Native Parents Research Articles

Intersectional Disadvantage: Exploring Differences Between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Parents with Intellectual Disability in the New South Wales Child Protection System

ABSTRACTBackground: Parents with intellectual disability and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents are overrepresented in child removal but research has not explored the intersection of Aboriginality and intellectual disability in child protection.Methods: A case file review of 45 parents with intellectual disability (n = 14 Aboriginal and n = 31 non-Aboriginal) engaged in care proceedings in New South Wales was undertaken. Parent and child demographics and investigation triggers and outcomes were compared.Results: Aboriginal parents were significantly younger than non-Aboriginal parents at initiation of an investigation, twice as likely to be investigated due to concerns about parenting capacity, and more likely to have children removed than non-Aboriginal parents.Conclusion: The intersection of Aboriginality and intellectual disability appears to increase the risk of negative encounters with child protection systems. Targeted support for young Aboriginal parents and greater disability awareness and cultural sensitivity by child welfare workers are needed.

An Aboriginal community's perceptions and experiences of child neglect in a rural town

AbstractVery little is known about how Aboriginal parents experiencing vulnerabilities and communities perceive child neglect, despite Aboriginal families being highly overrepresented in the child protection system. This research investigates the perceptions and experiences of child neglect from Aboriginal parents and human services workers in a rural community. Research methods consisted of community forums and interviews with parents and workers. One community forum developed interview guides and vignettes, and the second discussed and interpreted findings. Between the two forums, in‐depth interviews were conducted with 18 Aboriginal parents and nine Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal workers. Overall Aboriginal parents perceived child neglect in a similar way to Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal workers. Violence and substance abuse were main risk factors for child neglect, and intergenerational trauma, racism and discrimination, and feeling powerless were prevalent in the community. The paper concludes that there are little differences in the way Aboriginal and non‐Aboriginal people understand child neglect. Instead it is the difficult circumstances experienced by Aboriginal families that keep parents from actualising their parenting expectations. The implications of these findings when working with Aboriginal families and communities are also discussed.

Peer-led Aboriginal parent support: Program development for vulnerable populations with participatory action research

Background: Participatory action research (PAR) is a credible, culturally appropriate methodology that can be used to effect collaborative change within vulnerable populations.Aim/objective: This PAR study was undertaken in a Western Australian metropolitan setting to develop and evaluate the suitability, feasibility and effectiveness of an Aboriginal peer-led home visiting programme. A secondary aim, addressed in this paper, was to explore and describe research methodology used for the study and provide recommendations for its implementation in other similar situations.Methods: PAR using action learning sets was employed to develop the parent support programme and data addressing the secondary, methodological aim were collected through focus groups using semi-structured and unstructured interview schedules. Findings were addressed throughout the action research process to enhance the research process.Results: The themes that emerged from the data and addressed the methodological aim were the need for safe communication processes; supportive engagement processes and supportive organisational processes.Conclusions: Aboriginal peer support workers (PSWs) and community support agencies identified three important elements central to their capacity to engage and work within the PAR methodology. This research has provided innovative data, highlighting processes and recommendations for child health nurses to engage with the PSWs, parents and community agencies to explore culturally acceptable elements for an empowering methodology for peer-led home visiting support. There is potential for this nursing research to credibly inform policy development for Aboriginal child and family health service delivery, in addition to other vulnerable population groups. Child health nurses/researchers can use these new understandings to work in partnership with Aboriginal communities and families to develop empowering and culturally acceptable strategies for developing Aboriginal parent support for the early years.Impact StatementChild health nurses and Aboriginal communities can collaborate through participatory action research to develop peer-led support for the early years.Indigenous Australian peoples are people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Respectfully, throughout this paper, they will be described as Aboriginal.

