Historical Foundations of Addressing Need: Indigenous, French, and English Traditions
Introduction
Traditions of three cultures contributed to the development of Canadian Social work:
Indigenous helping and healing traditions
French traditions and influence of the Roman Catholic Church
British roots of social welfare in English Canada
Social Welfare
An organized system (multiple stakeholders/professionals work as a collaborative) that provides social workers and programs to assist individuals families
The degree to which social programs are managed, the extent to which needs are met, the degree to which opportunities for advancement are provided
All societal responses that promote the well-being of a population (education, health services, counselling, etc.)
Social Work
Often referred to as “the helping profession”
The helping involves the passion, the knowledge, competencies, understanding of political influences, and understanding your privilege, the understanding of the population you are dealing with
A profession focused on working with individuals, families, groups, and communities to address individual-, collective-, and societal-level challenges
While not all social work involves directly changing a social system, all social work considers how individuals, groups, or community problems are shaped by the social environment
Therefore, while a system itself might not be changed through direct action/revised polices, social workers will strive to support and change the lives of individuals, groups, communities impacted by a social problem
Indigenous Helping and Healing Traditions
There is great heterogeneity among Indigenous Peoples, yet common elements and worldviews exist
The Medicine Wheel is one such a common element
An ancient symbol that signifies a wholistic method of helping and healing individuals, families, and communities
The Medicine Wheel
Foundational Principles
Wholeness
Four cardinal directions of the wheel and the directions inter-connections for holistic well-being
Balance
Harmony among one’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual elements
Connection
Relationships among people and with nature as well as with one’s internal mental and emotional health
Harmony
Harmony within oneself, with others, with nature and non-humans, and in the world and universe
Growth
A life long process of motion toward the center of the wheel
Healing
The starting point of healing is to know oneself
Through taking personal responsibility, individuals, families and communities can attain Mino-Pimatisiwin (”the good life” in Cree)
Healing and Helping from Generation to Generation
What are some ways colonization has attacked the cultural practices of Indigenous communities?
Residential schools
Systematic removal of children
Denial of identity, language, and spiritual beliefs
Diffusion (and loss) of cultural characteristics
Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ)
Inukitut (Inuit language) term for traditional or Indigenous knowledge of the Inuit or “that which has long been known by Inuit”
Formally adopted by the government of Nunavut, and grew out of the wisdom of Nunavut Elders
Foundations of IQ composed of:
Four laws ( or maligait) that contribute to “living a good life”
Eight guiding principles that support the practical application of IQ in Inuit communities
Four Laws:
Working for the common good
Respecting all living things
Maintaining harmony and balance
Continually planning and preparing for the future
Eight guiding principles:
Inuuqatigiisiarniq
Respecting others, relationships, and caring for people
Tunnganarniq
Fostering good spirit by being open, welcoming, and inclusive
Pijitsirniq
Serving and providing for family and community
Aajiiqatigiinniq
Decision-making through consensus and discussion
Pilimmaksarniq
Skills and knowledge development through observing, mentoring, and practice
Piliriqatigiinniq
Collaboration for the common good
Avatittinnik Kamatsiarniiq
Respect and care for the land and animals through environmental stewardship
Qanuqtuurniq
Resourcefulness and innovation
French Historical Foundations
Poverty Relief and the Involvement of the Roman Catholic Church
Family as primary institution for providing relief
Church as secondary institution; provision of relief unstandardized. The French ideology emphasized the responsibility of family and church rather than State
Poverty was seen as individually driven due to a perceived inability to live within the current economic and social system in combination with unfavorable character traits
Poor were considered “deserving” or “undeserving”
Deserving poor: Those living in poverty through no fault of their own (e.g., widows, orphans, chronically ill, or elderly)
Undeserving poor: Those considered physically capable of work in some form or another but who were unemployed (e.g., unemployed men, unmarried women, migrants who were unemployed)
Benevolent Societies and Other Ways of Helping
Benevolent societies were supported by private donors and public and private fundraising, and run by middle-class or wealthy women
Hospitals and hospices were also care providers for the poor, organized along religious lines (Catholic and Protestant)
Mutual benefit societies
English Historical Foundations
Early Approaches to Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations
Poverty believed to be a result of “flaws” of character - think of ‘blaming’; ‘judgement’
Assistance provided by private charity organizations or religious entities
The reason there is no relation to the State when in discussion to being poor is because of different politics as well as it is like the State saying “it is not our fault you are poor or struggling, it is your own fault.”
