Inuit-led child service project reaches major milestone in Nunavik

A project that aims to create Inuit-led child services in Nunavik has taken a step forward by signing an agreement with other institutions in the region. 

Signatories include Makivvik and the Nunavik Regional Health and Social Services Board. The two regional health centres also participated in the agreement, namely the Ungava Tulattavik Health Centre in Kuujjuaq, and the Inuulitsivik Health Centre. 

The project, called Nunavimmi Ilagiit Papatauvinga, would gradually adapt youth protection services to Inuit culture. 

"We must take back what has been taken from us: the ability to care for our children without fear that our children will be taken from their communities and lose their culture and language," Makivvik president Piita Aatami said in a statement. 

A long-term project 

Mina Beaulne, executive director of Nunavimmi Ilagiit Papatauvinga, said she's excited about the progress made by the project, which was first launched in 2017. 

"It's like a promise that we will work together to make it happen," she said. 

After working for the province's director of youth protection for 13 years, she said she understands the gap between Inuit values and the government's services. 

"I didn't like what I was doing. So I knew it was a system that doesn't work for Inuit," she said. 

The project aims to progressively take over some aspects of the youth protection department, including managing foster families. 

The heart of the project, however, lies in the implementation of new upstream services for families, which will prevent the removal of children from their environment.

"We are not an alternative to the [director of youth protection]. We are building the continuum of services in each community to make sure that nothing falls in the cracks because there have been so many people falling into cracks," Beaulne said. 

Among its prevention services are family counselling sessions. These meetings will involve the families in managing crisis situations. 

In more difficult cases, an elders' council, consisting of community members with wisdom and experience to resolve family situations, will be used. 

It's a way of doing things that's closer to Inuit culture, rather than involving the province, including workers who generally aren't from the region. 

"That was mentioned so many times by elders, that it used to be the community elders that used to meet the parents whenever there was problems," Beaulne said. 

The program doesn't want to take over the work of the department entirely — some situations of serious neglect and physical abuse require state intervention, Beaulne said. 

"We know there will still be children that will need to be placed long term. But to make sure the long-term placement of those children is closely followed, to make sure that the child doesn't lose the language, the culture, and stay connected to families and to the community."

Building services 

The project is currently expanding, with more people being hired to be part of it. 

It will launch its first tests in Inukjuak by the fall, as part of a pilot project called Pigiarviliutik.

"The next step will be to go back to the community and to build the continuum of service with the service providers and then training components," Beaulne said. 

It's the first step in gradually building up services in 14 communities in Nunavik by 2030. 

The Inukjuak project will be a way to prove how effective these services are, before sitting down with the province to negotiate the sharing of responsibilities with the department, Beaulne said.