Barriers and Solutions: Direction for Organizations That Serve Native American Parents of Children in Special Education

Barriers and Solutions: Direction for Organizations That Serve Native American Parents of Children in Special Education

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: an Aboriginal perspective on diagnosis and intervention

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) arising from a Western health model has generated much global debate about its relevance in Indigenous communities. More importantly, it has raised questions concerning acceptance of its diagnosis and intervention, hence affecting early identification and treatment compliance. The current study explored an Aboriginal perspective of diagnosis and treatment compliance of ADHD in an Australian Aboriginal community. Using a qualitative approach, 27 participants aged between 22 and 52 years from a Western Australian metropolitan Aboriginal community comprising community members, Aboriginal mental health and education professionals, and Aboriginal parents of children with ADHD, were interviewed either individually or in groups. Participants identified differences in child rearing practices, expectation of child behaviour in school, higher tolerance of hyperactive behaviour within the Aboriginal community and lack of information about ADHD as the main reasons for parents not seeking medical help for the child. Participants also saw the changes in a child's behaviour after medication as a loss of identity/self and this was reported to be the main contributor to treatment non-compliance. Overall, most participants recognised the detrimental effect of having ADHD. However, the current diagnostic process and treatment are not culturally appropriate to assist the Aboriginal community to effectively manage this disorder in their children.

Vitamin D intake in children aged 0-4: A comparison of cultural and motivational beliefs between native and Islamic parents

Vitamin D is very important for children in order to strengthen bones and teeth and to prevent some types of cancer and both diabetes type I and II later in life. The Dutch Health Council therefore advices to provide children aged 0-4 with an additional 10 mcg of vitamin D on a daily basis, preferably via supplements. Great sources of vitamin D are sunlight, fatty fish, eggs and vitamin D fortified foods like infant milk and dairy for children. The importance of vitamin D is not only emphasized by The Dutch Health Council but also via child health centers and on the internet. The compliance, nevertheless, is not optimal, especially amongst Islamic children which results in an insufficient intake of vitamin D by two third of Islamic children. This study aimed at exploring religious and motivational beliefs regarding vitamin D intake. It was expected Islamic religion and a bad motivation to provide sufficient vitamin D would be important determinants of bad compliance. This thesis had an explorative-observational character and a qualitative research design was practiced. A semi-structured questionnaire was chosen to investigate the differences in beliefs. Ten native and five Islamic mothers participated in an individual interview. In order to structure the audio-taped interviews ‘free nodes’ were developed in the coding programme Nvivo. The ‘free nodes’ were based on the concepts of the theoretical framework. Examples of the ‘free nodes’ were ‘knowledge of advantages’, ‘severity of insufficient consumption’ and ‘religious beliefs’. The tree map retrieved from Nvivo showed the different beliefs per concept of the questionnaire and improved the comparison. Both groups had limited knowledge about the (natural) sources of vitamin D and most participants were not able to mention health benefits. Islamic participants used sunscreen less often than native participants did because of less fear of sunburn and skin cancer. Islamic participants indicated Islamic beliefs did not reject the provision of supplements, fortified foods or sunlight exposure to children. Both groups mentioned to provide their child(ren) with any kind of fortified food although some participants rejected the great amounts of sugar in dairy for children a preferred low-sugar dairy without added vitamin D. The main difference in beliefs regarding vitamin D intake between native and Islamic mothers is related to the high frequency of sunscreen and greater feelings of anxiety and guilt if child(ren) would be unprotected amongst the native mothers. Islamic beliefs could justify the consumption of supplements; fortified foods and exposure to sunlight in order produce vitamin D. The limited level of knowledge about the sources and effects of sufficient vitamin D intake could be a reason for improvement of the communication and information on vitamin D provided in a child health center. This investigation could be improved by a focus group interview in order to stimulate discussion and furthermore be complemented by a quantitative questionnaire to gain more information about the amounts and frequencies of vitamin D consumption and sunscreen use.

