It) of

orthern

Bntt ~h

olun1h1a Re ea rch .. tht cs Boclld (RFB) pttot to the coJnn1 enccnH.! nt o ftht ~

research

dchttonal etht c~ appro\ al ' ' c\<.., rcqu c~ t ed frorn Rl B and ohta1ncd \\here

appli cabl e fr0111 the designate of the delega ted \hoi iginal agc nLJe<.., fo1 pal llClpanh \\ ho
identified a bc111g currcntl; ctnplo}ccl b] a delega ted \hori gtn<l l age nLv.
Tht

re~c arc h ~ tud ) d i tncd to c'p lo1c ~o n1 c ~ h t1 1 ed ex pc11 cnLc<.., of I nd i gc n o u ~

\\ on1cn: hO\\ C\ cr. th1 ~ rc<..,Ctlrch doc" not 1 cprc<..,c nt all lndtgcnnus per<.., pccti vcs. I Celli y rn y
own' alue and bclteL. '' hr ch arc roo ted 111 part tLu lar Ide ex pertcncc<..,

rhu ~. thJ <.., stud y

rcpre ent 111} ~uhj ec tl\ c under tandtn g. '' hi ch t<.., co ntcx tu al11cd tn a lunttcd nun1hc1 of
Ind igcnou '' on1 c11 e'pcncncc and beltc [<, I urth cnn orc. th e qua l1 tat1' e JTlc thodo logy

utili/ed may not he able to touch on all of th e co nn cc tt ons bet\\ cen ht <;, lorica l. cu ltUI al.
sociaL politicaL ecologtcal. and econon11 c fac to r~ and th e research
To suppo11 ethi cally ~ound co nduct \V ithtn the research process. I n1 aintatn cd an
a\\ areness regarding my dual role a an lndigenou female rc~ea rc h e r and as an
employee of a delegated Aboriginal agency. As a researcher. I had a responsibility to
ensure my en1ployment cotnmi tment dtd not con1promi e tn y re ea rch or personal eth tc~
(Social Research Associati on, 2004 ). To promote transparency and safety of the
participants, the potentialunpact of my du al role within the context of tn y re earch \\a~
outlined in the consent inforn1ation letter. I maintained ongoing transparency with all
participants by rerninding thern throughout the process that they had the oppottunJ ty to
withdraw at any titne as their pa1iicipatio n was voluntary. 1 pro\ ided n1 y cel l phone
nurnber and cn1atl address Information to each pa11icipant and cornn1un1 cated that the)

'57

could contact tnc at any t1n1 e should the) ha\ c qu c~ tt o n or conccn1s 1elated to the
re, earch process

I maintmned a pe r~o n a l JOurnnl throughout th e rc~ca rc h ~ tud } pt oce~" to ~ upp o t1
.. elf-rcOcxl\ 1ty and to pron1 otc an accountable t e~cd rc h pr oce~~ loutn aling \va~ u ~ed ""a
tool for idcnttfytng ex 1 ~ lln g or potentwl harnct" \1y O\\ n c\pcn ence \\' a~ C\. pl orcd 111
parallel to conducttng and pt occ~s 1n g th e tnt en tC\\ "" through 111} refl ect I\ c JOUrn allng,
\\ ht ch \\ a an account and naiTatl\ cor tny thought\, fee l1n gs and i d ea~

Data Collection
K\al e ( 1996)

t a te~ an 1ntcn JC\\ 1s an 1nterac tton hct\\ ccn a parlie rpant and an

interv te\\ er 1n \\ hich there 1 ~ an e\.change of\ IC\\ \ and 1ntcrp1 eta li o n ~ arc negoti ated
Wil on (2008 ) uppo11 thi not1on by stating 1ntcn IC\\ arc rocussed dJ \C U \~io n \ th at
allow the re carcher to ga ther infcH111 att on dtrec tl y frotn the potnt of\ JC\\ a~ ex prc~~cd hy
the participant, upport a n1utual hati ng of inforn1ati on and a refl ectJ on on the n1 ca nm g
of one' s experiences.
Interviews are used to explore the know ledge and to ca pture the vo tces and
experience of those with tnfotmation relevant to the research inquiry (On\\ eugbune,
2 00 3~ Sreejesh, Mohapatra, & Anu rcc, 20 13). Dcnzin and Lincoln (2008) suggest In-

depth interviews can protnote an Indi genous meth odology through the telling of ~tone~
and counter-narratives that disrupt pri vil eged Westen1 views by exposing the
cotnplexities and contradictions that exi t.
Participants' ex periences were captured through fa ce-to-fa ce incll\ idual
Interviews that were audio-recorded. etni-structured, open-ended inten JC\\ qu e~t t o n ~
were used to guide the process and created consistency within the in ten tcw procc~scs

ltlten tews took place 1n loca tion n1utuall} agreed upon and \\here parttctpants were
cotnfortablc co nfidenttaltt)' \\ ould be tnaintatncd The tnfonnall on and co nsent letter,
along ~' tth the 1nten te\\ questtons. \\ere sent to CClch par1tctpant \ ia ctnm l 24 hours p1101
to the co n1n1cnccn1 ent of the 1nten tC\\ Tht\ pl O\ td ccl pm1t u p ,ln t ~ \\ tth "ufTicJent tunc to
re\ ie\\ the que tton\, con\ tder th e11 1e"- pOn"-C"-. and to co n11nunicate an) que\tton~ or
1

concen1s The co nsent tnronnatJ on \\a~ abo te\ te\\ ed 111 petso n hefo te "tart1n g th e
tnten. te\\ process as an added n1ea"-ut e of 1 c~cdrchcJ ctccountdhtltt) \ p e r~o n a l grecttn g
ca rd and stnall gtft \\a gl\ en to eac h \\ on1a n at the end of hct tntcn tew to ~ h O\\ re~pec t
and gratt tude for thetr \\ tilt ngness to share thetr know ledge
Dunng the 1nten tC\\ procc~"- I listened tntentl} to all the ex p c n cncc~ and tdca~
hared by the \\ on1cn who agreed to par1tcipatc in tht<:.. ~ tud ] I belie\ ed this group had
much to hare w1th ocial \\ orkers and other stakeholders and that these vo tccs arc not
often hea rd o I \\ a exc tted to enter tnto th1 ~ research\\ 1th then1 I fe lt ~o grateful that
each of these wotnen had agreed to share her story\\- Jth me. Dcveloptng cotnfot1able
relationships with each par1icipant was impot1ant to n1e in this stud y and I made efforts to
communicate and develop reciprocaltnteracttons as rnuch as pos ible I lO\\e\cr, tt \\a~
also chall enging as the research to development relation hip during a considerab le short
time period and th e interview process seen1ed to bring about a (()lmality to these
interactions.
At the end of each interview, 1 asked the pat1icipants how they felt and also
retninded them of the counseling co ntact infonnation provided in n1y tn forn1at ton and
consent letter. I was prepared to debrief with pat1icipan ts if they appea red to he u p~et ot
indicated that we had tri ggered l11Cl110ries that \Verc upsetting ] Icnvcver, all or the

59

pat11c1pants ccn1 ed to be grateful to finall)' ha' e the opportuntty to talk ahout th eu
e"'<pcricnCCf-, openl y Many part1c1panh told n1 e they felt that it'' a tn1p01 tant to talk
about and acknowledge th etr ~tren gth ~ Dunng eac h tnt cn tC\\ I felt tn ~ p1rcd and
rnoti\ ated hy the e \.p cn c nce~ the) ~ h ell ed '' 1th n1c
The aud1o-rccordcd tnten tC\\ ~ \\'erc tran<;cnhed h)' a third party tran"cr1he1 The
thu·d party tran cnhcr rc\ JC\\ ed and agreed to n1 a1ntatn co nfid cntwhty and signed the
Tran cnber Agrcctncnt of Confidcn tialtt) ( cc \ppcndtx 0 )

lthough 1ny in1tJ al plan

''a to transcribe eac h 1ntcn tC\\ 111)...,elf. bc1rncr~ and tunc con~t r a1 nt " pr C\ ented me Iton1
be1ng ab le to co rnplcte th1 ~ ta~k. I ~ pent tnan} hours 1e' tevv tng the tran~cnpt1on<; v., hdc
tmultancou ly li ~t e ntng to each 1ntcn tC\\ rccordtng PartJ ctpan t<; v. cre pro' Jdcd \vith a
copy of their per onal transc npt to rc\ JC\\ for any change and then appro\ e a~ pat1 of
. uppo11ing transparency and cred1btltty v.tthln the rc~carch process (Va n Den Hoonaa rd ,
2012).

Data Analysis
~

Thctnatic Analysi

IS a method u ed to identify, ana]y/.e, and report patterns or

themes within data. Thi method i '' idely used in qualitati\ e research. Thematic
meanings are identified by Holloway and Todres (2003) as one of th e few shared generic
skills across qualitati ve analysis. It has been described as a tool to use across di fferent
methods because Jt is fl exible and is not finnly connected to one theoreti ca l fra n1C\\Ork It
is considered a non-1inear process that protnotcs a ri ch, compl ex, and detailed description
of the data collected (Brau n & Clarke, 2006 ).
An inducti ve approach to analyzing the data\\ as taken This approach al lo'' s the
sctnanti c thern cs to en1crge from data and to be analyzed without tryi ng to fit thcrn into a

no
prc-cxi ting cochng fratTI C\\Ork. Braun and Clarke (2006) ~ t a te that. an " inducti\ c
approach n1 cans the th c n1 c~ tdentdicd ate 'S trongly linked to th e data th e n1 ~eh c~ .. (p H1)
lndu cti\'e ana I )~ I i fut1hcr de<;c n bed at., a .. bo ttom ll r .. \\a) to tdent d ) I ng thctn ct.. and
pattCJl1 \\ tlhln the data (8I aun

r

Cldtk.c, 2006) I he use o f thctn attc a n a l )~ l ~ pcnnt h th e

rc~ca rc her to con1binc a n a l ;~ t s of thett n1ca ning \\ Ithtn thcu pat tt cul at co nt e\.l

(On\\ uegbu;c, 2003) I belJC\ c th1 ~ dpproach 1~ co n ~ I ~ t e nt \v ith the eth ica l co nduct o f
research in relation to carrytn g out 1c~ca rch \\ tth I n clt gc n ou~ peopl e
Braun and Clarke (2006) ~ u ggc't that although fl cx1htllt; t<; <.,cc n a~ a benefit of
u ing then1at1 c analyst., It 1 ~ 5ttll tn1pot1ant to fo lio\\ clear gutd cltnec; to e n ~u rc the
analy i i Incthodologlcall ) ound Thctr 6-ph a~c ~ tcp -by-~ te p gut de to pet ron11111g
thctnatic an a l y~ tS wa

u ~cd to gu1d e n1y data a n a l )~ ~

In the tnt ttal ph a~e<.,, I immer<.,ed

my elf in the data by bccotntng fa n11ll ar \\ tth Jt I d1d thi by lt c;tcn1ng to th e enttrc aud iorecorded interviews se\'cral titnes. by reading and rereading the tran criptt ons. and by
noting my initial ideas in the margin . , along\\ ith any connec ti ons to 1ny JOurnal
refl ections (Vaismoradi et al. , 20 13 ).
Next, I generated Initial coding fo r as tn any potential themes and patterns as I
could find , and extracted data relevant to each code whil e ensuring to include
surrounding data for contex t. I wa n1indfu l to con 1der v.,hether tndi\ idual ex tract~ or
data could fit into different themes and was open to coding then1 many tin1cs.
I cotnpleted this tn anu al coding process by using hi gh lighters and coloured · poo;.,tit' notes Lo identi fy segtn cnls of data as sugges ted by Braun and Clarke ( 2006 ). Co n1n1on
thetn es were then highlighted and coded using di fTcrent coloured hi ghlt ghtcr~ to rcprc,cnt
each thetn e wi thjn each transcript. Different colou rs of construct ion paper were then u~ed

to create hcadtng~ rot each then1e } ,1ch highlighted quote (1\\0Cic.llCd \\ tlh a thcn1c \\a"
then CUt OUt of' the photocopied tratl\Citbcd le'\l c.111d c.ltlc.lCht:d to the COil e\ponding
coloured hoatd underneath the then1e t1tk Cl\ de\uthed 111 the ligure hehn\.
Figure I. Visual di ~ pl a y of themes.
lht~ proce'"''"' enabled n1e to clc,ul: tdenttf: thenle\ \\hik cte,tting a \1\llc.ll

1---~-

reference during the anal) si'"' proces~ I he thernes \\ere narrov-.eJ dO\\ n to 1i\ e
O\ crarching then1e~ \\ ith a ~ct of \Uh-thenle\ a~ de~cnhed n1 the table heiO\\

()nee the

thcn1cs \\ere visual !) di splayed I read transc riph one final tin1e a<.; are\ tC\\ n1cchani ~n1 to
en~urc no then1es or subthcn1es \\Cre n1i~ scd

I defined and natncd then1es. ~uh thenlC\.

and n1i ~cc llancou~ thc tne~ b) creattng a table\\ ith the nan1c ol each code and tndudcd ~.1
bri er description.
In addition. I checked to n1ak.e sure the thcn1es \\orked tn relation to the coded
C\.tract~ and the entire data ~et b) creating a ' thcnultic tnap· (Braun & Clark.c. '006)

\

\\ ri ttcn analys is was created to explai n the '"tor\· each thcn1e tell" and hn\\ tl lih '' ithtn

62
th e con text of the O\ era II · ton.. ·. Braun and C In rkc (2006) ~ tate that thernc~ ~ h o uld
clearly be defin ed 111 tc nn ~ of'" hat they a1 c a~ \\ell a~ \\hat th ey arc not
The final tage 0 r the anal) <., J\ 1ncluded prec;;entl ng l he I eport h) \electI ng
con1pclllng exan1pl c'" and extrac ts to tnclude tn lTI) \\ tttten Iindtng\ chaplet ·r h e~c
clcctJ ons and extraction\ \\'ere al~o analy1ed tn relation to the rc~ea rc h q u c~ ltnn and
literature related to the topt c
I kept a joumc1l throughout tht~ pt nee~~ to rcflct.t n1 y O\\ n td ea~ and thou g ht ~
related to the proces~ and the then1 e<., fh t<., a~~ ~ ~ted n1c 111 tdentd'y ing and pro cc~~i n g n1 y
ow n fceltng after each tnt en te\\. as\\ ell a~ any e 1notion ~ that the partt c tpant ~ ~ hO\\ ed
At the end of each tnten te\\. I pent t1n1c JOumaling n1y thou g ht~ and fccltngs about the
intcn ie\\ and the parti e i pa nf reacti on<;. I noted when parttc i pant<; had made ~i 111 dar
comtncnt about their e\.periences and <;Onl c of the thcn1ec;; ~tm1ed to e1ncrge In the<,e
early journal en trie . I al o made journal cntne \\ hile I transcnbed the tntcn tC\\ ~ n o tin g
when in1i lar plu·ase , words, or thoughts were repeated by n1ore than one of the
parti cipants. The written transcription \\ere emailed to each participant for echt1ng and
approval. This process wa completed to ensure I had cotTcctl y written \\hat they \\anted
to express, and to ensure th ey fe lt respected in the process.
Integrity in Resea rch

Quality in resea rch is dependent on honesty, transparency, and a ~elf-en ti cal
awareness and attitude to pr01note tru st and an eva luati on proces fo r ·co n ~u mcrs of the
resea rch· ( Whitten1 orc. Chnse. & Mandi e, 200 1).
Ri gor, as a co ncept. is linked to the qu ality of the research pro cc~"· \\ htch
pron1otcs tru stwo11hincss and accountabi lity. A nun1bcr or co tnponcnts arc used to define

