First Nations Self Government Of Social Services

This volume addresses the contentious and topical issue of aboriginal self-government over child welfare. Using case studies from Australia and Canada, it discusses aboriginal child welfare in historical and comparative perspectives and critically examines recent legal reforms and changes in the design, management and delivery of child welfare services aimed at securing the 'decolonization' of aboriginal children and families. Within this context, the author identifies the limitations of reconciling the conflicting demands of self-determination and sovereignty and suggests that international law can provide more nuanced and culturally sensitive solutions. Referring to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it is argued that the effective decolonization of aboriginal child welfare requires a journey well beyond the single issue of child welfare to the heart of the debate over self-government, self-determination and sovereignty in both national and international law.

In many areas of the world, there has been an earlier indigenous population, which has been conquered by a more recent population group. In Social Welfare with Indigenous Peoples, the editors and contributors examine the treatment of many indigenous populations from five continental areas: Africa (Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe); Australasia, New Zealand; Central and South America (Brazil, Mexico); Europe (Scandinavia, Spain) and North America. They found that, regardless of whether the newer immigrants became the majority population, as in North America, or the minority population, such as in Africa, there were many similarities in how the indigenous peoples were treated and in their current situations. This treatment is examined from many perspectives: political subjugation; negligence; shifting focus of social policy; social and legal discrimination; provision of social services; and ethnic, cultural and political rejuvenation.

"Building on the success of the first two editions, this volume briefly recaps the historical development and public acceptance of the concept of Aboriginal self-government, then proceeds to examine its theoretical underpinnings, the state of Aboriginal self-government in Canada today, and the many practical issues surrounding implementation. Topics addressed include: justice innovations, initiatives in health and education to grant greater Aboriginal control, financing and intergovernmental relations, Aboriginal-municipal government relations, developing effective Aboriginal leadership, Métis self government aspirations, the intersection of women's rights and self-government, and international perspectives. Various self-government arrangements already in existence are examined including the establishment of Nunavut, the James Bay Agreement, Treaty Land Entitlement settlements, the Alberta Métis settlements, and many other land claims settlements that have granted Aboriginal communities greater control over their affairs."--Pub. website.