Socioeconomic and health outcomes among Indigenous adults who were under the legal responsibility of the government as children
Press Releases
In 2018, 11% of Indigenous people aged 15 years and older reported having been under the legal responsibility of the government during childhood, such as being in foster care, a group home under child protection or child welfare services, an orphanage, a residential school for Indigenous children or under the custody of a youth justice facility or group home. This is a significantly higher proportion than their non-Indigenous counterparts (2%).
Specifically, in 2018, 16% of First Nations people, 9% of Inuit and 6% of Métis reported having been under the legal responsibility of the government during childhood. There was little variation across age groups, suggesting that despite the closure of residential schools and the end of the Sixties Scoop (in which many children were removed from their families and placed predominantly in non-Indigenous homes), the disparity in the percentage of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children under government responsibility has persisted over time.
Chart 1
Percentage of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people aged 15 years and older who were under the legal responsibility of government as a child, by age group, Canada, 2018
Childhood family separation through government intervention has been linked to adverse health and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. This is particularly concerning for Indigenous populations given the legacy of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop, as well as the ongoing over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in child welfare and youth justice systems.
A new study, titled “Socioeconomic and health outcomes among Indigenous people aged 15 years and older who were under the legal responsibility of the government as children,” examines the associations between childhood experiences of being under government care and various socioeconomic and health indicators in adulthood, highlighting differences across Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations.
While the study sheds light on disparities, it should not be interpreted as providing evidence of a causal relationship between government care and adverse socioeconomic outcomes (see Note to readers for details).
Indigenous people with a history of government care during childhood are less likely to report having excellent or very good health compared with Indigenous people without such a history
In 2018, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people who had been under government responsibility as children were less likely to report their health as being excellent or very good compared with their counterparts who had not. This disparity was more pronounced among Indigenous people. Specifically, the difference between the percentage of respondents reporting excellent or very good health among Indigenous people who had been under government responsibility as children (24%) and who had not (46%) was 22 percentage points. Meanwhile, the difference between non-Indigenous people who had been under government responsibility as children (46%) and who had not (59%) was 13 percentage points.
Chart 2
Percentage of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people aged 15 years and older reporting excellent or very good health, by experience of ever being under the legal responsibility of government as a child, Canada, 2018
Experiences of homelessness are more prevalent among Indigenous people who were under government responsibility during childhood
In 2018, the percentage of Indigenous people aged 15 years and older who reported having past experiences of homelessness was nearly four times higher for those who had been under government responsibility as children (26%) compared with those who had not (7%).
A similar disparity was observed among non-Indigenous people in 2018. However, their prevalence of experiencing homelessness was lower than that of Indigenous people, both for those with a history of being under government care (16%) and those without (2%).
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Note to readers
This study was a collaboration with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples, conducted as part of the Transformational Approach to Indigenous Data, aimed at enhancing Indigenous data capacity and increasing the visibility of Indigenous People in Canada’s national statistics.
The analysis in this study explores an association between childhood government care and adverse outcomes, but it does not establish a causal relationship. Due to data limitations, it was not possible to account for other potential factors, such as the duration of care, the reasons for being in government care or the socioeconomic circumstances at the time.
Data source
The survey used for this study was the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS), which was administered from April to December 2018. The SSPPS is a voluntary survey, which collects information on Canadians’ experiences related to their safety in public and private spaces.
The target population for the 2018 SSPPS is all non-institutionalized persons 15 years of age and older living in the provinces or territories of Canada. The SSPPS uses a frame that combines landline and cellular telephone numbers from administrative sources with Statistics Canada’s dwelling frame. As a result, it is possible that some respondents were living on reserve at the time of data collection.
Concepts
Legal responsibility of the government: Survey respondents were asked, “As a child, were you ever under the legal responsibility of the government?” The examples provided included foster care, group home under child protection or child welfare services, orphanage, residential school for Indigenous children, under the custody of a youth justice facility or group home. It is important to note that the survey did not ask respondents to specify the situation or the duration of care.
Homelessness: For this study, individuals with an experience of homelessness include only respondents who answered “yes” to the question, “Have you ever been homeless; that is, having to live in a shelter, on the street, or in an abandoned building?” The examples provided included living in homeless shelters or in other locations not intended for human habitation such as cars, laneways and sidewalks.
Products
The publication “Socioeconomic and health outcomes among Indigenous people aged 15 years and older who were under the legal responsibility of the government as children” is now available as part of the Indigenous Peoples Thematic Series (41200002).
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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