63

ri go rous qualltali\e research: " transparency. crcchbtlity, tclwhdtty. and refl cxl\ tty ..
( autnure · Jlv en. 2008, p 795) I hen c attcn1ptcd to pron1ote tran,parency and clat 1ty
''-' I thin tny research stud y b) pro' td 1ng tho c '' hn 1 cad 111} the\ t'

'' 1th a detatl eel

de. cripuon of the s tep ~ taken'' Jth1n the rc earch procc~s fh1 ' al\o g<n e the part1crpant\
the oppoi1Ul1ll} to a sse~~ \\ hcther th e rnethocl' c ho,cn \\ere <1ppr oprwte 1n 1 elatron to rny
research qucstt on.
Credtbdtty i td cnttficd a an .. lncrridlll f.! gna l o fqualitall\ e rc~ca r L h . rcfl cc ttn g
the relati\ i ti C nature or truth claiJTI \ 111 the interpret!\ I t tradtlt on.. ( 'J\ htltC1110rC Ct al.,
2001. p. 530)

uring crecltbiht} refer" to the purpo eful erfo11 to C\ta hlJ \ h an accurate

interpretation of the n1 ea ntn g of th e data. I atten1 pted to con1pl etc nl cJnbcr check\ with all
pat1icipant individually by prO\ id tn g them\\ tth a copy o f thc 11 '' ritten transcription I
al o attempted to gather feedback frorn each partt ctpant conccrntng the tntcrv ie\v
transcription and initial thctnat ic data analy i

1 \viii also provide each participant \vtth a

copy of the completed thcs ts.
Reliab ility is also an impo11ant proce s to consider 'A hen evaluating qualitatl ve
research. It is especially i1nportant \.\1 hen it co n1c" to coding infonnau on to ensure
different viewers would code the data sitnilarly (Menitt 20 12) . ln regards to coding and
thematic analysis, my academic ad\ isor independentl y re\ Ie\.\Jed an intet"\ I C\\ tran\Ctlpt
and compared her results with tny codin g to sec whether the results were sJnlilar to help
enhance reliability.
Lastl y, rcOexivity has emerged as a key eva luation co n1ponent and critical
concept in the 1ncthodology of qu alitatl\ C research. How rc11cx n ity '" conceptual11ed and
how it is incorporated into resea rch practices has in1plica tions for the qualitati\ c research

o4
produced (Da y. 20 12) Refl exivity entail the re. earcher betng self-awat e of her cfrcc t on
the proce

and outc on1cs based on the pre mi ~c that .. kn O\\ ledge cannot he ~ep a rat ecl

fro tn the knO\\Cr" and that. " In th e <;oc ial ~c i c n c c ~. th ere i ~ onl) interpretati on.
speak for itself'' ( And c r~o n . 2008. p 747) Rc fl e\.t\lty requti C~ co n ~ tcl c J n tl on and
exan1ination of deci i o n~ 1nnde at eac h ~ t age of the research procc~s . I kept a JOurnal or
n1y thoughts and 1dea throughout the rc~carc h p roce~s to p1 on1 ote sclf -Icfl cctl \ lty
urn mary•

In u1nn1 ary. a qu alttntl\ e expl oratory n1 cthodologJca l fran1 C\\ o r k and way<; o f
approaching re earch '' tth Ind igenous conununttl c~ were uc;.,ed to guid e thl <; research
proce . Thee\ aluatio n cntena d c~c nh cd tn th1 ~ chapter helped to pron1ote transparency,
enhance accountability, and t1u l\\'Orthlne s v.·1thin 1ny research process ( F1nlay, 2002)
. The theme that emerged from re ea rch. oth er rclc\ ant ideas c;., hared by th e p a rti c ipa nt~.
and similarities between the literature and re earch findings will be d e~c rib ed in detail in
the foll owing chapter.

65

Chapter Four: R c~ca r c h Finding\
The research fincltng~ offer n ch tnfonnatton and tns tght tnto the c\pcn cnccs of
the Indtgenous \\ OJncn \\ ho partlctpated tn tht\ "" tud} The pant ctpanh articulated that
they felt thi s re. earch \\as needed and th ey\\ ct e pl eased to lut\ c the npponunlty to shat c
thetr tn tghh dbout tht ~ 1111por1ant 1"""ue Quote"' at c tncl ucled th1 oughout tht <., chapter to
ensure the research pm1tctpant · \ otces clrc central to tht <-. dt<-.cussJon In thts chaplet. I
\\Ill d1 cuss n1} rc. earch fincllng"'. \\ht ch tnclude denlogtaphtcal rnfotn1,\lJon and detail <-.
rega rding the fi\ c thcn1cs and subthen1 es Identifi ed \\ ithin the rc""earch. t~ xmnintng th e
throughout
the rc earch \\ til be u<-.ed to heltet
thcn1e and subthen1c that ctnen..?.ecl
'-'
......,
und er tand the factors that help oc tal \\Orkcrs ren1atn rcs tlt cnt \Nhile 'v\Otktng in the field
of child v. elfarc
•

Dcmogra phical Informati on
Part1c1pants \\ ho n1ct the foliO\\ tng cnten a \\ere Ill\ Jted to pai1J Cipate Jn thr<;
research study: 1) pos es . a degree in social work~ 2) have worked in the fi eld of child
\\ elfare in BC for a minirnun1 of t\\ o yea rs: and 3) are fetnalc and self-tdcnttfy as betng
First

ations, Metis, or Inuit.
Eight participants agreed to pm1icipate in thi s re earch study and con1pl cted

individual interviews with n1e. Pai1tcipants resided within different urban con11nunttt es
throughout British Colun1bia . All participants were women, and their lnciJ gcnou~ rooh
included Metis ancestry and First

at1on con1n1unities in British Colutnhia. Alberta. and

Manitoba . Four women identified as being tnetnber of First Nations con1n1 untt1 c"' tn
Brittsh Colurnbia, while three won1cn identified as belonging to First

at1 ons

cornmunities from outside the provtncc. Three won1en abo Identified a~ ha\ tng Melt \

66

ancestry. The. pecific co n1n1uniti es ''II l not be l1 sted du e to th e small ~a n1pl e i7c, and to
protect the pa111cipants' anonymtty I?Cich pm1tctpant \\a&a~ k. cd to c h oo~c " pscudonyn1,
vvhich will be used throughout thi chapter to protec t co nfid entt altty
The participant<)· age. ranged hct\\ ccn n1td -thu11 es to Jnld -fi ft tc<) Y cars of
delegated chdd welfare experience ranged frorn a 1111nun un1 o f <)1'< yca1<)or expenencc up
to l\\ enty yea rs o r expcnencc Areas o f chlld \\ Cifare cx pcn cnce tncluclecl child
protection in' es tlga tion and fan1dy ~e n tee'' orL gu C1 rd ia n ~ h1p . and pennancncy pl ann ing
and a d o pti o n~. Four of the pat1J ctpant<) al o had C\pericnce '' orktng as tcan1 l ead e r~ or
had held super\ i. ory p o~ 1t io ns \\ ith1n child\\ clfa re agcncJe<)
In rega rd to educCi tl onal background. SC\ en parti Cipants had ob tained a
Bachelor' degree in ocial Work ( 8 W). One par1icipant identifi ed as ha-v 1ng a BSW
with an lndigenou

pcctall/atl on. \\ hd e another parti ctpant had obtai ned a BSW v. 1th a

child welfare pecialization. Two pm1icipants al o possessed Master of Soc ial Work
degrees.

67

Table I: Identified Thcn1c
~ ub-Thctn e

Thcrnc

1.

elf-ldentr t)

lndr gcnou

\\ ct)\ ofKn o\\Jn g

Cult urc · <; p 11 1tua I1l1

-I

J OOdn c~~ of Ftt

P c r ~o nal

· P rofc~~1o n a l \·a l ue~ \lr gning

\\'o rkpl acc Inno\ at ron
ocra l \\ 'ork Pr ac tt ce

3

ccess to Resources and upporh

uper\ ision and Dcbn cfi ng
Trai ntng and

ul tura] Rc\our ccs

The Po\\ er of M c nto r~ hrp
4. Relati on htps
5.

elf-care and Work-life Balance

Self-Identi ty
T wo irnpor1ant areas, or ub-thcn1e , rcgdrd ing el (:.td cntity etnergcd \\ ithu1 the
data: I) the personal insight and ac knowledgn1ent each wo tn an held rcga rcltng the it
Indi genous per pectivc, or len . and ho\.\ it related to the1r '-lOc iaI \\ ork practice, and 2)
how aspects of culture and spirituality enabled these won1 en to be resiltcnt despttc
working in the very stres~ fu l fi eld or child welfare

lndigenou Ways of Knowin g
The p art t c ip a nt ~ in thi s research all recounted ways tn '' hich co l onwll~n1 hd d
in1pacted thern directly 0 1 indi rec tly. All of these ren1arkahle lnchgcnous \\ otncn
n1entioned they had beco n1c tn \o lved rnitially, or retnained uno h cd, in Lhild \\df:u c

because they hoped they could 1nakc a ddTercncc in the II\ c<.., of Ind1 genou ~ chtldrcn and
fa n11ll es They al so touched on hO\\ their In ch gcn o u ~ \ JC\\ <.., or len lul\ e 1111pactcd thc1r
\ le\v 0 f the WOrld and the chJld \\ eJfare <..,) <.., leln Je<;<..,J Ccl <.., hell ed her pel c;, onnJ c;, tory of betng
an Indi ge nou s ~ on1an \\ ho \\ as ad opted and rcuntted \\ tth her bu1h n1othe1 and c;, thlin gs
a an adult:
I \\a, tncredthl ) rortunatc to hd\ C tho<..,e JelatJ on<.., hJp<.., ac;, an adult. hut fol 111C Jt \\(\ ~

abo \'cry tclltng about th e dtff etent life traJCCton ec;, \\ e ha\c and the clJUeJcnt
outcomes and the clt ffe rent ~ tru gg l e<.., \\ c face ha<..,cd on that ~o rt orcolon tal
practice of acl opttng children out. Pn \ tl egc t<.., realI} clear 1n 1111 O\\ n per<..,onal
story and so for n1e it i. ob\ 1 o u ~ 1 y \cry itnpot1ant to ack nO\\ ledge th at pn vdcgc
and to gi\ e hack .. ·o gi\ ing back \\a5 ah\ a;s real I) important to me and issues in
ocial ju ticc

~.:,o I th1nk th ose l\\ o thtng

co mh1ned sort of lead n1 c to soc1al

~' Ork .

Barb described how her upbringing shaped the way she vic\\ s the concept of farnil y and
how this drew her to the work and ab o n10t1vated her to practi ce di fferentl y\\ 1thin the
child welfare system:
I loved sitting beside tny grandtnothers growing up and li stening to thcn1, they

were all carcgivc rs. they a II too k ca re of ever} hod)· s chi Idren and I lo\ ed
listenin g to th eir stori es ... listcnin g to the Cree lan guage ... chil drcn \\ ere ne\er
vi ewed separate . They were always part of everythin g ... kid \\ crcn ' t \Cpa rated
from the adu lts, and Western culture does that. They ~cp ara te thcn1 \\ e <..,cparate
our Elders, put them in horncs. where I grew up, 'v\ c took ca re of n1y,
grandin a ... Ycs it was very d ifficul L but \\ c did not even think about <..,cparat ing

(19

her fron1 the famil) un it. .. \\C talk about ha\ ing peo ple that arc unh ealthy and not
safe. \\- e al\\- ays knC\\ \\ ho they were and '' c ah\ ay~ protec t one another around
th at.

obod) \\a ~ C\ cr 5cgrcgated and n1adc to fee l that th e) didn ' t belong

0111C\\ here.

0

I hehC\ e Ill 111) pr ac tt ce that chtld ren do belong\\ tth th cu rarnd y

and 111 thctr co n1n1un1t y. and th at can happen They need to be a pat1 of that no
matter '' hat. L1fcl o n ....~
C\ era] \\ on1cn n1entt oned th e de\ aq atm g c rf ec t co l onr a ll ~ n1 had on thctt fatntl y and how
tt rnoti' a ted th cn1 to'' or k tn the fi eld o f chtld '' clfat c and hrtn g theu Indt gcno u ~
pcrspecti\ es Into their\\ ork. as d c~c nb ed b; M e ll ~~a ·
As an Abon g1nal per on I lost a ~ r ster to th e ~ t x ll c~ · ~ \\ eep and ~h e pa~'>c d a\\- ay
before \\ e could n1cct. I saw ho\\ the l o~~ of my ~ ~ ~ tc r affected n1 y rn othct and
grandrnother. I ha' c a specra I place tn n1y heart fo r chtldren and ha\ c a I\\- ay~
wanted to Vv'Ork \\ tth them I wa late stat1ing m y career. but 1 wa~ detenn1ned to
do 1t. I al o would hear fron1 fa n11lie \\ ho \\ere dealing\\ ith \\ elfare th at they dtd
not like dealing with then1. 1 thought hav in g someone in the fi eld who could relate
and show respec t would be benefi cial to the famll tes.
The women all shared spcci fi call y how being Indi genous shapes the way they\ ieVv the
world within all aspec t ~ of li fe. as well as in their child \\ elfare work Kall shared her
experience in the fo llowi ng way:
When you work fron1 an lndrgcnous pc r~pec ti\ e you ktnd of co n1e to the \\ ot k.
wi th a different lens. Like you have that Ind igenous lens in C\ crythtng you do
And so. I thin k that's en1bcddcd in e\C r)thing that )Oll do. hkc tn }OUr
professional practi ce and your life.

70

Becau5c of the de\ astating effects the child \\elfare ~y<; ten1 had on l ndt ge nou ~ people tn
Canada. tt Ccln be pat1tcul arly diffi cult for Indi genou s soc tal\\ orkers to '' ork with1n th ts
opprc. Sl\ e systern . as de cnbcd In Jcs<; Jca · <; e\.pen ence
I thi nk my practi ce i ~ ground ed 1n an Ahon glllal pc r~ pcc t i \ c ... I think kno\\ 111g

\\ ho I am and ''here I co n1c from ha <; bee n rea lI) 1111 portant. . I th ink ha' 111g a
strong sense. hut a calin <;en<;e of tdenttt )-. cl nd an u nd e r~ta nd1n g or th <H I feel
pretty ground ed and <;elf- tdcntd: tng and hetng real I)- clear on tho<;c thtn g"' And
bctng real I: clea r\\ tth n1y ca ln1. \\ tth JTl )- O\\ n \ tory I thtnk Itt <; reall y un pot1ant
to be clear and caln1 abou t you r per<;o nal Identity and ground ed In that and
understand the place you con1e fron1 . But th e other p1ece th at I wo uld say, and I
ha\ e seen thts at work. the self-Identit y or hcmg an Abo1igtnal -wotn an doing this
\\ Ork i in1pac tin g ;our ca e \\Ork mthat it' <; too di ffi cult to \\ atc h th e <;;<;te n1ic
opprec;<;ion ... and the fi ghting beco n1 c~ rcactl ' e and ha,·ing a balance het\\ een
good practice and clear practice and your O\\ n pe r~o n a I identi t) it·<; rca II :
diffi cult. But I think once th at balance stri kes there i noth ing
.... '" e ca n ·t do .
Lynn described ho-w being First Nations 1111pact her perspective of the v. ork:
I think it helps with just ha' in g a stronger identi ty ... bein g First Nat ion<; and
wanting to tnake a change for First Na ttons li ves. That has been a huge ractot d\
well for worktng in the fi eld of child welfare.
Culture and Spirituality

The wotnen who par1icipated 111 thi s research study descn bed ho\\ the) h,t\ c used
their Ind1genous wa ys of knowing, cultural know ledge, and spirituality to pt O\ 1de then1
with the strength and balance required to he resili ent as soc wl workers wo rkt ng '' Ithm a

71

Western systc1n that often conf11 cts \v 1th lnd1 gcnou \\ ay~ or knO\\ 1ng (~o r cxan1pl e.
Bntany mcclt tate dall y,\\ htch ha ~ helped her rctnatn re~ dJ c nt. and ~ h e ~a td . ··1 h e re ·~ a
da iI) connect ion o fj u q honouring the un 1\ er~e ·· ')ome o f the '' on1cn dc(,c n bed 1nhct cnt
strength they\\ ould dra\\ upon.\\ htl c others dc~cnhed hO\\ the1r be Iter ~y~t cn15 enabl ed
thctn to be rcs tll ent
Kall ~ h arcd het c'\pcnencc ''hen ~he ~clld
Call ing on .. rellect111g on the <.,trength of 111} ancc~ttH·~ and ju(,t the fact that so me
of 111)' ancc tor~. ~o.,o n1 e of 111) fcn1alc ancc~tor~ dtd an1anng thtng~ 'A tth th eir IJ\C<.,
and rcall ) li\cd li\ cc:; of incredihle hard~h1p ... \\hen th111gc:; ha\c gotten rcall) bad
for n1e. I ha\ c rellcctcd on that and .lUSt k1nd of felt.. I can do'' hat need(, to .......11,ct
done

o. kind or that inner bchcf I gue~o.,~ Ill ITI)' 0\N n <.,elf In Ill Y 0\A. n ab dtty to get

throu gh .