Challenges in maintaining a heritage language

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) is a home of the Igorots in the Northern Philippines. It is a place of cultural diversity. Such cultural diversity is the unique heritage languages spoken in the area. Accordingly, most of these heritage languages are facing some challenges. Thus, a qualitative phenomenological study was designed to explore the challenges in maintaining heritage language of 32 Cordilleran college students of Saint Louis University of the School of Teacher Education, Baguio City, Philippines. Purposive sampling was conducted prior to an interview proper. The respondents of this study were chosen according to the following criteria. The respondents must be born and raised in any of the provinces of CAR with both native parents from the Cordillera and whose first language is any of the following heritage languages: Kankanaey, Ibaloi, Itneg (Tinguian), Ifugao, Bontoc, Kalinga, Isneg, Iwak, Kalanguya, Ga'dang, Isnag, Applai, Bago, I-lagod, Balangao, Ikallahan, Karaw, Ilongot, Ibanag, Isinal, Itawis. An interview was carried out as a gathering tool to gather information coming from the respondents. Findings revealed that migration effect, code switching and linguistic discrimination are the challenges in maintaining heritage language of Cordilleran college students.

Oral Health in Young Australian Aboriginal Children: Qualitative Research on Parents' Perspectives.

Despite dedicated government funding, Aboriginal Australians, including children, experience more dental disease than other Australians, despite it being seen as mostly preventable. The ongoing legacy of colonization and discrimination against Aboriginal Australians persists, even in health services. Current neoliberal discourse often holds individuals responsible for the state of their health, rather than the structural factors beyond individual control. While presenting a balanced view of Aboriginal health is important and attests to Indigenous peoples' resilience when faced with persistent adversity, calling to account those structural factors affecting the ability of Aboriginal people to make favorable oral health choices is also important. A decolonizing approach informed by Indigenous methodologies and whiteness studies guides this article to explore the perceptions and experiences of Aboriginal parents ( N = 52) of young children, mainly mothers, in Perth, Western Australia, as they relate to the oral health. Two researchers, 1 Aboriginal and 1 non-Aboriginal, conducted 9 focus group discussions with 51 Aboriginal participants, as well as 1 interview with the remaining individual, and independently analyzed responses to identify themes underpinning barriers and enablers to oral health. These were compared, discussed, and revised under key themes and interpreted for meanings attributed to participants' perspectives. Findings indicated that oral health is important yet often compromised by structural factors, including policy and organizational practices that adversely preclude participants from making optimal oral health choices: limited education about prevention, prohibitive cost of services, intensive marketing of sugary products, and discrimination from health providers resulting in reluctance to attend services. Current government intentions center on Aboriginal-non-Aboriginal partnerships, access to flexible services, and health care that is free of racism and proactively seeks and welcomes Aboriginal people. The challenge is whether these good intentions are matched by policies and practices that translate into sustained improvements to oral health for Aboriginal Australians. Knowledge Transfer Statement: Slow progress in reducing persistent oral health disparities between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians calls for a new approach to this seemingly intractable problem. Findings from our qualitative research identified that structural factors-such as cost of services, little or no education on preventing oral disease, and discrimination by health providers-compromised Aboriginal people's optimum oral health choices and access to services. The results from this study can be used to recommend changes to policies and practices that promote rather than undermine Aboriginal health and well-being and involve Aboriginal people in decisions about their health care.

The emerging role of the urban-based aboriginal peer support worker: A Western Australian study

PurposeTo explore the self-perceived role of the Aboriginal peer support worker working with families with young children. This study was a component of a larger participatory action research study undertaken in a Western Australian metropolitan setting to develop and evaluate the suitability, feasibility and effectiveness of an Aboriginal peer-led home visiting program. MethodsFocus group interviews were carried out with peer support workers using unstructured and semi-structured interviews within Action Learning Sets. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. ResultsThe overarching theme on the self-perceived role of the Aboriginal peer support worker was Giving Parent Support, with subsidiary themes relating to development and ongoing sustainability of the support. DiscussionThe peer support workers viewed their role as providing parent support through enabling strategies which developed client acceptance and trust, delivered culturally relevant support, advocated for families, developed therapeutic engagement and communication strategies, and created safe home visiting practices. They recognised the importance of linking families with community support such as community child health nurses which was important for improving long term physical and psychosocial health outcomes for children. ConclusionAboriginal Peer Support Workers identified their emerging integral role in the development of this unique culturally acceptable home visitingsupport for Aboriginal parents. Innovative approaches towards client engagement demonstrated their value in developing creative ways of working in partnership with families, community support services and child health nurses across a range of challenging psychosocial environments.