“Indoor” and “outdoor” relief
Indoor relief: Assistance provided in an institutional setting (poorhouse, almshouse, or workhouse)
Outdoor relief: Material assistance given to individuals and families in their own family.
Principle of less eligibility: Principle requiring that the standard of living of an individual receiving public assistance or the conditions of work (e.g., workhouse conditions) had to be less favorable than what a laborer would receive who worked the lowest-paying labor market job
Social Reform Post-Confederation
When thinking of the English foundations, we must consider the implications of social reform with regards to charity societies again we must recognize the early emergence of discrimination
Charity organization societies
Poor families viewed as dysfunctional within a well-functioning society - blaming, judgement, discrimination
Used a “scientific approach” to poor relief
Mary Richmond and social casework
Collection of detailed data and “social evidence”
Application of “objective” evaluation of causes of poverty
Influenced by Social Darwinism
Social casework:
Addressing an issue by systematically gathering detailed data regarding an individuals environment and analyzing the data, followed by making a data-based diagnosis and treatment plan
Social Darwinism:
As related to poverty, the belief that indiscriminate relief would weaken a person’s moral character, leading to the weakening of society; those who were poor were “unfit,” while those who were wealthy were not only “fit” but possessed higher moral character. Think of the division created and defining worth of the ‘privileged’.
Settlement House Movement
Families seen as sufficiently functioning yet living in a society in need of reform
Educated volunteers lived in “settlement houses” in the community and worked with community members to improve conditions through social, economic, and political means
Jane Addams and Hull House
Roots of social work lie in religious congregation members participation in poverty relief
Religious organizations are integral in provision of social services and access to community programs
Social Gospel Movement: An integrated theological and social movement centered on social development and change
Women and Poverty
Social rights for men were grounded in labor market participation; social rights for women were grounded in status as mothers and caregivers
Treatment of women was based on how their lives related to the family ethic
Family ethic: A perspective that began in the colonial era defining a woman’s role solely as wife and mother
Think of the patriarchal ideology that existed back then and continues today
Major Social Legislation from the Depression Onwards
Canada as a welfare state
Stock market crash (1929) and agricultural failures
Large numbers of people out of work
Previous approaches to relief no longer sufficient
Welfare state developed in response to national crisis
Welfare state: A country in which the government assumes responsibility for ensuring that it’s citizens’ basic needs are met
Timeline of major social welfare legislation in the twentieth century (Canada)
Timeline of major social welfare legislation in the twentieth century (Quebec)
Neoliberalism
A set of economic policies whereby the control of economic factors is shifted from the public sector to the private sector
Policies tend to be ‘rigid’ and grounded in a capitalist ideology; limited reliance on the State
Critical Thinking Question
How has neoliberalism shaped social work practice? Think of budget cuts and other budgetary constraints impacting services
The Development of Social Work as a Profession
Political, economic, and social upheavals in the first half of the twentieth century called for social work’s professionalization, and schools of social work were founded
The development of Indigenous social work education in Canada began in the early 1970s
Today, social work is a regulated profession … there are accreditation criteria to be satisfied - standards around Course Outlines, for example
A Vision of Contemporary Canadian Social Work
Common values with differing goals and paths
Shared commitment to individual and collective well-being and social justice
Multiple paths: clinical social workers, case managers, group workers, community practitioners, researchers, educators, advocates, policy analysts
Importance of multiple histories - Indigenous, French, and English - in definition of social work in Canada