OISE researchers shed light on the experiences of caregivers in Nunavut's family service system, makes recommendations
Researchers at OISE and the Umingmak Centre have released a report that provides insights into the experiences of caregivers of children involved in Family Services in Iqaluit, Nunavut, as well as recommendations for improving service delivery and quality of care.
In Nunavut, caregivers involved in Family Services face unique challenges and a lack of support while navigating child protection processes. For Inuit caregivers, this is exacerbated by the experience of intergenerational trauma, anti-Inuit racism, and the complex history of Family Services and law enforcement complicity in settler colonization across Inuit Nunangat (the Inuit homeland).
In response to these issues, the Umingmak Centre opened in Iqaluit in 2019 to provide trauma-informed, culturally safe care for children and families involved in Family Services due to abuse. A critical gap soon emerged: while caregivers sought services for children, they rarely sought support for themselves, despite the distress that child welfare processes may cause — especially for those facing intergenerational trauma, racism or a lack of cultural safety.
To better understand the needs of caregivers and enhance child advocacy, the Umingmak Centre partnered with the Critical Health and Social Action Lab (CHSA Lab) at OISE, an Indigenous-led research center focused on advancing health justice through community partnerships.
Between October 2022 and July 2023, the team, co-led by Romani Makkik and Jeffrey Ansloos, conducted 30 interviews with Inuit and settler caregivers who had interacted with the Umingmak Centre, as well as Inuit and settler service providers.
The study is one of the first to directly engage caregivers in Nunavut, and the findings centre their voices, desires, and priorities, says Ansloos, an Associate Professor of Indigenous Health and Social Policy in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development and Director of the CHSA Lab.
The report is available in English and Inuktitut.
The study uncovered broader systemic challenges in Nunavut’s child welfare system, including a lack of understanding of Inuit culture, difficulties in information sharing, resource insecurities, and institutional barriers. However, respondents experienced these challenges differently depending on their backgrounds, including race and socioeconomic status.
For instance, while both Inuit and settler caregivers experienced isolation and challenges advocating for children in their care, settler caregivers often described these issues as leading to burnout and exhaustion. In contrast, Inuit caregivers viewed these experiences as part of ongoing settler colonialism and intergenerational trauma.
The report’s findings underscore a critical need for significant reforms in child welfare, highlighting the importance of respectful engagement with Inuit communities and the equitable provision of resources that acknowledge and address historical and ongoing systemic injustices.
To this end, Ansloos says that the most critical lessons from this project were about communication and power.
“Families thrive when they receive meaningful information in a culturally safe, timely, and respectful manner. Achieving this requires a fundamental shift in power dynamics and a focus on relational accountability in service delivery, leadership, and research.
“While much work remains to improve child advocacy in Nunavut, Inuit leadership and strong support for Inuit families must be central. This is why Umingmak’s work is so important,” he said.
Challenging power dynamics in research
A challenging aspect of the project was ensuring that while studying institutional harm and finding ways to address it, the researchers did not replicate that same harm through their methods, says Cara Samuel, OISE doctoral candidate and project coordinator for the study.
The team used a collaborative story analysis method for interpreting the interviews. Guided by the principles of Unikkaaqatigiinniq (storytelling) and Iqqaumaqatigiinniq (all knowledge coming into one), the team analyzed interviews in their entirety to preserve the integrity of each individual’s story.
“Often, how we approach research inadvertently reinforces inequitable power dynamics that prioritize Western or Southern knowledge,” says Samuel. “We wanted to elevate Inuit Qauijimajatuqangit (Inuit knowledge) and cultural resources in our research paradigm and centre lived experience.”
Community leadership and partnership
The CHSA Lab’s emphasis on community partnership ensured genuine collaboration and shared decision-making at every project stage. “We were partners, which means equity in leadership and shared responsibilities for the work and its outcomes,” said Samuel.
“Research is only powerful when led by the community it serves, and we were fortunate to work with dedicated partners in Nunavut committed to justice for Inuit families,” says Ansloos. “Our team worked hard to engage a wide range of people, but Umingmak's research leadership, Romani Makkik, and her long-standing relationships and trusted work in the community made our deeper engagement with Inuit caregivers possible,” said Ansloos.
Makkik, senior researcher at the Umingmak Centre, says that the report will play a crucial role in improving Umingmak’s services and shaping future programs.
Looking ahead, the Umingmak Centre hopes to strengthen its partnerships with government services and community organizations to improve services for children and caregivers across Nunavut more broadly.
“Improving caregiver relationships with services could lead to more community members offering to become caregivers, reducing the number of children leaving the territory into the foster care system," said Makkik.