The Mental Health Advantage of Immigrant‐Background Youth: The Role of Family Factors

AbstractChildren of immigrant background, despite problems with acculturation, poverty, and discrimination, have better mental health than children of native parents. We asked whether this is a result of immigrant families' characteristics such as family structure and relations. Using a new comparative study on the integration of immigrant‐background youth conducted in England, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden (N = 18,716), particularly strong associations with mental health (internalizing and externalizing problems) were found for family structure, family cohesion, and parental warmth. Overall, half of the advantage in internalizing and externalizing problems among immigrant‐background youth could be accounted for by our measures of family structure and family relations, with family cohesion being particularly important.

Early Parenting Education to Strengthen Aboriginal Parents in a Remote Area: The Development and Piloting of a Group Programme

In this article, the authors describe the development, piloting and evaluation of a parenting programme delivered to Aboriginal families of young children in remote NSW. The parenting programme was based on Parents as Teachers, an evidence-based early intervention and prevention home visiting programme that draws on child development theory, and was developed in collaboration with representatives from the local Aboriginal community. The impetus for the programme came from concern about the poor early learning and child wellbeing indicators in this community, pointing to the need for early parenting support that could be effectively delivered by trained Aboriginal workers in a remote area where early childhood resources were very limited. The sessions, implemented within a group setting, were structured and intensive. Six topics identified as being most important to parents of children aged from birth to 18 months, and six topics for parents of children aged from 18 months to 3 years were presented, with three sessions developed for each topic. An evaluation of the programme to date revealed that parent satisfaction with the programme was very high, as were reports of increased knowledge of child development and parenting skills, and increased connection with other families. Aboriginal staff valued the structured programme and resources that were developed. They reported increased knowledge of child development and how to run groups effectively, and observed positive changes in the participating families.

The heterogeneity of ethnic employment gaps

This paper investigates the heterogeneity of ethnic employment gaps using a new single-index based approach. Instead of stratifying our sample by age or education, we study ethnic employment gaps along a continuous measure of employability, the employment probability minority workers would have if their characteristics were priced as in the majority group. We apply this method to French males, comparing those whose parents are North African immigrants and those with native parents. We find that both the raw and the unexplained ethnic employment differentials are larger for low-employability workers than for high-employability ones. We show in a theoretical framework that this heterogeneity can be accounted for by homogeneous underlying mechanisms and is not evidence for, say, heterogeneous discrimination. Finally, we discuss our main empirical findings in the light of simple taste-based vs. statistical discrimination models.

Promoting immigrant parental involvement in culturally-diverse schools through a multiple perspectives approach

AbstractThe overarching purpose of this paper is to provide a number of important insights into immigrant parents’ school involvement in Cyprus. Therefore, it examines the perspectives of all actors involved in the school–family partnership – namely head-teachers, teachers, immigrant and native parents, and immigrant and native children – through a multiple perspectives approach. More specifically, this study aims to examine: (a) the ways in which immigrant parents’ school involvement has been defined and implemented by head-teachers, teachers, parents’ and children themselves; (b) the barriers to immigrant parents’ involvement in Cypriot schools; and (c) the implications for the development and implementation of practices which promote immigrant parents’ involvement in Cypriot schools. Last but not least, the study aims to indicate successful ways in which immigrant parents’ school involvement may take place.