•

Barb desc ribed how she u5c her cultural beliefs as the foun datio n for balance \\ ith111 her
life:
To have a good balance in n1 y life, I definitely wo rk the In edictnc wheel C\ en
though I don·t c:;a) it - ph; sica ll ) . emotionall y. c:; pintuall;. I bei Jcve that there ·<.,
always good in everything and things happen for a reason.
Two woman also menttoned that they eek out I:lders fo r ach ice and n1cntorshtp, and
ground then1sclves in cuI tural practices, such as srnudging.
Goodness of Fit

The environment in whtch we work cCi n co ntribute to our sati sfCictron \\ nhtn our
work. and ca n promote rc~ tli c ncc All the won1cn described a~pecL of theu er1\ 11 onn1ent

72
that trcngthcned or htnd ercd thctr conltntttnent and abdtty to rc1nain t e~lltent '' hlle
working tn chdd welfare

Per onal and Profc ional \r a lu c~ Ali gnin g
Mnn) \\Oinen ~ h ated theu C\. p ene n ce~ or\\ Orktng \\ tthtn age n c t c~ \\hetc th e

agency' a lu c~ and thcu pcr<\ona l \aluc~ ali gned .lcc;;~ I ca dc~c nb e d hct C\. pcn encc 111 the
foliO\\ tng ''a) "hen tc1lk.tng about the delegated \horigtna l agency '' hct e ~ he \\ ot k~
[Agcnc)] 1 a (~llrl) health) agcnc) and ~ ~ co nltntttcd to a' ct 1 ~i n1dm 'alu c
estccrn that I \\Ou ld ITI )<\Cifha\c Including th1ng~ ltk.c t c lauon ~ htp based ~oc tal
\\Ork, ~trcngth ba ~cd practt cc found ed 111 other 'aluc~ like rc ~ pcct and tntcgnty
and humilit) . V\ ork. ing for an agenc) that rnatchc() n1) \aluc ~

certain I) add() to

re ilicnc) . Feeling like I ha\C a <ienc;;e or belonging at fage nc)] anJ that"" real!)
offcnng on1e rcstlt ency I '' ould ay I thtnk betng fcur ly happ y and content tn
my \\Orkplacc cct1ainly he lp ~
Lynn harcd a imilar c'<perience
Working for a delegated Abo riginal agency, having culture a<., the forefront has
helped tne. Bctng ab le to keep that incorporated into n1y practice by partJctpating
in their potlatch and Some traditional C\ cntS in the COill n1UJ1 it) .. a ~e n se ol' pndc
that th e ~ork that I prod uce is apprec iated and it help "ith the c.lgcnc; ·~., n1andate.
. .

mt SSIOJl ...
Another wotnan also described hct cxpenencc as po iti\ c because or the clgenC) <\he
worked for, w hen she scud :

73

t n' ironn1ent i<; hu ...ge. fh c o ffi cc that I' n1 at ri ght no''. I look ron\ ard to co n1 tn ...g
'-'

to " ork bccau. e I know th at thts 1s a rea ll y good place to be and '"here I need to
be because the ' 1 ~ 1 o n and e\ erytlu ng 1 ~ 111 ltne '' 1th ''hat
Many delegated

I '' ant to do

bori g1nal age n c 1 e~ u1corpo1ate cultural and ~ pt n tu a l pt ac tl ce<:, tnto the1r

datl y bu s tn e~<;,. and the '' o n1en '' ho '' or"ked at delega ted 1\bott gtnal agenctcs pt O\ 1ded
. pectfi c e'<.atnpl e dunng thctr tntel\ JC\\ s For exa n1pl c. tn many agc nctcs wo rk n1ec ttn g~
often tart and end '' tth a prayer. and food t<;, h l c~~cd bcfo1c n1calc; Many p ar1 1 c 1p a n t~ and
I have also had our o ffice sp ace~ b l c~~ed thr ough cul tural pr nc ll ces. \\ hi ch he lp ~ to

protnote good energy tn the \\ orkpl ace
In contra t Kalt ~ h a rcd her pcr<;,onal C'< pcn encc and re<;,ponse \\. hen there 'N a~ a
hi ft in phil o ophy '' 1th1n the organt;atJ on where she \\. orkcd
My po Ilton for a lot of years\\ a an excel lent fit for rne A nd. I feel li ke I dJd
good \\ ork I was proud of the \\. ork that I did. and then a fe'N thing<; changed and
sudden h- it '' asn · t a fit for n1 e an\ rn ore. and that· s " hen 'ou need to 1na kc a
~

~

change and to recognize that a shi ft has occ utTed.
Workplace Innova ti on

All of the women described fl exibility wi thin their wo rkpl aces as a facto r that
influenced their willingness to stay wo1king 1n their posittons. Jessica dcscnbed hO\\ thts
work can be eli ffi cult, and that hav ing fl ex ibility to take tin1c away fron1 work\\. hen
needed has helped her rcn1ain resdtent:
Having a supporti ve work place and an understanding tn the work place 1s
ccrta in Iy a good coping tralcgy. I kn O\\ th at ir I ~a) .. II C). r nl k md 0 I done ror
the day:· 1'111 respec ted and that' s helpful.

74
Lynn had a i1ndar ex perience 111 regards to fl exibdtty
Ju .. t ha"ing that fl exibillty of tf 1 do need to hcl\e a day offjust to recoup. there is
usually no 1"~ue ~ fro tn n1e bc1ng able to get that f 1on1 111) \\. ork

" ''elL a<;

offering nc, Ja) ~ that · helped a hu ge arnount to JUSt be ab le to reco up I gu e~()
and con1 e hC1 ck to \\ ork frc"h
Jane tc1lked about hO\\ the need for fl exib ility can he In1pot1C1nt and untque v. hen \\ ork1ng
\\ 1th lndi genou people

he dcscnbecl an e\ pcn encc \\ he1c. \\hen hc1 co lleague's

grandn10ther \\as \ Cl") ill and . he needed tO take tll11C 0 fl \\ ork, <;he "'-a" "up ported to take
ti1ne a\\ a\.. fron1 \\ Ork C\ en though
1t \\a~n·t an tmn1 cdtatc fan11h. mcrnhcr
._
he took about four day ofT t\nd then. they arc \\ mllng for hc1 to p a~~ and then
he ·11 ha \ c to take more tin1c () IT and in so n1 c co llcct 1ve agrce mcnh the; onl y
allo\v for ~o n1uch time. 8 ut. It kc for A borigi na I people ... it doe~n· t rn attc r. 1t
could be an aunt, It could be a grandtnother, but tt could affect thcn1 JU~t as much
as it wou ld If it were their in1n1edi ate famlly. So I think that death ~ ~seen very
differently in the Aboriginal culture.
Kali explained her view in regards to why fl exibility ~ h o uld be considered \\ hen \\IOrking
with Indi genous social workers in the following quote:
... tryin g to he creath e rather than sti grnatize people and sa) ... Thi~ '"\\hat
[agency] has to o Cfer you and tf yo u can · t n1akc it. .. then ob\ t o u ~ l: , : ou· re not lit
for thi s work." So rath er that looking at it that 'Way, lookin g at it a~ "\\ hy are )OU
struggling and \\hat is it that I can do?" ... to be rn orc flexibl e in \\hat rrn domg to
1nect those n eed ~ and co n1c at it fron1 \Vhcre )Ou'rc at n~ oppo\cd to \\ here I'n1 at.

75

Social \Vork Practice

The 1111portancc of ha' tng the autono1ny and upport to practt cc ~ociaJ \A;Ork 111 a
~a\.. that a It ....
gn

'' i th one ·<; O\\ n be Iic fc:; ''a~ nnothcr factor that enabled a II of thc \c ''omen

to contlllUC to practi ce Ill the field or cluld \\elf are Kalt COI11111UJ1i catcd her ex petJ C11CC 111
the foliO\\ 111g way
I had a lot of autonoiTI) dt \\ Ork .

J ''a" able to

fol iO\\ JTI) 0 \\11 hea rt tn tTI)

work I ne\ er felt pre~ c;;u rcd to n1 akc a chot ec that v.. ent aga1 n ~ t tn y O\\ n \a lu c~ or
\\hat I needed to be ab le to ll\ c \\tth.
Jessica told n1e about hO\\ her agcnc) upportcd her ant1 -oppres 1\ e practt ce ~hen th ey
upported her to tart a ncv. progran1
I th1nk about hen tng the frccdorn to do rclationshtp based practice Worktng wi th
•

the e k1ds ha been an 1ncrcd ible gift . it i a drop in the buc. kct n O \\ , but f ron1 a
larger per pective reall y adding to the social change tnoven1cnt ~here Abo ri ginal
people are con11ng out of sy.. terns of oppression and systetni c oppression and
moving forward in a really different and Inuch better V..' ay. Bein g pat1 or that is
really exciting.
Taeya described a sin1ilar experience of how the agency she works for supports hct to
practice strength-ba ed social ~ ork
... trying to ha ve better outcon1es for thcn1 throu gh the up ports we pro\ 1dc at
[agency] and having son1c o f the oppo11unities that can help thcn1 in thcu II\C\
That keeps 111e go in g. And working in an agency like ragenc y1 that pro\ Id e~ great
fl ex ibility. They arc really good at honoui ing on1c or the n1llc " tonc~ k1d" \\ dl go

76

through ... the <.. upport of ch il dren building re lat Jon<.,hip<.. '' ith the1r famil ie(.). and
then the upp011s the socw l \\ orker arc pt O\ td cd '" 1th ac:; '"'ell.
In Barb'(.) rc<.,ponc;e to the tnten IC\\ que<.. ti on<.,. <., he co mpatcd her ddTc1ent e\.pcncnce(.) 111
relatton to her practtcc and the agenc1e v. he1c she worked
I'n1 allo\\Cd to do \\hat J<., hc<..t for the children. I don't ha\c to !!O through ac;,
much red tape to get \\hat I need. J don·t get told no if I rea lly hclJc\e 111
sotnething. 1'111 <..upportcd \\ tlh that an d I do it. Vvhctca<.,. the nltllJ <.,try. e\en
though tny, upen 1. o r

uppo11cd tn c, 1t ah\ ays \\ ent up the Iinc and alv., ay5 got

rejected. o. I'm aiiO\\Ccl. I ca n ad\ ocate for a child and pretty much get\\ hat J
need .... \\ e·re \\Orktng for thcn1 . 1 hey ·rc not \\orkmg for u<... I thtnk there·~ a lot
of people that \\Orkin delegated agenctc<., th at ha\c that c:;an1c hcl1cf They 'Aant
kid to feellik~ th e; belong ....

•

Another \\ on1an sa id that peop le told her she <., hou ldn 't \\ ork in chi lei '' c Ifare heca u<.,c <> he
wa

truggling while working for MCFD. She shared tht s po'A erful re<..ponse rcga rd1n g

the situation:
It \\ asn · t the actua I \\ ork ... beca use r, e a I\\ a) s been able to do the \\ ork and tt' c:;
just vvhether I wanted to do it that 'v\ay or not. And I' \ e ah\a) s chosen to do it tn )
'v\ay and stay that 'v\ay. 1 hat' c:; \vhy it' s been ea ier fo r n1e to carr} on becau<.,c rn1
true to myse lf. I can leave n1y work kn o'v\i i ng that I' 111 a genu in c person. and that
I' ve done e\eryth ing I could do fo r that da y ... and the [cli ent<.,].
Access to Resources and S upports

Having access to resources and supports\\ as a then1c that cn1c1 red '' tthin all of
the jntcrvicws. The subthctn cs that Cl11Crgcd Within all or the intcn ICW transcnpts

77
include· 1) ha\ 1ng access to chn1cal <:. upen 1 ~ 1 o n and dchn efin g. 2 ) hemg ah le to access
trat111ng and cultura l re~ ource , and 1 ) the in1p0rtance of 111CJ1tOrSh1p
Supervi ion and Debriefin g

Ha\ tng acce~s to co n ~ 1 tent but adaptabl e cltnical ~ up er\ t<:. Ion appeared to he very
in1p011ant to all the \\ on1 cn They all ~c1 1d that ~ up e n ic.,1on can c1thct help 0 1 Iunder your
chtld \\ el fare '' ork l lcl\ 1ng accc~~ to ~ uppo rll \ e t earnn1 a t e~ and dchrt eling wcJe abo ~a Jd
tO be a helpful rnea n ~ of \ Upport
Taeya ~ atd that ~upc rY I S I O n '' a~ unportant to her co nttnu ed re~ Jit c n cy, and 1n
supporting her as an tndt\ tdual \\hen <:. he\\ a~ ~ trugg lin g. ~h e stated .. good c;upcn t ~ t o n ,
c pec iall) ''hen ) ou arc do'' n on ) o ur~el f and ) ou \\a nt to gt \ e up. t h a t ·~ hec n <;trong at
[agency] \ V i th the u pen i or I \\ ork with."
Je ica de .. cnbed the need for co n ~ t ~ tcnt and n1all eablc upport. especw ll y fo r Ind1 gcnous
women \vorking \\'ithtn their own lnchgcnous co tnrnuniti c~·
Vv e \\ ou ld debric f C\ er; \\ eck ... 1 th ink th ere need to be co nc; tstcnt support. and it

needs to be a va iIa ble whenever it' needed.

ot just on Tucsda; <:. . Like if yo u

want people to work in thetr cotnmuniti cs. too that' c; another thing becau~c tt'<:..
hard to work in your con1 n1unity especially when yo u are from the same fa n1 dy.
o it' s like have a better <:. upport tn anagen1 ent tea tn to he lp )O U th rough that. .. a
better tea m attn osphere. So ) ou' re not fee ling Iike you were j u ~ t let out to the
wolves.
Brittany desc ribed the need for clinical supervision and dcbneiing in the fo lio\\ tng \\ ay.
I cmn c across ~on1 e rea lly talented and '' onderful tca n1 leadct ~ c1nd defint tcl;
debri cfwith thcn1 was helpful and being able to debncf,vith col le ague~. I don't

7R

think there · enough clinical upen i', ion in child \\ elfarc that ~cparatc <; : our o ~n
len frotn ''hat'. ou·re dcal111g '' ith .
~

Another\\ 0111an hared a sitnilar cx pcn cncc \\hen 5he touched on the llllpOt1ance or
chni cal supcn tsion
.. \\hen 1'111 talktn g about cl111t cal 5upcn t ~ i o n . l"n1 ~ pcc dica ll y. ta lkmg about
bctng able to ~ tl dO\\ n and dt ~c u s. a ~ tlu a tt o n '' tth yo ur tcmn leader or yoUJ
1nanagcr and thcn1 bei ng able to help you bnng up th o u ght ~ . td ea~. ', lra t eg t e~ that
yo u 1111ght not ha' c thought of on :our 0\\11 . Bcca u\c :ou·rc on I) one pcr\on You
can onl y think of so much and n1 aybc hetng able to challenge yo u a little btt on
) OUr bia ~ e . I ended up gctttn g a lot of th at fron1 111 ) tca tn

I dtdn "t ge t It rrnn1 ITI )

team leader ...
•

Melis a also bared her cxpen encc or\\ orktng 1n an en' tronn1ent 'A here 5uperv 1 ~ 1 o n \Vas
Jacking:

1 had a team leader \\'ho watched over tn c like I 'A a~ Incompetent and evcJy
Abori ginal ocial worker who worked with her ended up quittJng. I was th e only
one who sta yed. Had I not 1110\'ed teatns I would have quit too
The impot1ance of utiJ i/ing your tean1mates for support and to debri ef was al5o brought
up by all the women. For exan1pl e. Kali sa id that ··kno\ving who I on your tean1 I kno\v I
can tru st and who I think is a good critical thinker. Being abl e to turn to that p er~o n I
think was a reall y in1p011ant coping strategy " Tacya shared a itndar cxpcn encc <111<.l
stated, ~· I thi nk debri cfi ng, havin g good colleagues has he!ped too. Just to be a b lc to ha\ c
the same cotnradery to be able to talk about ~ tufT That" ~ hccn good. \ nd good
supcrv iston."

