September 21, 2005 Source: University of Toronto:
http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin6/050921-1648.asp When Grandma becomes Mama: Resilient First Nations elders rear grandchildren Skipped-generation households reflect disproportionate burden of ill health and poverty Sep 21/05 by Elaine Smith (about) (email) A disproportionate number of First Nations grandparents are raising their grandchildren, says a University of Toronto researcher. Although First Nations individuals comprise only 2.8 per cent of Canada’s total population, more than 17 per cent of Canadian grandparents raising their grandchildren alone are of First Nations descent, says social work professor Esme Fuller-Thomson. In a study published in a recent issue of the International Journal of Aging & Human Development, Fuller-Thomson used 1996 Canadian census data to explore the challenges faced by these surrogate parents. She found that aboriginal grandparents who were caregivers differed markedly from their non-aboriginal counterparts. They were more likely to be female, less likely to be married and less likely to be employed. They were also less likely to have completed high school. Many First Nations grandparents were responsible for raising more than one grandchild. Two out of every five such households had an income of less than $15,000. “These findings are partially a function of the disproportionate burden of ill health, unemployment and poverty which afflict First Nations communities,” Fuller-Thomson says. “However, skipped-generation households appear to be further disadvantaged, with an average household income $2,000 lower than that of all First Nations households in Canada.” Fuller-Thomson says that Canada, as a nation, is committed to having its First Nations children grow up with an awareness of their past and elders who serve as surrogate parents to their grandchildren are helping fulfil such a need. “They are doing a heroic task with very limited resources and my hope is that child welfare agencies and the government will become aware of how important grandparents are as a first line of defence for vulnerable children,” she says. “We must provide them with sufficient resources to do the job.” Contact: Esme Fuller-Thomson, Faculty of Social Work, 416-978-3269; e-mail:esme.fuller.thomson@utoronto.ca
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