Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study
Abstract Background Parental contact with child protective services (CPS) has been linked to deteriorating health among parents. Capturing rates of CPS contact among parents is therefore important for understanding inequities in exposure and their potential role in amplifying racial inequities in he...
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2025-04-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21813-5 |
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| author | Kathleen S. Kenny Elizabeth Wall-Wieler Kayla Frank Lindey Courchene Mary Burton Michael Champagne Marlyn Bennett Cathy Rocke Marni Brownell Marcelo L. Urquia |
| author_facet | Kathleen S. Kenny Elizabeth Wall-Wieler Kayla Frank Lindey Courchene Mary Burton Michael Champagne Marlyn Bennett Cathy Rocke Marni Brownell Marcelo L. Urquia |
| author_sort | Kathleen S. Kenny |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Parental contact with child protective services (CPS) has been linked to deteriorating health among parents. Capturing rates of CPS contact among parents is therefore important for understanding inequities in exposure and their potential role in amplifying racial inequities in health and wellbeing. Though an extensive body of research in North America has provided population-level analyses of CPS contact among children, a disproportionate percentage of whom are Indigenous, no studies to date have extrapolated estimates to account for contact in parent populations, leading to a fragmented view of the system’s reach and impact beyond the child-level. In order to advance health equity-oriented research in this domain, our study calculated previously unexplored population-level estimates of CPS contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents. Methods We used whole-population linked data from Manitoba (Canada) to identify 119,883 birthing parents (13,171 First Nations; 106,712 non-First Nations) who had their first child between 1998 and 2019. We calculated prevalence rates, rate differences, and rate ratios of parental contact with different levels of CPS by First Nations status (categorization used in Canada for Indigenous peoples who are members of a First Nation), including ever had an open CPS file for child(ren), ever had out-of-home placement of child(ren), and ever had termination of parental rights (TPR). Results Overall, 49.6% of First Nations parents had a CPS file open for their child(ren) (vs. 13.1% among non-First Nations parents), 27.4% had out-of-home placement of their child(ren) (vs. 4.7% among non-First Nations parents), and 9.6% experienced TPR (vs. 1.8% among non-First Nations parents). Conclusions CPS contact was high among parents and prevalence was almost 4 times higher among First Nations parents, where 1 out of 2 were intervened upon by CPS. Findings reinforce significant concerns about the system’s scope and the crucial importance of considering its role in compounding health inequities and sustaining colonialism in Canada. First Nations-led interventions are needed to reduce CPS disruption to the lives of First Nations peoples. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3610ed863c8542209cc7991f552330d8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
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| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-3610ed863c8542209cc7991f552330d82025-08-20T03:42:07ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-04-0125111010.1186/s12889-025-21813-5Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based studyKathleen S. Kenny0Elizabeth Wall-Wieler1Kayla Frank2Lindey Courchene3Mary Burton4Michael Champagne5Marlyn Bennett6Cathy Rocke7Marni Brownell8Marcelo L. Urquia9Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of ManitobaManitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of ManitobaFirst Nations Family Advocate OfficeFirst Nations Family Advocate OfficeZoongizi OdeZoongizi OdeFaculty of Social Work, University of CalgaryFaculty of Social Work, University of ReginaManitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of ManitobaManitoba Centre for Health Policy, University of ManitobaAbstract Background Parental contact with child protective services (CPS) has been linked to deteriorating health among parents. Capturing rates of CPS contact among parents is therefore important for understanding inequities in exposure and their potential role in amplifying racial inequities in health and wellbeing. Though an extensive body of research in North America has provided population-level analyses of CPS contact among children, a disproportionate percentage of whom are Indigenous, no studies to date have extrapolated estimates to account for contact in parent populations, leading to a fragmented view of the system’s reach and impact beyond the child-level. In order to advance health equity-oriented research in this domain, our study calculated previously unexplored population-level estimates of CPS contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents. Methods We used whole-population linked data from Manitoba (Canada) to identify 119,883 birthing parents (13,171 First Nations; 106,712 non-First Nations) who had their first child between 1998 and 2019. We calculated prevalence rates, rate differences, and rate ratios of parental contact with different levels of CPS by First Nations status (categorization used in Canada for Indigenous peoples who are members of a First Nation), including ever had an open CPS file for child(ren), ever had out-of-home placement of child(ren), and ever had termination of parental rights (TPR). Results Overall, 49.6% of First Nations parents had a CPS file open for their child(ren) (vs. 13.1% among non-First Nations parents), 27.4% had out-of-home placement of their child(ren) (vs. 4.7% among non-First Nations parents), and 9.6% experienced TPR (vs. 1.8% among non-First Nations parents). Conclusions CPS contact was high among parents and prevalence was almost 4 times higher among First Nations parents, where 1 out of 2 were intervened upon by CPS. Findings reinforce significant concerns about the system’s scope and the crucial importance of considering its role in compounding health inequities and sustaining colonialism in Canada. First Nations-led interventions are needed to reduce CPS disruption to the lives of First Nations peoples.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21813-5First NationsIndigenousChild protective servicesChild welfareParentsMothers |
| spellingShingle | Kathleen S. Kenny Elizabeth Wall-Wieler Kayla Frank Lindey Courchene Mary Burton Michael Champagne Marlyn Bennett Cathy Rocke Marni Brownell Marcelo L. Urquia Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study BMC Public Health First Nations Indigenous Child protective services Child welfare Parents Mothers |
| title | Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study |
| title_full | Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study |
| title_fullStr | Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study |
| title_short | Inequities in child protective services contact among First Nations and non-First Nations parents in one Canadian province: a retrospective population-based study |
| title_sort | inequities in child protective services contact among first nations and non first nations parents in one canadian province a retrospective population based study |
| topic | First Nations Indigenous Child protective services Child welfare Parents Mothers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21813-5 |
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