79
Jessica rnenttoncd the 11nportancc of ha\ tng a tearn that 1 tnv c~ ted 111 suppor1ing
each other and de cri bed th ic; as. "hen rng a 1calI y supp0111' e tcatn at \\ 0 1k lla vtng a
real I y suppot1J\ c up en tsor at '' ork. I think. 'er; support 1' e peer

. '' c have a pt etty

inve ted team . :·
The'' omen al~o talked about the unporta nce of ha' 1ng a ~t ro n g peer ~ upp o rt
network at '' ork, and '' ork.tng '' 1th ~upcn 1 ~0 1 ~ ctnd team n1ates '' ho <H.:kno\\ ledge and
hare in your

u cce~~c~

l t ''as al ~o rnent1 oned that \\ ork.1 ng '' i th ~ u pen 1c;orc; \\ ho " hav e

)OUr back .. v.hcn )OLI an~ faced \\ lth rn akmg d1rtic.ult dcc1~1on <; rega rd1n g hi gh n ~ k
cenarios orca e ''as ncce .. ar) 1n ord er to ha' c good prorc~s 1 o nal ~ upp o 11 at ''ork

Trainin g and Cultural Rc ourccs
Hav1ng acccs to appropnate training and cultural re~o urccs \\a~ declared to he
•

important and valued by all the \\O l11 Cn ''ho \\Cte Intentc\\cd in tht~ study Fo1 example,
Kali talked about the significance training had in her child welfare ca reer in the foll owing
way:
... a huge. hu ge piece fo r n1c as th at. .. v. e got rea II y good training and that real I)
helped me in its O\Vn \vay to feel rec:,iltcnt because I felt einpO\\ crcd and educated
around the decisions that I wa mak ing.
Likewi e, Brittany talked about the value of hen ing access to training opportunJt t c~
The [agency] was really good at offering edu catio n and learnin g

o there\\ a~ lot

o f opportuniticc., to take thing ~ ) O U didn ·t learn about. .. thcrc \\ere lot\ \)ftraining
where you could becon1 c tnore knowledgeable.
Several wotnen also d e~c nbcd the need for accc~~ to cultural rc · ou t cc~ '-luch ,1"' protocol'-~.
teachings, practices, and cultural knowl edge holders. Two wo n1en talked ctbout cultural

RO

teach1ng. and pract1 cc betng Incorporated tnto the agenc1es ''here they \\1 orked for
exan1ple. ha\ tng acce~~ to smudgtn g or bru ~::, hm g at'' ork Others talked ahout
pa1i1c1pating 1n cultural can1p .. \\ htch '' a~ tn~ tnun c ntal 111 hclptng thcn1 hette1
understandtng the fatnth e and co n1 n1un1tt c~ ''here they '' ere \\·orku1 g.
Jane sa1d that ha" ing access to fonn al cultut al re~o urcc~ '' 1thin th e agency whc1c
. he '' ork s 1s helpful
I can fon\ ard that to our cultural coo rtlJnator. ~a\ I ha\ e to ...go take ~o m c kid ~
~

bac k for a hotnccomtng or take thcn1 hac k to the1r co n1rnun1ty I consult '' 1th hc1
and she usuall y gutde 1ne along and. you kno\\ tcachc m y ahout protoco l ~
Another worn an also a1d he had acces~ to fo nnal cultural resources Jn th e delega ted
Abori ginal agency ''here . he \VOrkcd
[Agency] ha two formal Elders on stafTa nd '' e also have a cultural coOJ dinator
If l'tn loo king
g~ I ' 'ould look tO\\ a rd ~ thcn1 '' ho are
....... fo r tho e kinds of teac hin .....
raising culture and that 1 thetr e xp c rtt ~c and that is their knO\\ ledge base I a l ~o
love the idea of incorporating Elders 1nto our \Nork in general
Lynn similarl y desc ribed the significance o f connecting with Elders. She \Vent on fu r1her
to share that she believes it to be helpful in guidin g social work practice.
I have always had a hu ge atnount o f respect for Elders. and ahv ay~ ''hen they
speak I \\ ould always stop and listen and I give thcrn alltny attentton hccau"c
thar ~::, ~o rn e thin g that as lndi gc nou<; peo ple. as eac h one of our I l d e r~ ra~~e~ on L) r

sornething happens where they are no longer around, you lose a prcce ol lu"tnr)
1\ pi ece of culture ... kee ps yo u strong in yo ur idcntit).

R1

One\\ oJnan uggestcd that having access to progrmns such as hea l1ng ctrcles -would be
helpful for oc1al \\ orkcrs worktng \\ rth clients dcal1ng \\ ith traurna. as\\ ell as for clJcnts
the n1 ~eh cs

In cont1 a~ t. l\\ o \\ otncn tnent1oned that the) already had acce~~ to fonnalued

progran1 .. that tnco rvo rated a c1rclc pto ce~s and n1ore hol 1 ~ tr c app1oach to the \\ork w ithin
the delegated

bong1nal agenctcs \\herc th ey practJ ccd.

The Po" cr of i\l c nto r~ hip

It\\ a \ Ct") e\ 1dent \Vtthin the quctlttative analy~ts that rnent or()htp was va lu ed by
all the \\Otnen a~ an unpor1ant co rnponent tn facd ttnting r c~ tlr e n c} and \\cll-bctng whd e
\\ o rktng tn child \\ e ll~1rc

1an) \\ on1 cn ~poke about th e 1111portancc or ha\ tng accesc-, to

n1cntor. who arc also lndtgenous \\ on1cn
Taeya bel ie\ c~ that tnentor<:; hi p is ~p ec lfi ca ll y unportant for Inc! igcnous ~oc t al
\\ orkcr \vho rna} ha\ c rnore or untq ue prc5 ures placed on then1:
l think just tn cn torship. I think that' s a huge piece. I think )OU dcfintt el} have a
lot more pressu re on you not to fai I due to th e fa ct that you wa nt to be <:; uccessful
in your job and for your comn1untty. You \vant to be succe55 ful in 1110\ ing
fOf\\ ard ... like ho\\ the hi story has gone ... \v ith Indi ge nous people . I here· c; j u ~ t a
lot of pressure ...
Jessica shared her ex peri ence being tncntored as a new social worker and talked about
how mentorship could be helpful for Indi genous social wo rker :
I tnet a lot of rn entors earli er on in n1y career, and I still have seve raL hut notably
th ey are all not indigenous ... rca II )' <;trong and atn ~l/ ing practt ti oner" that I' rn
really grateful to have 111 n1y Ide, but I ha\C never had an Indt gcnou" role n1odcl
in my Ji fc as a practitioner. I would think th e nex t generation or lnd tgcnous ~oc ial

R2
\\ Orkcr<; \\ Ou ld ha\e n1ore accc <; to that .. ha\ mg c;on1c c;o rt of
n1cnto r~ h 1p.

Bccauc;e I th mk o ftcn '' c ~cc pcop Ic c;, trugg lin g tn the c;, an1e '' ay that

'' c blmne '' on1cn for not takt ng care of then chddt en 1t., th e c;,a n1e \\ ay '' e b Irune
tndt\ 1dual ~oc tal v. orkers for not co p1ng But the reality 1s 1f \\ c nrc not npentng a
dialogue arou nd '' hat thec;e thtngt., look ltke, ti \\C arc not offet1ng
l11ento rt., h Ip .. \\ e are not 0 rrcn ng a he a Ith) d Ja Iog ue around It \\ ou ld he nornHd to
~tru gg lc '' 1th thet.,e thtngc;, around 1dcnt1t} and ptdctl cc and tht\ \\Ork I t, rea ll y

1111pactfu l.
nothcr \\ o1nan dc ~c nb cd hO\\ ch1ld '' cl fell c '' ot k can be par1i cularl y triggcnng fot
Indigenous . oc tt'll \\ orkerc; gi\ en the gene1 atl onal traunu1 n1 any of us have faced, and that
offering opportunit1 e Cor acce

to health y n1 entort., can potentially dec reac;c the feeling

. of i a lation

Relati on hip
Relatt on.. hips'' as a therne that '' as echoed and tntenvo\ en into the dJa loguet., o f
all worn en \\ ho were inten'iewed dunng tht<; re~earch ~tud y . All of the \NO In en appeared
to place high va lue and priority in building relationships with others 1n th e1r personal and
professional Jives. Many spoke specifica lly about the relationships wi th their partners,
children, parents, aunts, uncles, grandp a rent~ . I..:.lders, and f1ienus. G1 eat stgn i fica nee "a~
also placed on taking the time to build n1 ea ningful and authentic 1 e l atto n \h lp ~ '' 1th their
colleagues and clients. Bu1lding and tnatntatni ng rclatt onshtps and practictng \OC t ttl '' ot k.
in a way that 'si ts \\ell \.\ith your heart and n1ind ' nppca red to be h1 ghl) \ alued
Gratitude, hope, respect, and hutnd ity were fundan1ental 'nlues that eac h or the \\ otncn

R1
Indirectly pot1rayed \\I thin the discussions I \\as fortun ate to have \v tth each or the~e
Incredib le Indt gcnou s \\ omen
Jessica talked about l\\ o things ~ h e feels arc 1111por1ant 111 her ltfe
. . . ha\ tng fulfill111 g rc l a ll o n ~ hqJs and IHn ing mca n111g ful ' ' ork I rea l! ) hclt c\ c that
the work we do Is n1 ean•ngful I belle' c that llstentng to th c~e chtldren and
tncss tng theu ll\ t=s and honoun ng the11 II\ es 1~ 1eall y tnca n 111gful '" 0 1 k and

\\ 1

rea l! ) unportant " ork. o I '' ould ~ay th at 1s probabl y the ulln o~ t fo r tn e
Kali de cnbed the untqu e '' ay. an ln cli genou~ person n1ay ' te\\ rclallonc;, htp building and
how this ca n be ecn as a ban1 er rather th an a q rcngth In the ht gh-paccd, O\ erburdcned
child '" cl fare s y tetn
There i a foc us on takin g the ti1n e to buil d re l a ti o n ~ hip s th at I don' t think i~ the
•

san1 e. Ju st bein .....g s IO\\ about th e ' ' ork. I think th ere·<, <,o mu ch criti c ism and I
think J' \ e been guilt) o fthi ~ lll )Se lf O\ Cr the )ea r~. J here·s ~0 mu ch critici(.)Jll
\\hen people don· t do the " ork qu ickl ). but it' s Iike th at is not the Ind igcno u<,
lens. Indigenous people in general va lue relati onship build1ng, doing the \\Ork

'' e II. doing it slo'' I) . .. over let' s just get the job done. sign th e paper ' ' ork and get
it done.
Taeya talked about the personal rewards she gets from th e relationships she budd"' with
the famili es she works with:
... being able to ~ec th e famili es and kiu s gro\\ ... building re l a tt o n ~hip~. '-~CCtng
th em bccornc peo ple they've beco n1c, seein g thern be succcss l'ul in v. hat the) ca n
be I think the longer you wo rk with ccrtatn people, budding relat1on~l11p~ '"' d
hu ge step .. .and even still co nn ec ting "' ith son1 c of thcn1 artcr th ctr no longe r

R4

in\ olved ha<; been a personal re\\ard j u t becau <;e it c; hov. s } OU that }OU,\e bu ilt
reall y strong relation btps '' tth thc1n
Barb also de.. cnbcd c1n experience thclt rela tes to the c.., tgntfi ca nce of 1clatt onc.., htp<; he ha ~
built through her'' ork
I kee p c ard ~ rro n1 peopl e that'"' e \\ orkcd \\ ith in th e pa~ t. I C \ en met ~o m c bo d y
that

I'' orkcd '' tth n1 an\. n1an\ \Care.., ago tlnd reco nn ec ted l he\ ·rc not in a t?.ood
,.1

.;

.,

'-"

•

"-'

place. but no one ts '' o rk111g '' tth th ctr kt d~ and th e} ·re tr} tn g to rela y tha t. To
111e, trytng to hel p peopl e th at 1 know that hcl\C bee n dt <;ad\a ntagcd roJ ~0 long
j ut little th111 gc.., .. that n1 a k c~ n1 e happ). D oc~ n · t take much

elf-Care and \Vork-Life Balance
All of the \\ on1 en con i tcntl y n1cntioned that they were co n sc t c nt io u ~ about
maintaining balance and laying hea lthy tn their perc..,o nal and '" ork I1\ c~ through c;eJfcare. All admitted that thi wa

OJn ettJn e~ dtfficult and th at there ha\ c been t1n1es when

they have stru ggled to rn aintain balance Two won1en decided to change ca ree rs after
years of ocial v. ork practice in the fi eld of child welfare because they \\ ere no longer
abl e to succes full y n1 aintain \Vork-ltfc balance All won1cn talked about ho\\ hav ing peer
and famil y support networks has helped thetn be resilient in their vvork and in their
personal lives. Two women talked about taking baths 1cgularl y and journa ling a~ pm1 of
their relaxation routin e and to unwind fron1 the busy- ness and stress of \\ ork
Some wotnen also cotntnented that exercise, accessing counseling as needed,
using hutnour as an outlet. and ha\ ing hea lth y boundan c~ \\hen try1ng to balan<..c ''or~
and personal time helped to reduce burnout. Two vv0 n1cn smd the1r '' 0 1k.pl dcc" offered
tn assage therapy and yoga on Sltc. and another won1an ta lked about wc llncs" challenges

