This article argues that the Saskatchewan child welfare system is providing fragmented, inconsistent, and insufficient support to Aboriginal Grandmothers caring for grandchildren. This article is based on a Participatory Action Research project grounded in Indigenous epistemologies, which involved Aboriginal Grandmothers caring for grandchildren. Traditionally, child rearing was an expected and well-supported role of Aboriginal Grandmothers. Today the situation is very different. The Aboriginal Grandmothers involved in this project are carrying the responsibility rearing their grandchildren because the parents’ cannot. As a result of colonial policies and practices, in particular the Residential School policy and the ““Sixties Scoop”,” many Aboriginal families are facing situations of crisis and ill health, such as drug or alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, and incarceration. Further, these Aboriginal Grandmothers are not provided with sufficient and consistent financial support from the child welfare system. Community services and supports for Aboriginal Grandmothers are also lacking and those available are often difficult to access. Also, many Grandmothers expressed fear and distrust of the child welfare system and some related experiences where they felt judged or bullied. On November 9th of 2009, the Saskatchewan government announced that they would be conducting an extensive review of the province’s child welfare system. As a part of this review, the Grandmothers caring for grandchildren Support Network took their concerns to the committee. While the report has not been released to the public yet, we hope that this report will lead to policies that better support Aboriginal Grandmothers so that they and their children can access what they need to live a healthy life.
Journal