Sixties scoop

The Sixties scoop was the mass non-consensual removal of Indigenous children from their families and into the child welfare system during the 1950s-80s; term coined by Patrick Johnston to describe the stealing of Indigenous children from their communities and culture to be placed in non-Indigenous, middle-class households that reached its peak during the 60s; legacies of the Sixties Scoop continue to exist in the drastic overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system. -Indigenous Foundations

Consequences of the Sixties Scoop

Indigenous Peoples disconnected from their culture, families and Nations	Many people lost their heritage and sense of belonging, in addition to being forced out of their families. Survivors had to live through years of linguistic, spiritual and legal loss.
Abuse by adoptive families	Many surviving adoptees reported physical, emotional and sexual abuse from the families they were placed with.
Overrepresentation of Indigenous children in the child welfare system	According to the 2016 census, Indigenous children account for 7.7% of the total child population of Canada, but 52.2% of children in foster care.
Birth Alerts	Indigenous parents are disproportionately affected by birth alerts, "when child protection services contact a hospital to notify staff that they consider an expecting parent to be “high risk” and unable to care for their baby. The hospital will then notify the child welfare agency as soon as the baby is born. These alerts can lead to newborns being seized within hours of birth without their parents’ consent and being placed into the child welfare system." - Settlement.org

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