Sixties Scoop: Period between the 1960s and 1980s when tens of thousands of Indigenous children were taken from their families and placed into the child welfare system in Canada.
The practice predates the Sixties Scoop, beginning with the residential school system, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children.
A bureaucrat referred to it as solving Canada's "Indian problem".
Origin of the Term
Coined by a BC social worker who described her experience as "scooping" children from their parents' arms.
Decision-Making in Child Welfare
Decisions often made by non-Indigenous social workers unfamiliar with Indigenous cultures and family structures.
Challenges like poverty were frequently seen as justification for removing children.
Many parents had previously attended residential schools and were experiencing trauma, leading to requests for help from social services.
Statistics and Trends
In BC:
First Nations children in foster care:
Early 1950s: <1%
1960s: 34%
Similar trends observed across other provinces.
Programs: Some governments created plans to facilitate Indigenous child adoptions, like the Saskatchewan AIM Program, which advertised children widely.
Most adopted children went to white families in Canada, the United States, and even New Zealand.
Outcomes of Adoption
Many adoptions were unsuccessful:
One-fifth of Indigenous adoptions broke down by age 15.
Half broke down by age 17.
Acknowledgment of Harm
By the 1980s, the government began examining the negative impacts of the Sixties Scoop:
1985 Report by Manitoba judge: noted cultural genocide occurring systematically.
Long-Term Effects
Ongoing trauma and harm still affect families and communities:
Survivors report experiences of abuse while in care.
Struggles with issues of trauma, loss of family and identity, loss of language and culture, and loss of history.
Difficulty in locating biological families.
Government Response
Compensation has been agreed upon for survivors, but it is not comprehensive.
Despite the end of the Sixties Scoop, removal of Indigenous children continues today, with more than half of children in care in Canada being Indigenous.