R5
at\\ ork. rnotl\ ating her to become healtht er by rncreac;, 1ng her phystcal actt\ tty and
changing her ea ting habtt
Jane d e~c nb ed h O\\ he pro rn o t c~ hea lth and '' ellne<:,s through ~ elf-ca re a~ a tea n1
leader 'A- rth her tea n1:
I thtnk a lot of peopl e espec wll y 111 th e hcl ptng fi eld loo k after th e n1 "'clve~ la~ t J

ah\ a)~ encourage people that I '' 0 1k '' tth to C\ erct<:,e and cat health y and to look
a ncr thcn1<:,e h e

just takrng ttn1 e fo t th ctn <:,e h e~ and not O\ cn.voJktng

th e n1~e h e~

In co ntrast. Bntan) talked about the ex pen ence ~ h e had 'A- hen th e agency ~ h e vvot keel for
placed too n1any expectati on on her '' ork and ho'" rt led to burnout for hct :

·1he agc nc) \\ as' er: small .. . I JU<:,t rea ll y c;, tru gglc because the bound an cs
bet\\ CCil pcr.o n and age nC) got \ e l") blurred and ( CO Ul dn' t cope \vtth that. (
co u Id n · t cope '' it h . · t h is age nc) 1~ 111 ) Ii fc and i f ) o u don · t go a b()\ e and he) on d
\\ e all hate )O u ·.
Kali talked about the unportance of peer c;, uppo11 as a way to suppor1 self-ca re.
Have people to talk to. Be able to do whatever you need to do to be able to c;, tay
psychologicall y healthier se lf. . . I Ia\ in g fri end s. I have a lot of socia l work fi·icnds
and the 1najority of my fri ends arc soc ial 'A- O rk e r~ . I think ha\ ing frien d ~\\ ho do
sitnilar \\ Ork to yo u. it ca n be rcall) in1portant becau se I think that ~o u don't
real!) get\\ hat it' s like to be a soc ial '' orkcr unl ess : ou are one

JU~t ha\ tng a

socialltfe where I have people that l can spend t11ne \\ ith and do th ing~'' rth.
Several won1en 1nentioned the in1por1ancc of spending ttn1e With fmnt h , and that thctr
children tnoti vated then1 to stay health y and balanced as well. All the \\ Otn en talked

spccdically about keep1ng healthy boundari es by tJ)'lng to keep \vork and thc1r pcrsoncll
liv es separate to pron1otc balance For exarn pl c, Lynn ~atd ~he n1 a 1ntaJn ~ her work-ide
balance in the fo li o\\ 111g qu ote ··Ju"t he mg 1111 ndrulthat \\hen I leave \\ ork to tr) and
ha\ e famil) tin1 e . .lu ~ t tl} in g to keep th at (\c paration a~ \\e ll ··

Barb ~ h a red a suni Iat pcr"pcc t1v e
Don' t take on n1 ore than I ca ndle\\ . Keep \\ Ork at \\Ork 1f at all po(\(\ lhle I do If I
ha\ e on1cth ing that· s ea t mg me up and I need to get 1t done. I get 1t done and
then I take the tune ofT.
Tac}a talked about ac knov. ledging her ltn11ts and a~ km g fo r hel p a~ pm1 o f her ~e lf-ca re
plan :
Being ab le to have good boundanec; and kn o'A 1ng '"hen to put Jt dow n and shut it
•

off. .. recogni1ing my limit ~ \\ ithin m) job. Kn O\\ ing \\hen to a~k for help i
defi nite I) kc} . ~n O\\ ing " hen I' n1 goi ng to be burn out. .. I don't thtnk you can
take everythin g on your shoulders all th e time on your own.
One \\'Oman descnbed re iliency and the i sue of self-care a11iculately \\hen ~ he sa1d
If s like it' s mes y. Like it ·~ ~o tnaintaining balance and rcsJli cncy ~ ~a n1essy,
messy process. And I feel like I get off co urse and th en sotn cho\\ l'n1 re1ninded
that 1'111 o fT co urse. otnethin ....g kick s n1e in the butt and I rea li1e l"n1 off cou r~c. I
get back: 1 try to get back on courc;e aga in ... being a hie to keep cotn ing hack to the
table over and over and over aga in and strive to be resilient and bal anced
Several wo1nen concluded that balance and resilience 1s a lifelong procc~~ One'' on1ttn
described the process as rcd1scovcnng herself O\ er and O\ cr aga1n a~ ~he tH O\ c~ through
diffe rent stages and changes of life. Another wo1nC1n acknow ledged that ustng good

R7

hutnour and not taking yourself too ~e n o u ~ l y can help ac; \\ e trl\ e to tnmnta1n hal a nee tn
our ll\ c~
Kalt felt ~ tro n gl y that re~ di e ncy and ~c l f-ea t c ~ h o u ld be d1 sc u ~~cd 1n the
wo1kplacc to a' otd burnout \\h en . he ~ t a t eel
One thin g \\ C don' t do \\e ll in the \\orkpl ace t\ even ack nO\\ ledge th e importance
or rc~ tli e n cy' ~c l r-ca rc and the potent lc.ll r or burn out. r \ c ll C\ er hcnrd an) one la Ik
ahout an; o f the e top ic~ tn the\\ 0 1kpl ace oth er th an to cnt icue ~o n1co n c tn an
off -hand ed \\ a\, fo r bemg bu rnt ou L. .. I l! u e\~ thcrc·c; a lac k o f ··n:a lnc\\ .. aho ut
'-

'-

hO\\ ~octa l '' orkcr can be 1n1pactcd tn thctr \\ ork
tre

and Hea lth

There were al o batTiers to soc tal \VOrk prac tt cc and s uggesti on ~ rcga rdi ng future
considerattons shared by orne of the wo1ncn that dtd not meet the cntcn a ac; a thcn1 c or
sub thernc. Howe\ cr. I believe the e ex pe n c ncc~ arc still pertinent to th 1~ re\ca rch topic
and hould be con idered by tho e uppo111ng In ch gcno u ~ social \Yo rker~
The IS ue of institutional raclSlTI th at Indigenou people ha\ e and continu e to nlcC
in society as well a in the workpl ace was brought up by half of the won1en \.\- ho had
worked for MCFD. They spoke of experi encing discrin1ination on the job. They fe lt as
though they worked in a fish bowL were ~ccn as tokens, and thetr credential<:,\.\- c1c
undervalued. In contrast. the \VOtnen who \Vorked within delegated Abon gina l agcnc t c~
did not share the sa rn e expen ence regarding rac1sn1 within their agcncte~, hu t ~poke of
the fru strati on m dea ling with other profc~~ i o na l s and agency p at1ner~ \\ ho did not ~htll'C
the same phi losophy, values, and hchcfs rega rd 1ng hov. to suppo11 farn dt e~. tlnd rnorc
specifi ca ll y Indi genous populations.

One\\ on1an talked about her cxpe11cncc of bc1ng subjected to ract<:; rn grow1ng up
and hO\\ 1t ts sttll an 1. ue toda y that needs to be addressed
II a\ 1ng to go through the rac 1 ~n1 that I had to go through \.\hen growing up,
k.nO\\ing it' s ali\c and \\ell in thi ~ co mn1un1t). not rrctending that it'~ not, and
there arc a lot ofnon-Aborigtnal peopl e that I 'WOrked wtth that have ex peri enced
raci ~ n1 a\ \\CII. But Abong1nal people e'\penence a lot ofra ci<:; n1 that I don ' t think

other non-,\bon gtnal do
~

o the\. don' t ha\ c the <:;ame und c r~ tandiiH! and

Cl11(1ath) becau e 1 thtnk a lot of people COI11C 111 111ak tng a lot Of jud grn e nt ~ about
people. 111 0\ tl~ Aboriginal people .grc)\\ 111g up I \\as called a .. dirt) lndwn·· and I
\\a <, like .. W O\\. 1'111 clean! .. But peo ple don't rea li?e if s sti ll happenmg. I still
hear those tc n11 ~ .
•

Discrirnination in the workplace. as well a co ncretc ideas for i1nproving the work
en\ ironment for Indigenous social \\ orkers. \\as dtscussed between one v. orn an and 1nc
dunng her 1ntcrv1e\v:
I tnean. in 1ny perfect world. 1 \\ ould love to ~ ee people be tnore courageous and
call their fellow social workers on so1nc of their thoughtless and racist rcrn ark~ .
Aga in . that' s a cultural shift. Wh ere I've heard thin gs like. '' is she n~all~
A bori gina I?" Its Iike. " ho"' about ) ou 111 ind ) our O\\ n business?!.. I heard people
say that about other people. "Oh. he 's not really Aboriginal. He's blond-hatred.
blue-eyed... and I rea ll y do belic\C and I tr) ... to have the courage to ca ll people
on thin gs because that' s not oka) . ~ o lll~l hopefully, I gu es~ changtng ~orne o f
that culture ... maybe that' s nnother \Va) that Indi genous soc ial \\Orker~ c~.m

R9

ullln1atel y be upportcd IS by \\ orkm g for organi1ati ons that are rnayhe not
go' cn1n1 cnt and that ha' c ' a lu c~ th at arc n1ore 5unll ar to their O\\ n
Anoth er\\ on1an courageously shared her expen cncc o f rac is1n V\Jthin hct current
workp lnce and offered \\ ords of cncouragen1 ent to oth er Indtgenous <:;oc tal wot ket ~:
When I started this job and C\ en today there arc people 111 n1y workplace who try
to dr ~c rcc tl ; ~ h O\\ thetr ract~ nl but it c.l h\ a~\ cotnc\ out. .. i\~ i\ hoJJ glllal \\ o rk c r~
\\ C

need to ren1ernber \\hat \\ e \\ ete tn ught r e~ p cct. hum our. hun1r1It y, and

apprcc ratJ on .\ppl) tng th e~e 'alu c<;, to n1; JOb h a~ helped rne <;, lay and contrnue
\\ orktng for an organt7atlon th at to t ht~ day ts fea red and di<., rc<;,pet.tcd ...
A ignificant pornt ' ' as raised by SC\ end \\ on1 cn rega rdtng what changes <., hould he tn adc
within agencies to rai c cultural awareness in a relevant way to decrease rac i ~nl , and to
better meet the unique need of Indigenous soc ial \\Orkers rather than do1ng th e hare
minitnun1 to n1cet bureaucratic requiren1cnts.
Several won1 en said that they fe lt ha\ tng n1ore Indt genou<., \_\, otnen rn Icadet shtp
roles within agencies, universities, and at poltc) -n1 aking levels would be help ful In
providing better infonnation regarding curTcnt issues in1pacting Indi genous soc ial
workers. One won1an mentioned that when yo u look at the \Vorld through an Indigenous
lens. "you j ust get it.··
Lynn described how the ability to adva nce\\ ithin the agency'' here ~he wot keel
moti va ted her to continu e to work in the challengin ......g fi eld of chi ld '' el fare '-,he \La ted ... 1
'-

think the oppot1umty to advance in the agency th at I work fo1 That ha~ been sorncthing
that n1 oti va tcd rn e to co ntinue to do \Ve l!. to do 111 ) hcst. .. hcli c\ e in nl~~elr."

90
Formali7ed lead ership or n1entorship opportunities led by Indigenou s wotn en was
al o noted as a concrete idea for upporting Indigenous wornen. One wmnan said that the
opportunity to hare stori e and cotnmon experi ence wtth other Indigenous wo1nen
~ o uld be '" incredibl e."

T\\' 0 \\'O tnen conunented that peo ple supporting Ind igenous social workers should

be tnindful of lean1 ing t) le Lynn suggested the fo llowing·
Like what I have noticed is a lot of Indigenou wotnen are visual learn ers so a Jot
of th e reading and j u t pass tng the paper along and saying do thi s ... maybe yo u
ha\ e to model and mentor th at fo r the perso n to grasp it. .. and chec king in a lot to
ec \\here the: · re at. ''hat th e) need ... ma) be yo u need to do so mething a I ittle
di fferent, o rnodel or 1nentor it.
•

Lastl y, se eral wo1nen talked about the need to have disc ussions in the work place
about how they can access counseling and Etnployee Assistance Progran1s (EAP) to
support self-care in an authentic way. Kali shared her ideas regarding how we can
increase access to such programs in the following way:
I don't kno'v th at people access th at [ EAPl as rnuch as they co uld or
should ... Again . its burea ucracy go ing through th e bare tninitnu rn \\h et her they ·re
sayin g " Here's your 1-800 number. If yo u' re stressed out ca ll that nun1ber and
sotneone w1ll help you." It's li ke. yo u know vvhat? You can check that off )o ur
ticky box but have you really helped that person? How about you get so tncone to
come and j ust to th e tea n1 in general ... relationship-building. Let thern cc the
face and sec that person's genuineness in their hea rt and then rn aybc they \V lll

91

reach out to that person. I thtnk th1ngs like that arc tnore helpful reall y for al l
soc tal \vorkcr tnclud1ng lndt gcnou ~ (\oc tal \\ orkcrs for sure
~ imilaritic

in th e Literature and Rc ca rch

\Vhcn C0111panng th e literature and the rc ~c arc h findin gs, It IS clear that rnost of
the thcincs Identifi ed as Importa nt by the par1Jctpants tn thi s study al so pc11a1n to socia l
\\ o rker~ praCtl Cll1g In chtJd \\ elfarc In ge neral and arc not CXC JU ~ l\ C of cthnt cJty rJ here
\\ere ~e' era I con1n1onali tJc<; bet'' ccn the rc"ca rch find 1ng~ and the htc1 ature d 1"c u ~~ed 1n
chapter t\\ o \ 'a kalah t and tarks (20 10) concluded that Black\\ on1 cn tn <,oc tal 'Work arc
often face d'' ith co nni cti ng godb of ha\ mg to "pia: the garnc .. to fit and ad\ ance. \\hilc
wanting to ad\ ocate for thcn1selvcs. thcu unique 'Ways of knowing. A pat1ictpant
de cribcd a sitndar experience of being a nev. ~ocia l v.. orkcr and being " throv..n into" her
role a a cluld protection \Vo rker '' orktng in re1notc F1rst

ations con1muntt1 c<; and hl!r

jou1ney of lca mtng self-adYocacy·
I didn ' t have a v.hole lot of upcnision and learning too ls .. go in g step D) ~ tcp . I
didn ' t hav e the opportunit) to learn it like Ill) fri end .. I should ha\ e ~aid
omcthing too. but that's the other thin g.) ou lea rn as) ou get older and n1 ore
confident in spea king up for yourself and advocati ng and aying " thi s isn' t
working·· ... And that' s so1neth ing that' -, kc) for an) Indi ge nous pe r~ on that 1~
wo rking as a soc ial ~o rke r . Do definite!) ad\ oca te for you r~e lf ,J\.nd ~a~ " h e~.
1'1n not doin g thi s.. or '"I need help \Vith thi <;."
'-

I had a sin1IIar cx pcn cnce when I ~ tart cd ~ ork1ng as a child protection\\ 01 ker fo t \ 1CF- D
I was a ~s 1 g n cd to work 111 a rur al ofri ce, and rnore specificall y\\ 1th SC\Ct a! I~ u ~ t

ation~

con1 tnuniti cs, with 1ninitna l support and guidance As a new, incxpencnced Indigcnou"

