Safeguarding Networks in Indigenous Communities: Integrating Traditions and Practices

Protective networks are vital to supporting at-risk families in child welfare. These networks offer support, partnership and accountability mechanisms for children and families. However, within Indigenous communities, networks take on distinct cultural and social qualities rich in tradition, custom and practice. Indigenous forms of care emphasize shared responsibility, intergenerational care and health values often missing from mainstream child welfare practices (Sinclair, 2007; White Hawk, 2024; Weechi-it-te-win Family Services, 2024). Raven Sinclair, a Cree/Assiniboine/Saulteaux academic, criticizes traditional child welfare and calls for Indigenous-led services that emphasize cultural continuity and community engagement (Sinclair, 2007).   Similarly, Sandy White Hawk, a Sicangu Lakota member, writes about cultural relatedness and how traditional ways and communities provide for Indigenous children and families to their full potential (White Hawk, 2024).

Moreover, Weechi-it-te-win Family Services exemplifies the significance of bicultural and community-based approaches to child welfare, emphasizing customary Anishinaabe-derived care regarding traditions and culture (Weechi-it-te-win Family Services, 2024). These lessons demonstrate the need to marry safeguarding frameworks with Indigenous cultural values to meet Indigenous peoples’ particular needs. Traditional Indigenous culture typically frames the family and community as overlapping, with supportive roles carried out by extended families and clans. This is a version of the holistic approach to the world, honouring the interconnectedness of life's spiritual, physical, emotional, and social dimensions. By incorporating these cultural ideals, protecting structures can be aligned with Indigenous visions of the world, developing networks that preserve tradition and meet modern concerns (Healy, 2014; Saleebey, 2012). Raven Sinclair has written widely against mainstream child welfare, calling for Indigenously run services focusing on cultural continuity and community engagement. Sinclair stresses that Indigenous cultural solutions and participatory action can correct systemic inefficiencies in existing models (Sinclair, 2007).

Sandy White Hawk stresses the importance of cultural alignment in child welfare. She emphasizes holistically incorporating traditional practices and communities to strengthen the safety and well-being of Indigenous children and families (White Hawk, 2024). ATA Consultancy has built its community network strategy around its extensive experience working alongside and in partnership with Indigenous communities in Canada. The strategy is aimed at an Indigenous-inspired approach to protecting practice that builds on Indigenous peoples’ collective strength and wisdom. This approach draws on the wisdom of chiefs, council members, elders, extended family, and community volunteers to jointly develop and implement safeguarding plans. Bringing cultural messages, language, and healing into the community is an immediate safety strategy and a long-term benefit for children and families. An essential aspect of this process is to keep Indigenous children (when they cannot remain with their parents due to safety and well-being issues) in their communities. It is a crucial strategy for the survival of Indigenous communities, thereby preserving their culture, language and traditions. As an emphasis on cultural competence, it embeds local services and traditional care and ensures the continuity of Indigenous children’s sense of identity and place. Safeguarding systems can be more beneficial to Indigenous peoples by incorporating Indigenous customs, community structures and responsibilities. This partnership celebrates cultural heritage and solves modern child welfare issues to advance Indigenous children and families’ overall health and resilience as they build their communities.

Indigenous Traditions in Child Protection are committed to a holistic approach captured in the phrase, "It takes a village to raise a child." This view sees children as part of the community, with mutual responsibility, not individual action. Traditional beliefs revolve around community, strength, spiritual, emotional, physical, and mental harmony. Indigenous protection goes beyond immediate dangers and creates conditions where families and communities flourish.

Critical Elements of Indigenous Traditions in Safeguarding

1. Intergenerational Involvement:

   
   

   Elders are essential in passing down wisdom, guiding younger generations, and ensuring cultural continuity. Their inclusion in safeguarding networks enriches the process with cultural depth and understanding.

   
   

2. Community Accountability:

   
   

   Indigenous approaches prioritize community-driven solutions, where clans, the community, families, extended kin, and neighbours collaborate to protect children and maintain collective well-being.

   
   

3. Holistic Well-being:

   
   

   Safeguarding efforts encompass physical safety and cultural, spiritual, and emotional needs, ensuring plans resonate with the child and family’s identity.

   
   

4. Cultural Practices:

   
   

   Incorporating traditional ceremonies, storytelling, and healing methods reinforces safeguarding plans rooted in Indigenous customs and values.

A Community-Based Approach to Safeguarding

The model leverages clan networks to develop and execute safety and support plans for child welfare cases. Caregivers can turn to their clan, extended family, and community for assistance, ensuring a culturally grounded care framework. Elders, matriarchs, and patriarchs are pivotal in guiding these plans, offering spiritual and practical wisdom. This structure addresses immediate and long-term safety needs and fosters resilience and well-being through collective effort.

Example: How the Clan Network Approach Works

Scenario: Example: Maria is an addicted single mother who cannot afford to feed her two children, Liam and Mia. Both children report missing most meals daily, saying they are hungry, have lost significant weight, and often miss school. 

Step 1, Leveraging the Clan Network: Maria’s situation is brought to the attention of her broader clan, which extends beyond her immediate family and includes elders, matriarchs, patriarchs, spiritual leaders, and other key community members. Led by the clan chief, a meeting is convened to develop a safety and support plan. This process is facilitated by a child welfare practitioner who respects and incorporates the clan's traditions and collective wisdom.