Improving health service access and wellbeing of young Aboriginal parents in an urban setting: mixed methods evaluation of an arts‐based program

ObjectivesTo evaluate an urban art‐based community health program (Ngala Nanga Mai; We Dream) that seeks to improve health, education, empowerment and connectedness of Aboriginal parents by describing paediatric health service attendance, maternal educational engagement, participant growth and empowerment, and worker and participant experiences. MethodsMixed methods were used. Qualitative data was collected through interviews and focus groups. Demographics, health service use and child health status were extracted from clinical records. Psycho‐social empowerment and wellbeing was measured using the Growth and Empowerment Measure (GEM). A Critical Effectiveness Factor framework that measures factors necessary for success, effectiveness and sustainability was used to assess program quality. ResultsBetween 2009 and 2012, 92 Aboriginal parents participated. A total of 93.5% of regular participants engaged their children at least once with paediatric health services and 27.1% undertook further education. Empowerment scores significantly improved, despite little change in psychological distress. The program operationalised all 10 Critical Effectiveness Factors for youth wellbeing. ConclusionsNgala Nanga Mai creates an environment of social connectedness, strengthened parenting, maternal and child wellbeing and empowerment. It supports increased utilisation of health, education and support services, and early detection of treatable child health issues. ImplicationsImproving the health of Aboriginal children requires new strategies and learning from innovative programs. Solid baseline data, long‐term follow‐up data and meaningful health outcome data are critical to improving services and health outcomes at the program level. Ultimately, long‐term commitment to adequate resourcing is needed in order to deliver broader improvement of child health outcomes.

Teacher/Family Partnerships for Student Learning: Lessons from Indian Education for All in Montana

The article reports learning outcomes from a program aimed at creating partnerships among middle-school teachers and Native families in a western Montana urban school district involved in implementing the Indian Education for All Act. Student-learning outcomes are analyzed according to attendance in classes taught by teachers divided into three groups based on the extent to which their teacher participated in the program intervention. Six hundred fifteen students that could be matched for program-influenced learning completed preprogram and postprogram surveys conducted in 30 classes. Study findings indicate that the innovative parent-teacher partnership program had a varied impact in terms of net shifts in student knowledge and attitudes. Parent-teacher partnership initiatives are more likely to generate positive attitudinal outcomes than they are to produce content-based knowledge gains. These findings suggest that extensive involvement of Native parents in curricular partnerships with teachers can improve both Indian and non-Indian students' attitudes toward cultural others and Indian students' self-image and attitudes toward public school.

Nistawatsiman1: Rethinking Assessment of Aboriginal Parents for Child Welfare Following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission report has challenged Canada to alter the relationship with Aboriginal peoples across the country. They have specifically identified child protection as one area that requires a significant reconsideration around how agencies charged with this responsibility interact with Aboriginal people both on and off reserves. The legacy of Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop and other policies of assimilation and cultural genocide are found in a number of existing social policy and practices, including child protection. This work examines the depth of change that will be needed in child protection methodologies by challenging the current assessment practice which seeks to determine, from a Western child-rearing perspective, if parents are ‘good enough’ to raise their children. The project shows the depth of disparities between present and historical practices and Aboriginal culture, using reference to the Blackfoot Confederacy in southern Alberta. The project draws upon a broad literature review as well as an expert consultation with six traditional Blackfoot Elders.

Teacher/Family Partnerships for Student Learning: Lessons from <em>Indian Education for All</em> in Montana

The article reports learning outcomes from a program aimed at creating partnerships among middleschool teachers and Native families in a western Montana urban school district involved in implementing the Indian Education for All Act. Studentlearning outcomes are analyzed according to attendance in classes taught by teachers divided into three groups based on the extent to which their teacher parti cipated in the program intervention. Six hundred fifteen students that could be matched for programinfluenced learning completed preprogram and postprogram surveys conducted in 30 classes. Study findings indicate that the innovative parentteacher partnership program had a varied impact in terms of net shifts in student knowledge and attitudes. Parentteacher partnership initiatives are more likely to generate positive attitudinal outcomes than they are to produce contentbased knowledge gains. These findings suggest that extensive involvement of Native parents in curricular partnerships with teachers can improve both Indian and nonIndian students’ attitudes toward cultural others and Indian students’ selfimage and attitudes toward public school.