92
ocial \\ orker I had little expenencc and n1 entorsh1p, and v. hen I asked the agency
manager\\ hy I \\as placed tn th1 , offi ce a~ I had lt ~ tcd 1t as lO\ \ est pnonty for n1y office
pla ce n1ent~ cho1ces, the manager smd that ~ 1n cc I \\as Abongtnal Jt 'NOuld be a good fit

for n1e. Refl ecting on tht experi ence, 1 ""ish I would ha\'e ad\ ocated for n1yse lf and
cxplcuned \\ hy I felt this\\ as di scnn11natory <1 nd that the expectati ons he111g placed on tne
\\ere not real is ti c
Another partie 1pant noted that .. , \\a\ en1ot tona II .J not read: to go on an
Abotig1nal tean1 1 ct JU t bee au e of\\ hat h<1cl happened to rn y family I needed to ea\e
tnto 1t or it could ha \ c <,hut rne dO\\ n ... Ch ild '' e Ifare organ i/ations and agene te<, ne ed to
continue to h<l\ c di alogue and develop rel<1 t1 onshtps of trust with lndi genou<; ~oc tal
workers o they can better under tand and ~ h ow ~e n s iti vi ty to their feelings and n eed~.
Literature has also uggested that adnltnt strall\ e practice and bureaucracy v. 1th1n
organi1ation can reinfo rce the don11nant culture and presetYe Jt O\\ n self-I nterest at the
ex pense of other , v. heth er it be social \\ orkers \\ ho belong to a n1inonty group, or cllcnb
(Vakalahi & Stark , 20 10 ). Many of the partiC ipants described \\ ays that don11nant
culture embedd ed wi thin the orga nizations where they had \vorked crea ted barner~
specificall y for Indi genous empl oyees. A parti ci pant shared her views regarding th i ~ ~~~ue
in the foll owing way:
I think that if) ou·re an lndige nou<; perso n. like for. .. the n1 ini () tr·~. I thought ·c1od.
like if I C \ cr n1a~ e it to n1an agc tn ent c\er) bod~· ju<;_,t go lllg to thin"- that IJu"t ~nt
here because I' rn A borigi na I", and that I d idn · t ea rn it fa 1r and \quat c It "-c
eve rybody else ... SO there j() that ~C n ~e of' aln10~t ha\ ing to \\Ork l\\ ICC ll\ hatd to
get everything, just to prove that you actuall y ca1ned it and dc~cn c tt and arc

93

\\ orth) o f it. .. I sa'' a pu <; h to ha\ c more

horigma l people in po'Acr in the

nltni <;tr) .. but I think. that \\C ha\ c to he rea II ) carefu l ho'' \\C do thing<; ltke that
b cca u ~c so tnct1n1cs it can create hu ge ha c kla ~ h as ''ell "'here peo ple arc then

angr) nnd rese ntful and hla1ning and tt '~ JUSt ktnd of incrca<;ing that cu lture of
racisn1 '' ith1n the organ11 at1 on.
ln1 o\t all of the partlctpant\ 111 th1 ~ th e~ t ~ a l ~o noted that thc1r nlotJ\atton f(H·
choo 111~
.... a ca reer 111 ch tld \\ clfm c ''a~ related to thcu dc", tres to tnake a dtf'ference in
Indt genou. co n1n1un1t1 cs

octal '' ot-kcr\ felt that the approach to protcctJ ng chddr en

'' ith1n the ehtld \\elfare sy tern and 1ts poltclc~ dtd not Oo\V fron1 Indt gen o u ~ ways of
knO\\ ing, and tn 1nany cases, \Verc 1n dtrect co nfl1ct wtth thetr social work prac tt cc
app roach. A part1c1pant de. cr1bed her cxpcn ence of worktng within the child wc lf~1rc
•

sy tern in the folio\\ tng "'ay .
I think the y tetntc ban·icrs to acce~\ tn g sen 1cc is a big challenge. I feel like
e'en though '' e are a part of that sy<;tcn1. \\ e are constantl y. not consta ntl y. but
th ere ts an cletnent of fighting aga1nst the sy~ tc rn or ensu ring the S) ",tcn1 doe",n 't
in1pact our children in any negative \\a) and that is rea lly hard ... Sometime<; tho~e
arc the worst titncs where you feel like yo u arc just sot1 of trapped 111 and
watching this happen without being ab le to pro\ ide cffectn e tnt en cnt t on~ due to
~ysten11 c barriers. So this is probabl y the greatest challenge for n1c

Summarv
•

In SU111tnary, practici ng in the fi eld or chtld \\ el rare can be both rcwar dtng and
stressful at tin1cs. The ex peri ences shared hy the lnd1 genous '' on1cn tn thts thest~ uu.hccltc
that Jnd igcnous social workers face chall enges that arc sin1i lar to all soc ia I '" 0 1ke1 s

94

practJ ctng in chtld \\ elfarc HO\\ e\ cr. the htston cal colon1al rclationc;htp that Indigenou s
\VOn1cn hcl\ e '' tth go' cmmcnt chtld welfare~) ~t e 1n ~ . a~'' ell a thctr cx p en e n ce~ of
ractsn1 and dt sc nn11nati on 111 the'' orkplace. n1 a k c~ then1 \ ulncrab lc to adclttional ~ tress
rh c tncrcdibl c ~t rcn gth. ha\ tng Cl grounded ~clf- td c nllt y as an Indigenou s WOI11Cll1,
and the depth of fccllngs that thc~e l ndigenou~ won1cn ex prcc;sed fo r Jndt gc n o u ~ chtldrcn,
fmndtc~. and con1n1untlJ c" appear to be lacto1~ that helped thetn tnatntaJn rc~ tlJ c n cc

\\tthin thcJr chdd \\clfare v.ork Pracllctng {.,Ocw l \\ Ot k \\tthtn age n c 1 c~ that al1gn \\ Jlh
their Indi genous' a lu e~ and p1ntual belief~. a~ well a~ offer nexiblltty and ncce~~ to
re ources and n1 c ntor~h1p ''ere abo lJnkcd to re~dicncy In add1ll on. feeling ~ uppo 11 e cl to
build genutnc rcl atton hip '' ith supcn I ~O J ~. coll eagues. and people they ~en e wa~ also
noted to be itnpot1ant All of the won1en also described how thet r con1 tnitn1 cnt to
•

per anal scif-ca rc and balance ha~ also helped thcn1 re1nain restlient v., hd e \\. orki ng In the
fi eld of child \vel fare .

95

C hapter Five: Co ncludin g Di cu ion
ln the pre iou chapter. the bared C'< pcri encc of the Indigenous \NOtnen who
participated in thi . . study were pre ented, prcdotn Jnantly in their ow n wo rd s through
quote a ex.pe11 of their O\\ n e~ pcn enccs. I also hi ghl ighted son1c ofthc additional
experience disc ussed\\ ith the parit ctpant related to ~ tress and health The simtlanties
betw een the l1terature and th e ~ tud y findings \vcrc a! o explored Interpretation of th e
findings, the limitation of the study, recon1t11 endations, and future research will be
di cu ed in detail in the fina l chapter of thts stud y. ln co nclus ion, a personal refl ection of
my re earch JOUnley will be presented.
Interpretation of th e Key Finding
I cho e to co1nplete thi re earch as a result of tny per anal perspecti ves and
experiences as an Indigenous woman, and beca use of my professional experiences as a
social worker, teatn leader, and manager practicing within th e fi eld of child welfare. I
was al o motivated by my desire to better und erstand some of the collective experiences
of Indigenous women who are social workers practi cing in the fi eld of child welfare,
factors that allow them to remain resilient within the work, and to explore way to better
support social workers. After listening to the experiences of the women who patiicipated
in thi s study, I have realized that 1naintaini ng rcsi liency is a life-long task that can be
difficult at times for any social worker. However, being consciously con1n1Itted to selfcare, balance in life, and self-awareness can help social workers pract1cing in the
chall enging fi eld of child welfare. The Indigenous wo rnen \Nho participated in this study
appeared to have a unique Internal strength sten1n1ing fron1 thei r spiritual and cultural
beliefs and teachings, and believed in a holisti c approach to their socwl work prnctice

96
\Vhdc reflecting back on tny rc~ca rc h quc~tions and the findtngs, It ~ ~ C'- 1dcnt that
tnany of the cxpcncnce of the In ch ge n ou ~ '' on1cn '' ho partiCipated tn tht~ thc~ 1 s at c also
refl ec ted" 1th1n the cunent ltteraturc related to ~oc wl '' orkcrs practi cing tn chdd \Ve l fare.
Factors. such as supervt ston. re lati o n ~ h•p hudcllng, and access to rcsout ccs and train1ng
'"ere fa ctors ltnked to prornoting rcstl1cncy and ""c lin e~~ \\ h1l e '' ork1n g as a ~oc ial
\\ Orkcr in child \\ Cifare. lur1hennore. thc ~e co mm o n a l1ti c~ ~ u .........
gge~ t that ~oc 1al \v o rkcr~·
ex.pcncncc~ arc abo a product of the" 0 1k 1t~el

r. and arc not cxc lu ~ J\ ely I mk cd to gender

and cthniCit\"' .
Ounng tht s research proccs~. I ''a~ al~o ren11nded of v. hy I c h o~c the profes~ 1on
of ocial '"ork and hO\\ challengin g and t1nng it ca n be to promote ant1 -o ppres~ 1 vc
practice and change within ystetn still cn1hedd ed in colonialisin. and where tnstJtutJonal
raci m is . till prec,ent. Fairtlough. Bernard. Fletcher. and Ahmet (20 14) argue that the
experiences of soc ial \vorkers are not onl y affected by their interactions\\ ttlun
organizationa l contexts. but also by the wider ~oc t ety tn 'Ahich these organuat1 ons arc
situated. Although all social v. orkers Inay face challenges v. orking within organuat1onal
contex t, I believe Indigenous social wo rkers n1 ay face additional challenges ~uc h a~
isolation or hyper-visibility while working in agencies where Indi genous people ate
scarce. Otsc ritntnation and racism arc also addttional factors that can in1pact Indt gcnou~
soc ial worker's hea lth and well-being.
Overall . Jt was clear fron1 the rescmch that findin g\\ ays to ~uppo11 Inchgenou~
social wo rk er~ as tndt viduals and a~ a collect!\ e group 1s not an ea~y td~k and there • ~ no
single. straight-fotward solution Howe' cr. the partiCipants c1nd I all agreed th(lt bcttct
suppot1s could be developed. and Indigenous soc tal workers could be cn1po\\ et cd

97

through extra support such as on-going tnentorship opportunities. In addit i on~ we all
agreed that having n1ore Indigenou, people in leader hip and decision-1naking rol es
wo uld not onl y protnote the process of sclf-detcnninatJ on for Indigenou s peoples. but
wo uld strengthen and pa\ e the \.Vay fo r future generati ons of Indi genous social workers.
tudv Limitation
~

This study pro\ 1ded an opportunity for tn e to ex plore the experi ences and
per pective of eight lndi genou wotn en who ha\ e practlced social work in child welfare.
Although qualitative. face to face 1nten ·1ews can elicit cotnplex expen ences and
exp lanati on . thi tnethod of data coll ecti on n1ight have excluded those who would have
shared their experience if they could ha\ c remained completely anonytn ous.
Furthermore, the experi ence shared by th e eight parti cipants do not represent the
experience of all Indi genous social \VOrkers practi cing in child welfa re in BC. Although
the findings may not be indi cative, they stlll provide powerful testi1nony about the
ex periences of Indigenous women who are social workers practi cing in child welfare, and
suggest possible w ays we can pro1note res iliency and better suppo11lndi genous social
workers.
Recommendations

There are several recomn1 endations that can be made based upon current li terature
and research, from the participants thetnselves, and from the interpretation of on1 e of the
findings.
Agency fit. Child welfare agencies should provide social workers \\ tth a clear.

ovetTiding vision and purpose so they can ga in 8 sense of grounding\\ htl c pracllcing tn
this stressful fi eld . Vision and purpose need to be strongly en1phasilcd and linked to

98
ervice delivery and practi ce so social \VOrkers can clearly see th eir "fit" within the
agency where they practice. I bclteve crea ting succinct and clear policy frameworks
could al o pron1ote re llicncy w1thin the \Vork and co ntent1nent within the child welfare
agency. Participant also recotn1nended that Indigenou

ocial workers should n1indfully

atten1pt to eek en1pl oyxn cnt with1n agencies that align with thei r personal views and
cultural belief: .
Many of the par1icipants tn thi <>tudy had worked for both MCFD and delegated
Aboriginal agencie . Most \vomen expres ed ha ving more posi ti ve ex peri ences working
in delegated Aborigtnal agencie O\er worktng for MCFD. Child \vel fare work is always
difficult. but the Indigenous child welfare Iiterature and the women in this study suggest
there is orne con1fort in doing th1 work with others who share your wo rldvicw and
app roach to practi ce. Anonson. Desjarlais,

ixon, Whi ternan, and Bird (2008) a~se11 that

Indigenous stud ents and professio nals are often expected to adopt Western's soc iety
beliefs, notms, and va lues which conflict with their Indigenous episten1ology.
Furthetmore, they found that rectuitment and retention of Indigenous professionals
improved when they worked within environn1ents where Ind igenous knowledge and
pedagogy were interwoven into the culture of the institution.
Recognition of self-care and work stress. Child welfare agencies and

organizations supporting social workers practi cing in child welfare need to recognize and
fom1ally acknowledge that self-care and maintaining healthy balance is difficult for
social workers. Participants all expressed times when they struggled 111 their v. ork and felt
isolated, ironicall y whi le working beside other helping professionals dally Creahng
space for fonnal di alogue mnongst social \.vorkers where they ca n ackn<.nvlcdgc nnd

99
dtscuss \\ ork .. tres and how to encourage <;el f-ca re \\ ould help prornote rcstlt cncy and
rmse a\\ areness
lndt genous ~oc wl \\ o rke r~ tnay requtrc grea ter and unique suppo11s du e to thetr
histo ry o f colonll at1on through the chtld \\ elfm e systetn C'o loni La ll on has been ~ u c h a
de. tructl\ e force and so ingrained 111 soc ial ~y~ t cn1 ~ th at Jt can be hard to td cntify the
oppre~s n e prac ti ce~ and undcrstancllngs tt h a~ c rea ted

1rcatcr care needs to be taken to

en ure Inclt genous soc1al \\ o rkcr ha\ e ttcce~~ to su pp o 11~ they dccn1 a~ app1 opt wtc. such
as c trclet.; to ch sc u s~ historica l and contcn1porary lnd tgcnou<; tssuc<, and to pro n1ote a
procc()S of hen ltn g and tran fo rrna ti on 111 rela ti on to the chtl d \\e lfa re c;)() tctn. In Clo ne'<.,
rc carch rcgardtn g therapy and hea l1n g atnongst Indt gcnous popul ations in Ma nt toba, he
noted that there needs to be a proacti \e shift <l\\ay frotn bl aming Indi gen o u ~ tndt viduals
and an ac knO\\I cdgnlent of"li\e<; li\ed daih in the shadoV\c; ofr isks" as a rcc.;ult or
~

~

sy tetntc oppresston (\\'aldram , 20 14. p 3 78) Anonson et aL (2008) state th at <., uppot1
practJce \\ tth Indtgenous people shoul d 1ncl ud e hollsuc n1ethod of understanding\\ htch
involve all en e. not onl y related to cogn1t1 on
S upport ne\v social workers. Child welfare agencies needs to be n1indful of the

particul arly chall enging enviromnent that new socia l workers enter, and be cognllant or
recruittn ent and retenti on problen1s. In thi s stud y, several pa11icipants retn at ked thdt they
felt unprepared lor the ctnotional intensity or the role, i ~o l ated. and unable to ach ocdtl? for
what they needed New soc1al \\-O rker~ ~ hould rece1\ c on-go1 ng tnentonng b\ ~enio r
soctal workers they respect and ttu~t In add1t1 on, th ey should ha\ e the opportun tt) to
work w1th their n1entor in a case support 1ole fo r a pen ocl of no les~ than ~1x n1onth" ,HH.l
longer, if poss tble.

