Collectively Caring for Indigenous Children & Youth
The Need
Identify challenges and solutions in accessing existing services within the kids come first network that Indigenous community members have identified as a significant challenge.
What We Did
We identified three main areas where community members have faced challenges; a) mental health assessments/services, b) assessments around development needs and supports, and c) pediatric dental surgery (particularly for Inuit children). We will be hearing the stories of 30 families, discussing the challenges and strengths in order to address and reduce future barriers for Indigenous families within the healthcare system.
We aim to help Indigenous families get the health care they need by listening to our community’s stories and changing system related barriers so Indigenous children can have healthier lives.
Interested in Participating?
If you have faced challenges in your family in one or more of the below areas, we would like you to be part of the project.
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Mental health assessments/services
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Assessments around development needs and supports, and/or
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Pediatric dental surgery (particularly for Inuit children).
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Other criteria for our project to be a good fit for your family;
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Identify as Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit or Métis) and you;
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Have at least one child (ages newborn to 17) that experienced one of the above listed challenges in the health care system;
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Have a connection with an OAC organisation, and
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Agree to one to two interviews
If you are interested in joining us for this project or if you have any additional questions, please email info@ottawaaboriginalcoalition.ca or call 613-914-9256.
Community Posters
About the Project
What We Did
We identified three main areas where community members have faced challenges; a) mental health assessments/services, b) assessments around development needs and supports, and c) pediatric dental surgery (particularly for Inuit children). We are still hearing the stories of 30 families, discussing the challenges and strengths in order to address and reduce future barriers for Indigenous families within the healthcare system.
Partnerships
We have built a relationship with the Kids Come First Network, including CHEO, to identify challenges and solutions Indigenous families face while accessing healthcare. We will be working through these barriers with our partners to make accessing healthcare easier for Indigenous children and their families.
Where We Are Now
We are currently doing interviews with families, hearing their stories about challenges in accessing healthcare for their children in healthcare, and applying what we have learned in real time. We are still accepting more families for this project. Click below for more information about participating in this project.
Initiatives
We will be working through barriers based on what we learn from our community’s stories and applying them in real time.