Orthodontic treatment need of adolescents in the island community of Haida Gwaii, Canada

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need according to the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need (ICON) among schoolchildren of the island community of Haida Gwaii in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Two elementary and two high schools in Haida Gwaii were approached for census sampling. Out of 535 schoolchildren, 215 (90 boys and 125 girls) agreed to participate (40.2% response) in this cross-sectional epidemiological study. A trained examiner assessed orthodontic treatment need in children employing the ICON score and the ICON complexity grade. The mean age (N = 215) was 12.9 ± 2.8 years. Of the examined schoolchildren, 67% had Aboriginal ancestry (at least one Aboriginal parent). The mean ICON score (N = 215) was 43.5 ± 26.2. There were no statistically significant differences in ICON scores for gender (t test, p = 0.207), ethnicity (t tests: paternal ethnicity, p = 0.886 and maternal ethnicity, p = 0.389), or school (ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni adjustment, p = 0.317). Overall, 43.7% of the surveyed Haida Gwaii adolescents needed orthodontic treatment (ICON > 43). Based on the ICON complexity grade, 31% of the schoolchildren had moderate to very difficult malocclusions; therefore, specialty orthodontic services are recommended in this remote community.

Use of prescription stimulant for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Aboriginal children and adolescents: a linked data cohort study

BackgroundIncreasing recognition of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among Aboriginal children, adolescents and young adults is a public health challenge. We investigated the pattern of prescription stimulants for ADHD among Aboriginal individuals in Western Australia (WA).MethodsUsing a whole-population-based linked data we followed a cohort of individuals born in WA from 1980–2005, and their parents were born in Australia, to identify stimulant prescription for ADHD derived from statutory WA stimulant prescription dispensing between 2003 and 2007. Parental link was ascertained through WA Family Connections Genealogical Linkage System. Cox proportional hazards regression (HR) models were performed to determine the association between stimulant use and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal status.ResultsOf the total cohort of 186,468, around 2 % (n = 3677) had prescription stimulants for ADHD. Individuals with both Aboriginal parents were two-thirds (HR 0.33, 95 % CI 0.26–0.42), and with only Aboriginal mother were one-third (HR 0.69, 95 % CI 0.53–0.90) less likely to have stimulants, compared to individuals with non-Aboriginal parents. HR in Aboriginals was 62 % lower (HR 0.35, 95 % CI 0.25–0.49) in metropolitan areas, and 72 % lower (HR 0.28, 95 % CI 0.20–0.38) in non-metropolitan areas, than non-Aboriginals. The risk for simulant use was four times higher among Aboriginal boys than Aboriginal girls (HR 4.08, 95 % CI, 2.92–5.69).ConclusionAboriginal cultural understanding of ADHD and attitude towards stimulant medication serve as a determinant of their access to health services. Any ADHD intervention and policy framework must take into account a holistic approach to Aboriginal culture, beliefs and individual experience to provide optimal care they need.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40360-015-0035-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

“Is it Merit or Cultural Capital?” The role of parents during early tracking in Amsterdam and Strasbourg among descendants of immigrants from Turkey

Streaming into educational tracks forms a turning point in the school careers of young people living in the Netherlands and in France. Yet the two countries differ from each other with regards to tracking conditions they provide. This is especially reflected in the experiences of descendants of immigrants from Turkey who access vocational education in higher numbers compared to the children of native parents but also to a greater extent in the Netherlands than in France. While streaming decisions are usually based on meritocratic selection, the current study aims to understand the role of the parents with regard to the tracking decision. Using qualitative interviews with descendants of Turkish immigrants in Amsterdam and Strasbourg, the study shows how the differential role played by parents, during the streaming shapes the tracking outcome of the young people.