100

More specifically. Indigenous socwl '' orker may face un1que tnggcr<;, ~ trc c.;s. and
chall enges related to\\ ork1ng 1n chdd ''elfare Abongu1al ocial \\ ork tra1n1n g 1s
tnandatory for nc\\ soctal '' orker en1ploycd '' tth111 delegated Aborigtnal agcnctcs
Indigenou s Perspective

oc1ety deiJ\ ers tht s trmntng \\ ht ch is con1petcncy based training

offered '' 1thtn a holi stic lean11n g en\ 1rontncnt that is culturall y releva nt to Indi genou s
people (lndt genous Perspectl\ cs Soc1cty. 20 15)

lh1 ~ trmn1ng c::; hould be offeted to all

.. octal \\ orkers '' ho tdenllf) a lnd1 genou to offet then1 acccs to th e sa n1c ~ upport and
tratntng as soc tal '' orker en1pl oyed "1th1n delegated Abon gtnal agcncte(, In add1llon.
expanding these suppor1s to the MCF- D offi ces that tnclude Aborig mal Cu·cle tca n1 s
would pron1ote Indigenous knowledge ~tth1n the v\Orkplace. as weJl as a better sen ,Jce
delivery and potentiall y better outcon1e<; for the Indi genous families and children they
\\'Ork \\'ith.

Education and partnership. Progran1 tnJtJattves and supports ha\ c been
estabhshed a . a strategy to increase the nun1ber of Indt genous ocial \\ orker(, practtctng
in the fi eld of c hild \Vel fare. Despite the cnttctsrn that social work educa tJ onalJnslltuttons
and govenuncnt continue to perpetuate the process of coloni alisin. there ha\ e been
signifi cant changes within many education progran1s in Canada, and partnerships c t eated
with organi;ations to support Indi genous soc tal wo rkers (Pierce. Hcn1111g\\ ay. &
SchJn tdt. 20 14 ).
In not1hern BC. the U ni\ e r ~ lt) of No rthern British Columbia·~.., <,Lhoolol \lKI,ll
work, MCr D. and several delega ted Abonginal agenctes par1ncred to in1plcn1cnted a
post- Bachelor of Social Work chtld we lf~u e certifi ca te prognu11 that focu"ed on
recruJting and suppo11ing Indi genou s socinl wot kers to work in child wei t:u c ( P1cn:c d

I 01

aL 20 14) The lndt genous oc1al \\ orker~ tn\ oh ed tn tht s program 1dcnt1 fi ed the
in1p011ance of hetng pan of a leam1ng CO\ u onn1cnt that 15 tnclu ~J ve of Ind t gc nou ~
per~ pccll\ c. and C\. pcn ence, as\\ ell as qual tty ~ up en.1 ~11 o n and tn e ntor~ htp

Allen-Meares

(2008) al so suggests that chools of SOCia} ~ ork bel\ C found that CO ffil11Ul11ty- ha ~cd
partn c r~ hip s and research progran1s ca n help to promote <;, clf-detenninall on and

en1pO\\ cnnent \\ 1thtn coJntnunlttC(;, that ha\ c he en oppr essed
S up er' i ion i

k c~. Chntcal ~ upen. t ~ Jon can he a pov. erful ~ upp o rt 111 prornollng

re dt ency an1ongst soc1al \\ orker<;, practJctng in child \\e lfare AII O\\ tng ~oc t a l 'Workers
the oppor1untttes for qual tty uper\ 1 ~ 1 o n encourages thern to renect on theu dec tsJontnaktng, practi ce. cltent rclat tonsh1ps. and the1r reac ttons in difficult situations Jt also
allows , ocial worker the tin1e and space that they need to gain insrght tnto the1r case
practice and interactions with others Research co n1pl eted in the field of hun1 an re~o urces
identificc:; ~ up e n iso rc:; as cri ti cal to .. human11ing orga ni/ati ons. respondrng to cn1plo;ce·"
v. ork and fan1d) dileinn1as. and fac ilitat ing v\ o rkcr ·~ use of family support p ol1c tc ~ and
program .. (Hopkin . 1997. p. l 72 1). . e\ era I parttctpant

aid that havtng accc~s to

etnployec assistance programs helped thc1n deal wt th thei r stress and perso nal problen1s.
Parti cipants al so recotnJn ended that changes to the work envirorunents need to occur to
encourage ~oc ial workers to access supports throu gh EAP progratns Hopkins ( 1997)
noted that supervi ors are a key fac to1 111 \\ hether or not \vorkers use cn1plo\ee ""~ l~td JKe
progran1s.

1 he tcan1 leader ts a p1\ otal po~ ttt o n \\ tthtn the child \\ elfm e \\ ~h~n1 and ~~ 111 a
positjon to understand and support soc wl workers I wou ld argue that tean1 !cadet~ tHC..:
the1nsclvcs also social workers and should be o!Tercd cl1rect clinical supcn Jston and

102

support. It would be benefi cial for tnorc funding suppot1 to create additional
cotnprehcn ive supervi ion progratn s in collabonHton between schools of social work,

MCFD, delega te Abori ginal agencie , and agencies supporting Indi genous social
worker , uch as th e lndigenou Pcrspectl\ es ociety, to provide ongoing edu cati on,
training, and uppot1 through fo nn al supervi ion progratns and initi ati ves .
. upervi ion and ocial j u ti ce. Although the purpose of supervision has

traditionall y focu ed on knO\\ ledge and kill-based suppo11, research now suggests th at it
i equ all y as itnpot1ant fo r uperviso r to acknowledge and etnbrace th e need to include

i ue of oc tal JUStice a an Intentional aspect of supervision (Hair, 20 I 5). Furth cnnore,
supervi ors hould encourage the usc and incorporation of Indigenous knowledge to help
uppot1 the idea and value that are deetned itnpot1ant by Indigenous social workers.
•

amuel' (20 13) re ea rch tudy rega rdin g chil d we lfare social work suggests th at nei th er
student nor teacher is neutral \Vhen tt con1cs to coloni al influence. Strategies suggested
and used by a non-Indi genous educator included bringing in Indigenous knowledge
holders and choosing to present relevant li terature wtitten by Indigenous au thors.
Many of the Ind igenous wotnen who parti cipated in this study acknow ledged that
they had th e opportuni ty to work with few Indigenous edu cators and supervisors. Ahnost
all of the women recommended having regular access to Elder or forn1al cultural
advisors who are traditional knowledge holders, as thi s would potentially be beneficwl to
their work as individuals, to child wei fa re organizations a a whole, and to Indigenous
families invo lved in the chil d welfa re system.
M entorship and rnatching. The Indigenous won1en ~ ho pat1Jcipated 111 th1L

study and 1 share a cotn tnon pcrspectivc that n1ore opportunt tics and spaces need to be

103

created for Indigenous social worker~ to access mentor h1p progratns that ha' e been
de' eloped and 1n1pletn ented by Jnchgenous people All of the partJc1pants had n1any years
of e-xpcncnce 1n child \velfare: ho\\ C\ er n1an) participants felt that advanccn1ent into
leadership po ~ Jtton wa n1orc attainable\\ hde working wJthin delega ted Aboriginal
agenctes. and sotn e feared that ad\ancen1ent \\ ithin MCFD would affect thcn1 nega tively
beca use othct s nl ay thtnk they\\ ere c ho~c n for th c~e po<., tll ons stn ctl y b eca u ~e or the tr
Ind 1 ge nou ~ ance~tr) F airtlough, Bernm cL I· lctchct and Ah1net (20 14) a~c;,ert that
educator~ and ~taff in coordinator ro l e~ arc 111 pl\ otal p o~ 1ti o ns

CreatJng c;,pace~ for

lnclt genou people to take on these ro l e~ could be Invaluable in hclptng to pron1ote
en1pO\VCI111cnt mnong Indigenous socwl wot kcrs. and to suppot1 sh1Cts In ~oc tal work
practice In relation to working with lndi genou5 con1n1uniti es and faJntli cs.
In the fi eld of nur ing, the Uni' cr~ tt y of Saskatchewan credits thei r ht gher
retention of Indi genous students and gradu ates to the creation of formal n1e ntor~ h1p and
professional de\ elopn1ent progratns They ~ pecdica ll y recruited and tratncd Ind1 genou~
students to take on the e roles creating ~ p ace for n1ore Indi genous educators'" 1th1n the
health ca re fi eld (Anonson, et aL 2008). They have partnered with other con1n1untty
par1ncrs and disciplines to recruit Indi genou s n1 cntors to support an Indigenou s
perspecti ve withtn learning. Creattng opportunit1 es for Indigenous stuclcnb to lc,trn and
be suppot1cd by other Indi genou ~ n1cntor~ and professional is son1cthtng \\ e need to
stri ve towards.
MCr 0 ha ~ n1ade cffo t1~ to a~~ t g n Indi genous soctal worker~ to thcu \bori ginal

C irclc tcan1s and tea n1s serv1ng predon11nately Ind t gc nou ~ population~ , h()\\ C\ ct, fi·tHn
111Y ex pencncc there arc usually only a rew Inclt ge n o u ~ people Ctnpl o) cd in those oniccs

104

and fe,, lnd1 genou tean1 leaders There arc cuuently no affinnatlve hiring pollcies to
en ure lnd1ge nou

ocial '' orkcr ha' e an opportunity to app ly for en1p loy1nent on

bong1nal Ctrclc tean1 '' 1th1n \1CFD. The pnotity <;hould be to n1atch Indigenous oc1al
'' orkcr "1th Indtgenou 1ncntor ''here\ er poss1ble, and not nece anly offices that arc
tdentJfied a Abonginal
Circle tcan1s
....

Training requirement . In 111) opimon. the pro' 1nce of B C should coinm it to
en unng all oc1al \\ orker h1red to \NOrk tn child ''elfare recel\ e adequate cultural ag1h ty
trainin g Thi training could <;u ppor1 a practice shtft to enabl e social '' orkers to work in a
more respectfu L knO\\ ledgeable. and effectJ\ e \\. ay \\.'ith Lndi genous colleagues and
communi ti es. Chri ta \\'Ill iam . '1\: Iaka· pam ux, Executive Director of BC r irst

ati ons

Public en tees de cribe thi process as .. pau ing and appreciating that there are
dtfferences, and looking at tho e \vith a view to the celebratory rather than seetng
difficulti es .. ( BC Public . en ice Agenc; . n.d. ).. ocial \\ Orkers, team leaders. and those in
management positions \\. ould benefit from this training being a n1and atory cotnponent of
employment in the fi eld of child welfare o social vvorkers can approach vvorking with
Indigenous people, whether it is colleagues or co mmunities, with an openne sand
appreciation instead of feehng nervousness and anxiety. Indigenous soc1al workers and
educators from the University of Victoria further suggest that conten1porary soctal \\Ork
cross-cultural trai ning can only init1ate change after understandtng and engag1ng in the
effects of where Indi genou s and non-Jndi genou people ha' e con1e fron1 and knO\\ 1ng
and engagin g the effects of 'N bet e Indigenous children and farntlt cs "c ~u p port ha\ c
coJn e frotn (SaJnucJs, 20 I 3)

105

In the spirit of reco nciliation, participants also rcco mtnended that participation in
programs that uppo11 truthful conversations about the impact child welfare has had on
Indigenous people should be tnandatory for all staff working in child welfare. Progra1ns
like Touch tone of Hope ha\ e helped promote spaces for respectful dialogue regarding
child \\'elfare and ha ve supported reconciliation processes within Canada (First Na ti ons
Chi ld & Fatndy Canng ociety of Canada, 20 15)
Future Re ea rch

Thi re earch explored the ga p in the literature with regard to Indigenous won1en
who are oc ial wo rk er practi cing in child welfare, but n1ore research is needed to fulJy
under tand thi s topi c. The vo ices of Jndigenous women must continue to be heard , and
there i a need for n1ore re earch with Indigenous women who work in the field of social
work to capture their ongoing needs and to provide better support tn the workplace. There
is also a need for research to be conducted with Indigenous tnen invo lved in social work
and child welfare.
ln this study, so1ne social workers said they would prefer to work with Indigenous
supervisors or within Indigenous agencies, but thi s was not always an option Several
social workers did tnention that they were well suppot1ed in their child welfare work by
non-Indigenous supervisors. Another area for future research could explore the
relationships between non-Indigenous supervisors and Indigenous social workers to gain
insight into what is needed to create a suppot1ive work relati onship In addttion, socwl
workers talked about feeling bun1ed out and exhausted at tin1t~s as a result or dcfend1ng
their worldvi ews and ways of prac ticing social work. It \\t ould be benclictal for this issue
to be explored in depth.

106

Concha ion
A this thesi come to a close, I find 1nysclf reDecting back on the interviews and
di cu ion I had wrth each participant. I recall the strength and determinati on within th e
account of the Indigenous wotnen who participated in this research study. I ha ve the
uttno t re pcct for the e \\ orncn fo r ha\ ing the coura ge to share their stories. I could
relate to their narratl\ es of resilience and resistance whil e working withi n a system that
create batTier to practi cing fro rn a strength -based, an ti -oppressive social work approach.
I wa taught and I believe that all things arc related to one another in sotn e way, and that
all thing co1ne around full circle. I now find 1ny elf in a leadership posi ti on where tn y
role i to upport Indigenous ocial vvorkcrs who, in turn, suppot1 Indigenous
con1munitie . I an1 grateful to the women who partici pated in th is thesis. Their stori es
were in piring and need to be heard and shared. I hope that those who read thi s thesis wi ll
be provided wi th new hope as I was during this journey. Indigenous women wi ll continu e
to resist oppression and ystern ic baniers because of their love for their children,
families, comn1unities, and nations.

107

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ppendix A: Emai l Recr uitment Po ter

Are you a First Nations, Metis, or Inuit
Woman?
Do you have a Degree in Social Work?
Are you a Social Worker who has worked, or
currently works in Child welfare?
You are invited to share your experiences and
knowledge.
My name is Sonya Rowland and I am a Master of Social Work student
at the University of Northern British Columbia. You are invited to
participate in a qualitative research study to explore the unique and
collective experiences of Indigenous women who have practiced soci al
work in the field of child welfare for two years or more, and have
obtained a degree in social work. This study will also focu s on learning
more about what factors may contribute to resiliency and promote
wellness within this work.
Due to the small pool of participants, your anon ymity can not be
guaranteed should you choose to participate in this stud y.
If you wish to participate in this study or would like fu r ther infornta tion
please contact Sonya Rowland via cell phone at (250) 6-t0-0684 or via
email at sheppa4(a)unbc.ca.

124

Appendix B: lnforn1ation Letter/Consent Form
Resiliency· Lea rning fron1 Indi genous Wo1nan in Social Work

G raduate tud ent The i Re ea r cher: onya Row land
Uni crsity of orthern Briti h Colun1.bi a, chool of Social Work,
3333 Universit y Way, Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9
Cell Phone: (250) 640-0684
E mail: shcppa4(a .unbc ca
The i S up ervisor: Joann a Pierce, Assoc iate Professor, Schoo l of Social Work, UNBC
Office Telephone: (250) 960-652 J
E mail: joanna. pi ercera unbc.ca
Dear Prospective Participant,

I am conducting a thesis research stud y in pa11ial fulfilhn cnt of the requiren1ents fo r th e
U niversity of Northern British Colu1nb ia Master of Social Work degree. The title of rny
re earch proj ect is: ''Res iliency: Lea rning from Woman in 'oc ial Work".
I would like to formally invite you to the research project as a research pcui icipant. The
foll ow ing infotmati on will provide fu11her details regarding thi s resea rch and your role
should you choose to parti cipate.

II.

INVITATION AND STUDY PURPOSE
•

You are bei ng invited to ta ke part in this research study because of your unique
experiences as an Indi genous wo n1an (First Nations, MetJ s, and 1or Inutt) \\ tth t\\O
or more yea rs of related social work experi ence working w1thin the field of ch ild
welfare in British Colu1nb ia who possesses a degree 111 soc ta l \\ ork.

