| During the early 1970s devolution was introduced by the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs as a means to provide First Nations control over their own programs and social services. In spite of First Nations mistrust of government's motives, they have tried to use devolution as a way to assert their inherent right to self-determination with mixed results. The literature also suggests or cautions that the policy has the potential to assimilate First Nations into the structure and culture of dominant society. In view of First Nations skepticism and unfavourable critical responses, I constructed a qualitative case study to examine the use of the devolution policy in the development of First Nations child welfare in southern Manitoba across two different historical time frames. The first time frame, 1979-2006, focused on the establishment of Dakota Ojibway Child and Family Services (DOCFS); and, the second time frame, 2000-2006, focused on the establishment of the First Nations of Southern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority (Southern Authority). The purpose was to determine if there were any differences in how the devolution policy was experienced by First Nations across the two time frames. Interview data supported a view that two well-meaning parties, government officials and First Nations, established a trust relationship that enabled them to work on improving the child and family services system in Manitoba. First Nations participated significantly in the decision-making, assumed greater autonomy to make decisions, integrated cultural traditions into the negotiation process, and emphasized a greater consciousness of First Nations self-determination within the child and family services system. The process fell short of complete autonomy; however these findings suggest that the policy relationship between First Nations and government officials begins to reflect conditional autonomy. The development within First Nations child and family services in southern Manitoba was and continues to be a work in progress. As First Nations proceed toward full autonomy, there must be continued vigilance in the analysis of government policy and cautious optimism.;Key words: First Nations child welfare, Aboriginal child welfare, child welfare, devolution, self-determination, First Nations self-determination, conditional autonomy. |
