Care of Indigenous children at Batshaw compromised by 'racist attitudes,' report finds

Indigenous children and their families are subject to "racist attitudes" by administrators of theyouth protection agency that serves English-speaking Montrealers,compromising the type of care they receive, a new report says.

The report, prepared by researchers at Concordia University in collaboration with the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal and other local community groups, details problems at Batshaw Youth and Family Centres and offers recommendations to fix them.

The report is based on three years of research in co-operation with Batshaw and the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'le-de-Montral, the regional health and social services board that overseesBatshaw.

A focus group of Batshaw workers said "racistattitudes"of staff at the regional health board was one of the main obstacles to improved care.

Workers at Bathsaw said they felt "families were victims of stereotyping and that many [in the regional health authority]held the attitude of Indigenous families as somehow separate from other families they worked with."

The report, titled One step forward, two steps back: Child welfare services for Indigenous clientele living in Montreal,has not yet been made public. It was obtained by CBC News after first surfacingin the Montreal Gazette.

Here are some of the key findings:

• The number of Indigenous children and families is not adequately tracked andlikely underreported. The report notes improved records is one of the first recommendations in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC).
• Researchers noted a "lack of will" on behalf of upper management at the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'le-de-Montral to implement the calls to action put forward bythe TRC.
• Staff at Bashaw said there is a lack of information about the resources available toIndigenous clientsand "little awareness of the diversity" among various First Nations in Quebec.
• There were no First Nations, Inuit or Mtisstaff on the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'le-de-Montral team designated to work withIndigenous families at the time of the report's completion.
• The lack of translation services, particularly for Inuit families, is highlighted as a major barrier to services.

Nakuset, head of theNative Women's Shelter of Montreal, said Batshaw has been aware of these problems for years, but solutions often get stalled or lost in bureaucracy.

"It almost pulls the wind out of your sails. To keep trying and trying and trying to create change, and to get a lot of holdups," she said.

The recommendationsinclude improved staff training, the hiring of Indigenous staff, establishing best practices in working with Indigenous youth and the establishment of an ongoing working group where community experts would be consulted.

Not knowing the basics

One ofthe report's co-authors, Elizabeth Fast, said one example of how Indigenous families are inappropriately treated is Batshaw workers asking invasive and improper questions based on stereotypes of Indigenous people.

"A worker found out that a family was Indigenous and said to the mother, 'Have you ever been sexually abused?'"said Fast in an interview with CBC.

Fast said workers sometimes show a basiclack of understanding of Indigenous cultures presuming, for example, if a child is being givenwhat the Inuit call "country food" hunted meat that the family may not have the resources to provide breakfast cereal or other typical Western staples.

"That's another form of racism because it'signorance," Fast said.

Change needed 'immediately'

Batshaw has been beset by problems in recent years. Last December, the Quebechuman rights commission launched an investigation following a CBC News report that Inuit children were discouraged from speaking their own language while in youth protection.

In the report'sconclusion, the authors say they expect theCIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'le-de-Montral to "begin working immediately" with organizations representing Indigenous peoples in Montreal.

In a statement, the CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'le-de-Montralsaid "providing quality care and services to the children and families they serve is the top priority."

The statement also said the agency is taking steps to improve its care ofyoung Inuit "and to better safeguard their cultural integrity."

The agency declined a request for an interview.