•

I want to learn n1ore about what fac tors contribute to Ind igenous fetnale soc1cll
workers' rcsi I iency ~ h i le workin g \\ ith in child \\ e I fare. and \\hat coping

strategies do Indi genous worncn who are socia l wo rkers ctnploy to protnote
wcllness and balance tn their ltves \\ bile work1ng tn the field of chtld \\ di~u·e.
•

Thi s stud y wdl protnotc the sharing or knO\\ ledge and C'\J1C1 1CI1CCS or lndtgcnou\
won1en who have worked wt thm the fie ld or chdd \\ cl f~u c, ,HH.i \\ tll help create
new know ledge and pcrspcctt\ cs I hope thts knO\\ ledge \\ til be u~cd to dt tl\\

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attention to the strengths of the participants. and to Jearn more about how to better
~upp o rt Indt genouc;; \\'On1 cn 'A ho arc social 'A orker .
•

on1c of the findin g pro\ ided '" 1th111 th1 ~ rc carch thesis 1nay 1ndtrectl y critiqu e
or chall enge the p o lt c t e~ and practtccs of organi/ati ons a ffi It a ted w1th the child
'' clfare y tctn in Bnllsh Colu n1bw E nd o r~e n1 c nt and pcn11 JSs ton to proceed wi th
tht s re~ea rc h stud y has not been ~o ught by any go' e111n1ent orga ni i.all on as th e
resea rch docs not rcquc~t any 111fo nn at1on related to any organization or
Institution.

•

Parti cipat ion in thi s ~tud y 1'-» entirely \Oiuntary You are 111 no way obli ga ted to
pat11c1 pate 111 tht re~ca rc h. and yo u arc free to \\ ithdra\\ fro1n tht ~ '-»tud y at <my
tunc '{ ou are al o free to not to an'-»\\ ct any qu cstt ons that make you reel
unco1nfot1able '{ ou ha' e the n ght to '" tthdrav. fro1n th1s resea rch ~ tud y at any
tunc. \\I thout gi\ Ing a rea'-»011. Ir you c hoo~c to Vv I thdra\N fron1 th e '-» tud y. any
Il1fOr111at10n you ha\ e pr<n tded Up tO that pOint \\ tll alSO be Vv Jt hdnt'A n f r O ITI the
~ tud y and ~cc urc l) destroyed

Ill.

STU DY PROCE D UR ES

If you agree to participate 111 the ~t ud y, here IS how the study will be conducted :
•

•

•

•

You '" ill be a ked to co n1n11t one and a half hour to one research mten 1e'A in a
location of your preference that ofTcr~ the pri\ acy to protec t yo ur co nfid cntJahty
or tn a meeting roo1n located 1n the library at the Pnnce George. UnJ\ er'-»1t) of
or1hcn1 Briti h Colutnbta cmnp u ~
You \\ill be prov idcd Vv tth a copy or the tnt en ic\\ question~ and ) ou \\Ill he
a~kcd questions about yo ur expen encc a() an Indigenous soc tal \\ orker \\ ho ha~
worked, or cuJTently \\ orks tn the field or child \\elfare. More ~ p ec di ca ll y. '"hat
factor helped you ren1a1n resil1 cnt lll you r work and 'A hat would ha' c been
helpful to you as a soc1al \VOl ke1
You will be asked to give co n ~c nt in writing to being in ten ie\\ ed through the u~e
or a stnalltnicrophone attac hed to an audi o record er. I will also take note'-» to add
to the research interview and v\ iII offer the notes to you to read
You wdl be asked to tn cet \\ tth 1ne c1pprox 1n1ately one tnonth arte1 the tntcl\ JC\\ I'-»
C0111plcted tO rev iC\\ the typed tra n~c npt or your inten ie\\ 111 OtdCI tO C011fll 111 that
the resea rcher correctl y undet ~too d the n1ea nin g~ of) ou r 111'-»Jghh ttnd ) lHtr
cx p e n c n ce~

•

IV.

You \v dl be asked to gl\e co n'-»cnt for n1 e to ll '-»C qu ote~ frotn the tttH.Iio te~ording"
a~ Vvcll as den1ograph1c tnf ot nwtton tn the fin al rcseard1 the"» I~ . 1 ht" Infottnatit)n
Vv 111 he anonymu ccl and \\ Ill not 1dcnt II) you p e r~ona Ih
POTENTI AL RISKS OF Til~~ STUDY

126

I do not think there i an ything in this stud y that could harm you ; how ever, there may be
orne potential ri ks to participants in thi s research stud y that 1 would like yo u to be
a\:vare of.
•
•

•

As a pat1icipant. you may becotn e einotionaJi y upset beca use of son1c of the
questi on I wi ll ask you.
You will be offered the opp011unity to decline to answer any questions, to decline
to conttnue ' " 1th the intervt c\v, and to ask that any infon11 ation you have provided
be retnovcd fron1 the research ~ tu dy.
If at any point tn the stud y you fee l uncomforia ble or upset and wish to end yo ur
partictpation, please noti fy rne immedi ately and your wishes will be respected. All
infonnati on that you pro ided will be destroyed and not used rn the resea rch. Here
i a list of upport agencies and co ntact info nn ati on in your area:
Brazzoni & Associates, Cou nseli ng Services, Prince George
Phone: (250)6 14-226 1
Walrnsley & A ociatcs, Co unseling Services, Prince George
Phone: (250)564-1000
Pacific Coun eling, Vancouver
Phone: (604)989-9555

•

•
V.

Anonyn1ity cannot be guaranteed due to the sn1all pool of parti cipants.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF THE STUDY

I anticipate this study wi ll benefi t you. as well as the larger social work con11nunity.

•
•

You tnay be helped in this study by havi ng an oppot1unity to refl ect on your
experiences as a social worker. as well as hare your perspectives regarding the
work with those who wi ll read the final research thesis
The researcher beli eves that your insights and expen ences will pro\ tdc ne~
infonnation and know ledge which wi ll help suppot1 and e mpo~ er I ndigcnou~
female social workers working in the fi eld of child welfare.
ANONYMITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY

VI.

•
•

Infon11ation that di scloses your tdentity will not be released \\ tlhout yout con~ent
unl ess required by Jaw
Data wiJI only be acccs~ tb le to n1 c and my supervisor, Joanna Ptcrcc . \ II
docun1cnts, incl ud ing audi o recordings and tnten IC\\ tran'lcnpt~ \\til be kept tn a
locked fil e cabinet 111 the office of n1y supcn iso r, Joanna Ptcrcc .. \sMKt,llc
Professor. School of Soc ta l Work, at the Universi ty or Not1hct n Bttttsh Colutnhta
in Prince Gco t gc, BC rhc reco rded inten l C\\'S and \\TlltCn tl dl1SC11plll)l1~ \\til be

127

•

destroyed one yea r after I have successfull y defended the thesis research as per
UN BC' rcquiren1cnts
I wtll do everythin g p os~1b l c to protect yo ur identity, but du e to the small s i ~e of
the ~ tud y popu lation, anonyn11ty cannot be guaranteed

\ ' II.

We will offer yo u a Stna ll honoranun1 in apprcc tat io n ror co rnpl ctin g thi s study. Parking
fcc \\Il l also be rcunburscd

•
•

The results of thi ~ stud y \v ill be reported m a graduate th c~ r s and tnay al so be
publ1 ~ hed 111 JOUI11al a rticl e~ and book~
You \\ 1ll recci\ e a copy of the research re~ult~ approxn11ately ~ 1 x n1onth ~ after the
rc~ea rc h study the(", I ~ defence 1s su cce<.,~ rull y cotnpletcd

I f yo u ha\ e any question(", abou t \\hat th e resea rcher i asking of you, please co ntact th e
re earcher, onya Ro\\ land or her thcsi upcn • ~o r, Joanna Ptcrcc Thctr nan1es and
contact tnfon11at1 on are li ~t cd at the top of the fir~ t page of tht s fonn

X.

CONTACT FOR COMPLAINTS

If you ha\ c any concetns or con1plmnt about yoUJ nghts a~ a resea rch pm11c1pant and or
your expencnccs while pa11ictpatlng 111 thlS stud}, contac t the l '\i BC Office or Rc\eclt ch
at 250-960-6735 or by en1atl at reb o unbc ca.

XI.

PARTI CIPANT CONSENT AND SIGNATURE PAGE

.. Taking pa11 in thi <; c;,t ud) 1 ~ entire!) up to )OU You htne the right to rdu't? to p,lrtiLJp,th:
in this stud y. I f you decide to take pari, you n1ay c hoo~e to pull ou t of the c;,tud) ell an)
ti tn c w1thou t gtving a rea~o n ··.
•
•

YoUJ Signature bclO\\ Indi ca te" that yo u ha\ c r cCCl\ ed d cop\ or tht'-. L'() J1~L'11l I(H·n1
for you1 O\\ n t ccot ds.
Your s1gnaturc tnciJ cates that \ ou co n\cnt to p,uttclp,llc 111 thi s study.

-

Partictpant S 1gnature

Date

128

Appendix C : Questionnaire G uid e
Demographic qu e tion :
I . What type of degree in Social Work have you obtai ned? Do you have any
add iti ona! post-secondary educa ti on?

2. How long did you, or have you been a social work er practicing in the field of
child ~ c lfare in BC?
3. What lndigenou group do you Identify wi th?
4. Do yo u inco rporate cultural teachings into your professional practi ce and your
life?
5. Why did you choose to work as a social worker in th e fi eld of child welfare?
Rc earch stud y qu e ti ons:
R e iliency i defin ed a .. the proces of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma.
tragedy, threats or ignificant ourccs of tress- such as family and relationship
problen1s. se ri ous health problems or workplace and financial stres<)ors" (A1nerican
Psychological Association).
6. What is the largest factor that contributed to you being able to be resilient as a
social worker working in the fi eld of child welfare?
7. Are there additional fa ctors that have helped you rernain resilient?
8. What do you like about your work?
9. What perso nal reward s do you get from your work?
10. What kinds of things keep you in the work?

11 . What coping strategies helped you during your tin1e as a soclCil ~ orker \\or krng in
the fi eld of child welfare?
12. How have you or do you practice sel f-ca1c to a\ oid work bun1out?
13. Are there other th1ngs that have contributed to your wel1ness and balnncc in \our
life?
14 What have you found to be th e tnost helpful in mai ntauung balance c1nd 1e'-IIli~nc\
in your work''

129

15. What have been the n1ost chaJlenging aspects for you when you practiced as a

ocial worker in the fi eld of child welfare?
16. What factors would help to provide you with better support in your practice?
17. Is there anything you wo uld change about your experience while practi cing as a

social work er in the field of child welfare?
18. If you had the opportunity to peak to other Indi genous wo n1en who work or have

worked as social workers in the fie ld o f child welfa re about staying health y and
balanced in their \VO rk what would you say?
19. Are there any fac tors you think should be considered by those suppo11ing

Indigenous ocial workers who arc wo rking in the fi eld of child welfare?
20. Do you have anything you would li ke to add ?

130

Appendix D: T ran scriber Oath of Confidentiality

This research entitled, Resilience: Learning fron1 Indi genous ocial Workers, is being
und ertaken by rna ter of social work tudent onya Ro,:vland at the University of
Not1hetn Briti h Colun1bia.
Data fron1 this research will be used in the fin al graduate thesis.
I, -

, agree to:
( atne of tran cribcr)
I . Keep all research infotn1ation shared with me confidential by not di scussing or

haring th e re earch infonnation in any fonn or forn1at (e.g. di sks, tapes,
tran cnpt ) with anyone other than the Principal I nves ti gator ~
2. Keep all re earch information in any form or fonnat secure whil e it is in my
.
pos es t o n ~
3. Return all research info nnati on in any fo nn or fonn at to the Principal
In estigator when I have completed the resea rch ta s ks~
4 . After co nsulting with the Principal Investi gator, erase or destroy all research
infotmatio n in any fo rm or fonnat regarding this research project that is not
returnable to the Principal Investi gator (e.g. inforn1ation sorted on c01nputer hard
drive).
Tran criber:

(Print Name)

(Sjgnature)

(Date)

(S ignature)

(Dak)

Principal Investigator:

(Print Narne)

If you have any qu e tion s or co ncerns about this study plea e contact the resca rc h~r.
Sonya Rowland by phone at (250) 640-0684 or by en1ai l at ~ h cppa4(a unhc ca
This research has been reviewed by the Resea rch Ethic Board at the Un1' ersi ty of
Nor1hern British Colutnbia. I or qu e~ ti o n s rega rdin g participan t's n gh ts and cth1cal
conduct of resea rch, please contact the UN BC Office of the Research b) phone at (250)
960-6735 or by etn ai l at rebca.unhc ca.

131

ppcndix E: CSFS Letter of upport

Carrier Sekan i Family Services
I ~hruar~ 1~. 2015

, , ~~a Ro\\ l.md
~. -~ Pnn~e 1·-.h,ard C ..~,~c.:. t
Pnn e { •eorg~: IK \ ~;-.... '\ ~

11-.•

'

~u

.H I : \Ia \Ia oj .Soda/ If orA Tlw\1\ R I.!H'Urc It .~1m~1 fillt:d "R t"·.ilit!lt ( r: l t'llrniu~ from
lndt~t'IIO II \ H onwn in Soda/ Jl orJ."

•

Jlw. k·uer ontiml'> th.ll '-I ' 1 ~ TC\ It'\\ CO) our rl' cmch th <>Is propo-.al rcg.srding lnd1gcnous
\\0111 ·n nnd c:'ploring tl .... r t: ~,,,_nl'lh.l'S reblt'd to .... ,clltl ''otk pr.lc ticl· tn tht.> lidd •>1 child
\\ell an: mtd n ha hl•t.:n d.: ...·rncd '"orth'" hJ!e u 1d hn., hL»t:ll upprm c:d h) the.:. 1g<.'I1C)
\\ l"

Ill\

Dr . l ra\1~ Hn l~k

I

CCUU\ e Dir~ctor

R..-...c. r~ 11. P:-im:lr) Cur, an,! ~ tr .u..:g1c :-.en i.,.(',
<'dltill '-uuni l nmil~ S~n1 l'

132

ppcnd ix F: R E B Letter of Supp ort

ITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD

MEMORANDUM
To:
CC:

Sonya Rowland
Joanna P1erce

From:

M1chae1 Murphy, Cha1r
Research Eth1cs Board

Date:

February 12 2015

Re:
E2015.0112.001.00
_ _ _ __;_R:..:.e...:..
slllenc : Learning from lndi enous Women in Social Work
Thank you for subm1ttmg rev1s1ons to the Research EthiCs Board (REB) regardmg the
above-noted proposal Your rev1s1ons have been approved Wlth the request that pnor
to commencmg your research, you.
1} correct the grammat1cal errors 1n the poster and Information Letter Consent
Form
2) prov1de the REB w1th consents from the delegated agenctes as requ1red (e.g
Carner Sekan1 Fam1ly Serv1ces)
We are pleased to 1ssue approval for the above named study for a penod of 12 months
from the date of th1s letter Cont1nua11on beyond that date w111 requtre further rev1ew and
renewal of REB approval Any changes or amendments to the protocol or consent form
must be approved by the REB
If you have any quest1ons on the above or reoUtre further clanftcahon please feel free to

contact Rheanna Rob1nson 1n the Off1ce of Research (reb@unbc ca or 250-960 6735}.
Good luck w1th your research.
Sincerely

Or M1chael Murphy
Cha1r, Research Eth1cs Board