The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare studies: Systems change through a relational Anishinaabe worldview

Wendy Haight; Cary B Waubanascum; David Glesener; Priscilla A Day; Brenda Bussey; Karen Nichols

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105601

The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare studies: Systems change through a relational Anishinaabe worldview

Wendy Haight, Cary B Waubanascum, David Glesener, Priscilla A Day, Brenda Bussey, Karen Nichols

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous families in North American governmental child welfare systems remains one of the most pressing and neglected issues facing Tribal Nations, child welfare policymakers and practitioners today. This paper is the third in a series of three papers (Authors) presenting an ethnographic study of the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies in the Department of Social Work, University of Minnesota – Duluth. The current paper focuses on the perspectives of the Center's staff and allies, which is grounded in an Anishinaabe worldview, on the process of systems change in child welfare. It draws upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 participants with diverse roles and extended relationships with the Center. Participants provided knowledge and wisdom on how to create and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships within sovereign Tribal Nations, county and state child welfare systems. They described how Center staff members are then able to create bridges (mesosystems) across Indigenous communities and child welfare systems with the trust built within each of those systems. These mesosystems are sustained over time through continued opportunities for engagement and collaboration. These processes are illustrated through several case exemplars of change affected by the Center, tribes and their collaborators: state legislation to strengthen ICWA, implementation of statewide continuing education for child welfare professionals, and an innovative ICWA court. The primary barrier to system change noted by participants is structural racism. Advice for those motivated to support systems change includes establishing close links with Indigenous communities.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	105601
Journal	Children and Youth Services Review
Volume	119
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105601
State	Published - Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We would like to acknowledge the Indigenous elders and Indigenous and ally social work professionals who graciously shared their stories and wisdom. We look to them for guidance as we continue our work to protect our children and Indigenous cultures into the next seven generations. In addition, we were honored to work in partnership with Priscilla Day, Brenda Bussey, and Karen Nichols from the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. This report was made possible through funding from the Gamble-Skogmo endowment of the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Child welfare
Disparities
ICWA
Indigenous
Systems change

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access

10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105601

OpenUrl availability

Full text

Cite this

@article{64568bd41f4d4a9581a4dff8c26802ea,

title = "The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare studies: Systems change through a relational Anishinaabe worldview",

abstract = "The dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous families in North American governmental child welfare systems remains one of the most pressing and neglected issues facing Tribal Nations, child welfare policymakers and practitioners today. This paper is the third in a series of three papers (Authors) presenting an ethnographic study of the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies in the Department of Social Work, University of Minnesota – Duluth. The current paper focuses on the perspectives of the Center's staff and allies, which is grounded in an Anishinaabe worldview, on the process of systems change in child welfare. It draws upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 participants with diverse roles and extended relationships with the Center. Participants provided knowledge and wisdom on how to create and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships within sovereign Tribal Nations, county and state child welfare systems. They described how Center staff members are then able to create bridges (mesosystems) across Indigenous communities and child welfare systems with the trust built within each of those systems. These mesosystems are sustained over time through continued opportunities for engagement and collaboration. These processes are illustrated through several case exemplars of change affected by the Center, tribes and their collaborators: state legislation to strengthen ICWA, implementation of statewide continuing education for child welfare professionals, and an innovative ICWA court. The primary barrier to system change noted by participants is structural racism. Advice for those motivated to support systems change includes establishing close links with Indigenous communities.",

keywords = "Child welfare, Disparities, ICWA, Indigenous, Systems change",

author = "Wendy Haight and Waubanascum, {Cary B} and David Glesener and Day, {Priscilla A} and Brenda Bussey and Karen Nichols",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the Indigenous elders and Indigenous and ally social work professionals who graciously shared their stories and wisdom. We look to them for guidance as we continue our work to protect our children and Indigenous cultures into the next seven generations. In addition, we were honored to work in partnership with Priscilla Day, Brenda Bussey, and Karen Nichols from the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. This report was made possible through funding from the Gamble-Skogmo endowment of the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020 Elsevier Ltd",

year = "2020",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105601",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "119",

journal = "Children and Youth Services Review",

issn = "0190-7409",

publisher = "Elsevier Limited",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare studies

T2 - Systems change through a relational Anishinaabe worldview

AU - Haight, Wendy

AU - Waubanascum, Cary B

AU - Glesener, David

AU - Day, Priscilla A

AU - Bussey, Brenda

AU - Nichols, Karen

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the Indigenous elders and Indigenous and ally social work professionals who graciously shared their stories and wisdom. We look to them for guidance as we continue our work to protect our children and Indigenous cultures into the next seven generations. In addition, we were honored to work in partnership with Priscilla Day, Brenda Bussey, and Karen Nichols from the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. This report was made possible through funding from the Gamble-Skogmo endowment of the University of Minnesota, School of Social Work. Publisher Copyright: © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

PY - 2020/12

Y1 - 2020/12

N2 - The dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous families in North American governmental child welfare systems remains one of the most pressing and neglected issues facing Tribal Nations, child welfare policymakers and practitioners today. This paper is the third in a series of three papers (Authors) presenting an ethnographic study of the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies in the Department of Social Work, University of Minnesota – Duluth. The current paper focuses on the perspectives of the Center's staff and allies, which is grounded in an Anishinaabe worldview, on the process of systems change in child welfare. It draws upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 participants with diverse roles and extended relationships with the Center. Participants provided knowledge and wisdom on how to create and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships within sovereign Tribal Nations, county and state child welfare systems. They described how Center staff members are then able to create bridges (mesosystems) across Indigenous communities and child welfare systems with the trust built within each of those systems. These mesosystems are sustained over time through continued opportunities for engagement and collaboration. These processes are illustrated through several case exemplars of change affected by the Center, tribes and their collaborators: state legislation to strengthen ICWA, implementation of statewide continuing education for child welfare professionals, and an innovative ICWA court. The primary barrier to system change noted by participants is structural racism. Advice for those motivated to support systems change includes establishing close links with Indigenous communities.

AB - The dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous families in North American governmental child welfare systems remains one of the most pressing and neglected issues facing Tribal Nations, child welfare policymakers and practitioners today. This paper is the third in a series of three papers (Authors) presenting an ethnographic study of the Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare Studies in the Department of Social Work, University of Minnesota – Duluth. The current paper focuses on the perspectives of the Center's staff and allies, which is grounded in an Anishinaabe worldview, on the process of systems change in child welfare. It draws upon in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 participants with diverse roles and extended relationships with the Center. Participants provided knowledge and wisdom on how to create and sustain trusting, collaborative relationships within sovereign Tribal Nations, county and state child welfare systems. They described how Center staff members are then able to create bridges (mesosystems) across Indigenous communities and child welfare systems with the trust built within each of those systems. These mesosystems are sustained over time through continued opportunities for engagement and collaboration. These processes are illustrated through several case exemplars of change affected by the Center, tribes and their collaborators: state legislation to strengthen ICWA, implementation of statewide continuing education for child welfare professionals, and an innovative ICWA court. The primary barrier to system change noted by participants is structural racism. Advice for those motivated to support systems change includes establishing close links with Indigenous communities.

KW - Child welfare

KW - Disparities

KW - ICWA

KW - Indigenous

KW - Systems change

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094600537&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85094600537&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105601

DO - 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105601

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85094600537

SN - 0190-7409

VL - 119

JO - Children and Youth Services Review

JF - Children and Youth Services Review

M1 - 105601

ER -

The Center for Regional and Tribal Child Welfare studies: Systems change through a relational Anishinaabe worldview

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access

OpenUrl availability

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this