Poverty, the Welfare System and the First Nation's Children

The aim is to inform policy makers and social work practitioners to identify this issue so that effective strategies to address this problem would be implemented. To understand the issue of poverty/neglect, a brief history of First Nations people will be provided, as well as a summary of the issue and some existing research on the problem.
             Blackstock (2005) mentions that First Nations peoples have lived in Canada for over 10,500 years, raising over 525 generations of children before child welfare and social work came into existence. During that period, First Nations peoples were happy, healthy, proud, and lived safely in their homes with their children and contributed to society (Blackstock, 2005). Before colonialism, First Nations peoples operated under a system of traditional economy (Turner, Ignace, & Ignace, 2000), where they utilized and managed their natural resources (plants, water) in a way that was culturally oriented with respect to the earth and their relations with "mother earth" (Turner, Ignace, & Ignace, 2000).
             With the advent of colonialism, their traditional economy and culture became threatened by Euro-Canadians with a new system of economic development that took a shift towards market economy (Turner, Ignace, & Ignace, 2000). Their homelands, resources, and cultures were shattered, leaving them with little or no economic sovereignty and a resulting dependence on Euro-Canadians. Since First Nations peoples were not equipped to integrate into this new system of production, most of them became impoverished and depended on the credit system and welfare which was also introduced by Euro-Canadians (Anderson, Dana, & Dana, 2006). The history of First Nations peoples of Canada reflects in their present state of poverty and which has influenced their ability to care for their children and the overrepresentation of their children in the welfare system.
             Pelton (1997) argued that children go into foster care because emphasis is laid too heavily on child protection laws and parental irresponsibility, while ignoring poverty indicators and the lack of resources to help families.