Child Welfare: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice

28. Children with Disabilities in Care in Manitoba

28 Children with Disabilities in Care in Manitoba Don Fuchs Children with disabilities are overrepresented in the child and family service system, and there is increasing concern about their growing numbers in care (Fudge Schormans & Brown, 2006). Because of additional risk factors associated with disability, these already vulnerable children have a greater potential than other children for requiring the support or protection of a child welfare agency. In Manitoba, it has been shown that one-third of children in care fall within a broad definition of disability (Fuchs, Burnside, Marchenski, & Mudry, 2005). This chapter presents some of the major results to date from a program of research which was focused on children with disabilities in care of the child welfare system in Manitoba. The program of research was initiated in 2005 to examine the profiles of the children with disabilities, and continues to examine issues such as pathways in care, transitioning out of care, and the economic impact of children in care with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Although the general research program covers all children in care with disabilities , this chapter focuses more specifically on children with FASD. Information on the disadvantages faced by children with FASD, and the general placement and legal status patterns of these children, are examined. In addition , the chapter provides preliminary information on how the cost of children in care with FASD compares to other children in care (Fuchs, Burnside, Marchenski, & Mudry, 2009), and presents implications of the findings for research, policy, and practice. 411 Children with Disabilities in the Manitoba Child Welfare System The first stages of this research program focused on identifying the profiles of children in care with disabilities. The results of this initial research found that approximately one-third of Manitoba’s children in care have a disability, and most of these have multiple disabilities (Fuchs et al., 2005). Intellectual disability was the most frequently identified, followed by mental health disabilities. In children with multiple disabilities, the most common co-occurrence involved intellectual and mental health disabilities. Most of the children with disabilities came into care as a result of situations related to the conduct or the incapacity of their parents to fulfill a parental role rather than as a result of issues related to the conduct of the child. The majority (69%) were permanent wards, although 13% were in care under a Voluntary Placement Agreement. Prenatal substance abuse was the origin of disability for one-third of the children with disabilities,and was a suspected cause for an additional 17%.If suspected FASD was included, more than half of children in care with disabilities were disabled as a result of prenatal substance abuse (Fuchs et al., 2009). The majority of the children in care with disabilities were not able to learn at an age-appropriate rate or to use language in an age-appropriate way (Fuchs et al., 2005). Most of these children were not able to achieve age-appropriate independence, emotional modulation, interpersonal interaction, or awareness of risk. Aggressive behaviour was also problematic for many of the children with disabilities, and often caused a great deal of difficulty in finding appropriate placements. Other problems associated with behaviour included sexually inappropriate behaviour and conflict with the law (Gough & Fuchs, 2006). Overrepresentation of Aboriginal Children with Disabilities in Care The general overrepresentation of Aboriginal children in the Canadian child welfare system is documented in Part III of this book, and elsewhere (Trocmé, Knoke, & Blackstock, 2004); it is argued that overrepresentation is related to structural factors, including poverty, arising from the loss of language, culture , and family connections that can be attributed, at least in part, to colonization , the legacy of residential schools, and the response of the mainstream child welfare system (Trocmé, Knoke, Shangreaux, Fallon, & MacLaurin, 2005). Coping with these disconnections has been challenging, to say the least, and FUCHS 412 many Aboriginal people and communities struggle with the poverty that is so often related to other social problems such as substance misuse, family violence , and child neglect. The rate of disabilities for Aboriginal people has been reported to be twice as high as that of the non-Aboriginal population in Canada (Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities , 2003). First Nations families who live on reserves are also disadvantaged in receiving services for their children with disabilities, since reserves fall under federal jurisdiction and social services are typically provided by provinces and territories. For these...