Disrupting the Continuities Among Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and Child Welfare: An Analysis of Colonial and Neocolonial Discourses

 Authors' Abstract, Page 1:

"We analyze how colonial and neocolonial discourses position Indigenous peoples and communities as inherently sick and damaged and naturalize Euro-Canadian notions of family. Further, we examine neoliberal discourses of risk and how these colonial, neocolonial, and neoliberal discourses operate within society, policy, and practice to contribute to the number of Indigenous children in the care of the child welfare system today. Throughout, we provide examples from British Columbia (B.C.), as a unique case in point, to show how they are informed by the province’s colonial history and present day context. We show the continuities among residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and contemporary forms of the state’s over-involvement in Indigenous families, and propose nine policy recommendations that aim to disrupt these continuities by (a) transforming child welfare legislation and practice, and (b) supporting Indigenous families and communities to care for their children. We conclude by discussing strategies to move these recommendations forward." (1).