CARE FOR CAREGIVERS

Families across Inuit Nunangat have profound strength and determination to over- come a wide range of challenges presented by the impacts of settler colonialism. Families have a deep history of cultural integrity and resourcefulness that continues to shape their responses to adversity. But it is not without struggle. The colonial im- pacts on cultural continuity, kinship relationships, gender roles, trauma, and re-trau- matization experiences, have significant implications for families. These profound social transformations, and ensuing sources of trauma (childhood sexual abuse in particular) contribute to enduring physical and mental health challenges, complex co-morbidities, and suicidality risk. These issues are no more acutely felt than within the context of disclosures/investigations of child abuse (as Indigenous families are investigated for child maltreatment 3.6 times more than other populations), and the child welfare system. Alarmingly, child welfare systems disproportionately impact Indigenous children at a rate of 53.8%, even though they represent just 7.7% of all children in Canada (i.e., those under 14 years of age) (Statistics Canada, 2023). Despite this high rate, family service approaches often continue to import harmful ways of working with Inuit children and their caregivers. Government negligence is also apparent, considering reports of systematic underfunding of supports needed to keep Indigenous families together. The situation is especially stark in Nunavut, as rates of abuse are 10 times higher than the national average. Within the territory, several reports have found evidence of fractured trust, ongoing negligence (including a lack of follow-up and/or knowledge about the number of Inuit children in care) and unnecessary apprehension and criminalization of (predominantly Inuit) families in need. These issues are additionally hindered by ongoing inequities in housing afford- ability, overcrowding, and treatment infrastructure and recurring lack of culturally safe, and trauma and violence-informed workforce (i.e., emphasizing principles like safety, collaboration, choice, but also understanding and action on systemic discrim- ination, intergenerational and historic trauma, etc.). Without significant changes, the system represents an ongoing threat to Inuit’s inherent rights to comprehensive self-determination and healing. In addressing the pressing concerns of Inuit Nunavummiut, it is crucial to foreground the lived experiences and insights of Inuit caregivers within research. With a mandate to support holistic family healing, and to better ascertain the needs of caregivers fol- lowing disclosures of child maltreatment and abuse, the Umingmak Centre partnered with the Critical Health and Social Action lab at the University of Toronto. The purpose of this research was not to critique existing family services but to deepen our under- standing of the caregivers served by the Umingmak Centre, to listen to their stories to inform how to better support them, especially following disclosures of child maltreat- ment and abuse. 3 As a research collaboration, the goal was to be an empathetic inquiry, grounded in the principles of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, cultural safety, and collaborative Indigenous research, and to remain open to learning from whatever those who participated in the research offered from their experiences. Through the research, we aimed to to identify contextual and cultural factors relevant to fostering enhanced caregiver support within Umingmak’s unique service context. From these lived experiences and deeply personal stories emerged key messages for services, both specific to Uming- mak, but also broadly across family services and other systems. While beyond our original queries, these insights which emerge from caregivers and service providers, are a foundation upon which Umingmak aspires to build, in collaboration and good relationship with other services and service providers across Inuit Nunangat. The research helps chart a course for a strengthened approach to care that resonates with the needs and hopes of Inuit and other caregivers and families. In doing so, the research not only acknowledges the distinctive roles of Umingmak services and family services, but also offer suggestions that point to their ongoing and enhanced collabo- ration. Between October 2022 and July 2023, thirty semi-structured interviews (n=30) were conducted with Inuit and Settler (i.e., non-Inuit) caregivers who have interacted with the Umingmak Centre in Iqaluit, and Inuit and Settler service providers. Adopting Hallet’s (2015) collaborative story-telling methodology, holistic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. Findings were subsequently organized and discussed in relation to (a) key messages for the child welfare system, (b) key messages for Uming- mak, (c) caregiver needs, (d) intersectional concerns, (e) ideas for change raised by the data, and (f) ideas for change implied by the data. Key messages about the child welfare system reiterated a lack of cultural safety, a lack of information sharing, improper resourcing, caregiver exploitation, and insti- tutional harm. Key messages for Umingmak underscored emotional safety, lack of information sharing, and experiences of gratitude. Intersectional concerns highlighted differential experiences of reactive, unhelpful helping systems (individualized and my- opic versus collective and multigenerational), differential experiences of emotionally laden, embodied grief and loss, systems navigation ability/successes, trust of systems, and orientation to children under their care. Though all service providers agreed on systemic issues impacting care, settler service providers appeared more concerned with their own experiences of and solutions to compassion fatigue and burnout in the workplace; they were also more likely to minimize accusations of racism in the workplace. Of consequence, several ideas for change were mentioned, including a) promising directions in education, awareness, and training, b) cultural safety and awareness training, c) rethinking treatment, d) trauma- and violence-informed crisis response, e) case management and outreach, and e) structural investments, f) policy changes, and g) self-determination and shared decision-making. Based on the findings, implications for child welfare, the Umingmak centre, and service improvement are discussed.

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