Step 2, Collaborative Safety Plan Development: The clan, under the leadership of the clan chief, collaboratively identifies roles and distributes responsibilities:

• A designated clan member agrees to oversee Liam and Mia’s daily needs, ensuring a stable and nurturing environment.

• An elder, respected for their spiritual and cultural knowledge, guides the children through traditional practices such as smudging, storytelling, and prayer.

• Other clan members volunteer to assist with school drop-offs, extracurricular activities, and other routines, ensuring continuity and stability for the children.

• The clan chief and a small council ensure these responsibilities are assigned equitably, drawing on the clan's collective resources and strength.

Step 3, Community as a Safety Net: In addition to the clan’s direct involvement, the broader community contributes to supporting the family’s well-being:

• Maria arranges weekly addiction support meetings, which a community elder with expertise in healing practices facilitates.

• Parenting workshops are organized at the community center to help Maria develop skills to better care for her children.

• The local food kitchen provides meals to ensure Maria and her children consistently access nutritious food while she focuses on recovery.

• Both children attend an organized sporting event at the sporting centre every Thursday.

• Children participate in cultural teachings and experiences with an elder. 

Step 4, Continuous Support and Monitoring: The clan, guided by the chief and elder council, oversees the safety and well-being of all children within the child protection system, including Liam and Mia. They hold regular meetings to monitor progress, resolve challenges, and adjust the safety plan. The clan chief ensures that members remain engaged and that responsibilities are fulfilled. Programs like youth sports and cultural teachings support Liam and Mia, helping them build resilience while maintaining a solid connection to their cultural identity.

Outcome: Through the collective effort of the clan and community, Maria works toward recovery in a supportive environment. Liam and Mia remain within their cultural and community framework, preserving their connection to traditions, language, and customs. Under the leadership of the clan chief, the clan ensures the immediate safety and long-term well-being of the children while fostering the resilience of the entire family.

This example demonstrates how the clan network, led by the chief and guided by traditional values, becomes a protective and nurturing structure for children and families in need, ensuring safety and cultural continuity.

Proposed Programs Supporting Safeguarding Efforts

To further bolster family safety and well-being, weekly programs can provide culturally relevant support. These programs include:

• Cultural Teachings: Language, traditions, customs, healing practices, smudging, prayers, medicine, herbalism, and storytelling to strengthen cultural identity and emotional resilience.

• Couples’ Guidance: Relationship advice to enhance familial harmony.

• Food Kitchens: Addressing food insecurity to ensure physical well-being.

• Sports Events and Drop-in Centers: Promoting youth engagement and physical activity.

• Addiction Support Services: Tackling substance abuse issues with culturally informed strategies.

• Parenting Support Programs: Empowering caregivers with tools for effective parenting within cultural frameworks.

Integrating Safeguarding Frameworks with Indigenous Principles

To resonate with Indigenous communities, safeguarding frameworks must align with traditional values and practices. Effective adaptation includes:

1. Engaging Elders and Traditional Leaders: Elders and cultural leaders bring invaluable guidance, ensuring safeguarding networks align with Indigenous worldviews and practices.

   
   

2. Collaborative Networks: Building networks incorporating extended family, spiritual leaders, and community organizations creates comprehensive and sustainable support systems.

   
   

3. Practitioners Need Cultural Competency Training: Child welfare practitioners must have the cultural knowledge and ability to collaborate and trust Indigenous families.

   
   

4. Conventional Treatments: Protection plans need to incorporate culture-specific practices, such as ceremonies, traditional medicine, and storytelling, to heal trauma holistically.

   
   

5. Flexible Planning: Guardianship practices need to accommodate Indigenous families’ varying cultures, beliefs and situations.

   
   

Resolving Issues and Providing Sustainability

While Indigenous practices must be embedded in safeguarding systems, specific issues must be solved to be effective:

• Mobility and Access: Rural and remote sites can inhibit service. Localized programs and mobile tools can fill in these needs.

• Systemic Impediments: Child welfare policy must facilitate Indigenous self-determination and be funded and legislated to meet local needs.

• Building Bridges: Trauma has destroyed relationships between Native communities and child welfare. It would be best if you were open and culturally sensitive to establish real connections.

Conclusion

Changing safeguarding structures to accommodate Indigenous cultures and practices is a cultural and pragmatic need to make child welfare sustainable. Focusing on community responsibility, cultural validity, and whole-person well-being builds a foundation for intervention-free protection and allows families to flourish. By aligning these structures with Indigenous priorities, child welfare can honour traditional practices while addressing contemporary needs, ensuring children are safe and supported within the framework of their cultural and communal identities.

References

Healy, K. (2014). Social work theories in context: Creating frameworks for practice (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.

Saleebey, D. (2012). The strengths perspective in social work practice (6th ed.). Pearson.

Sinclair, R. (2007). Identity lost and found: Lessons from the Sixties Scoop. First Peoples Child & Family Review, 3(1), 65–82.

 Weechi-it-te-win Family Services. (2024). Weechi-it-te-win Family Services.

White Hawk, S. (2024). Sandy White Hawk. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_White_Hawk