University Classism Analysis: SOC1160 Assignment on Child Welfare

This report provides a sociological analysis of classism, focusing on the overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Canadian child welfare system. The report critically analyzes the article "An uncaring state? The overrepresentation of First Nations children in the Canadian child welfare system" by Barker, Alfred & Kerr (2014), examining the institutional reasons for this overrepresentation. It explores the arguments presented, highlighting the loopholes in child welfare interventions and the government's failure to protect indigenous children. The analysis utilizes qualitative research methodologies, drawing from government websites, scholarly articles, and legal documents. The report also discusses the sociological implications, including the role of social media and the vulnerability of girl children in these interventions. The assignment fulfills the requirements of a SOC1160 assignment and utilizes course materials and additional research to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Running head: CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

1CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
1. Summary of the article
Purpose
The article “An uncaring state? The overrepresentation of First Nations children in the
Canadian child welfare system” written by Barker, Alfred & Kerr (2014) talks about the
institutional reasons that give rise to such overrepresentation of the First Nations children in
Canadian welfare schemes where their inherent poverty and impoverished conditions are
repeatedly highlighted in every government and public institutions. The Canadian government
has always remained intact towards “intervention” and not “prevention” of child poverty and
impoverishment which has resulted in massive overrepresentation of children’s adverse
conditions among the indigenous population (Barker, Alfred & Kerr, 2014). The paper seeks to
find out the loopholes in aboriginal child welfare services and processes by bringing out the lack
of effectiveness in the whole process of intervention which includes unnecessary hackling and
harassment of the children who are intervened. Suspected maltreatment of the children and their
parents are also talked about in the article. The main purpose of the article is to find out the
reasons for overrepresentation of poverty stricken indigenous children in Canada and its future
implications thereafter.
Arguments
The main argument of the respective article is that it talks about the loopholes and gaps in the
child welfare interventions when it comes to indigenous child welfare in Canada. In the
paradigm of child welfare in Canada, there is a massive overrepresentation of native and
aboriginal Canadians. The processes include research and investigation, endorsed investigation
and out- of- home sheltered placements of the Canadian aboriginal children (Sinha et al., 2011).

2CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
The paper argues about the harms that are inflicted upon the indigenous children that
quintessentially follow the time spent in the child welfare system and how the government has
subsequently failed in protecting the children which comes under their sacred and moral duty.
The paper blatantly proclaims the socio-political and socio- economic reasons why such
overrepresentation of indigenous poverty stricken children in child welfare happens and the
outcome of such instances.
2. Critical Analysis of the article
Research Orientation
The particular article has been written by researching about the topic with the help of
primary and secondary research sources. While executing the respective article, the researchers
have gone through the government websites of Canada, such as Statistics Canada, websites such
as The Global Mail, legal documents such as Canadian Human Rights Commission, status report
of Auditor General of Canada. The other secondary resources have also been utilized, such as
scholarly articles from Canadian Medical Association, Assembly of First Nations, and
Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Development, Canada. The researches have been
done thoroughly and results are put briefly in the article as the article is smaller in stature.
Level of Analysis
The level of analysis utilized in the article is brief, diagnostic and qualitative in nature.
The respective paper is a peer reviewed journal which is to the point in its analysis and
evaluation. The analysis has utilized qualitative research methodologies that included studies and
research through legal documents, journals, academic journals, e-magazines and academic
websites. The limitations of such approach are that the real, practical and pragmatic condition of

3CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
the subject matter of research is not ventured into in such types of approaches. The research has
not gone through practical surveys and interviews but has collected educational and academic
data to come to conclusion which leaves a huge gap in understanding the practical condition of
overrepresentation of indigenous children in child welfare in Canada, the grievances and
expectations of indigenous children and the gap in contemporary times.
Sociological sense
In sociological concept, welfare is a state or condition of doing or being well. The term
welfare, on sociological perspectives, is invoked when certain actions are considered necessary
in order to enhance individual or group welfare of a community, society or nation. The
respective paper talks about the loopholes in indigenous child welfare interventions in Canada.
The subject matter is the argument that states Canada over-represents indigenous children in
child poverty and children welfare schemes and yet the schemes are executed in such a way that
it potentially harms and hackles the indigenous children through their complex intervention
processes.
3. Social media can act as a platform to showcase ideas, impressions and experiences in a
broader spectrum and paradigm (Howitt, 2013). If influence of social media on indigenous
child welfare schemes is seen on the perspectives of sociological imagination, it can be said
that social media has both positive and negative effects on indigenous welfare schemes.
Social media is extremely critical about governmental interventions and executions and when
it comes to indigenous population, they show their biases as well as their unprejudiced
freethinking ideals. Therefore, social media can play an important role in criticizing the
present indigenous child welfare schemes of Canada for good. Social media can pin point the

4CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
gaps and loopholes of such welfare schemes that might help the government shed their
postcolonial hangover and make better intervention methods of the schemes. The social
media sometimes act foul where some people post racist and anti- indigenous comments
which can polarize the society of Canada and that is equally harmful.
4. “Girl children are more likely to be affected by the plights of the interventions carried out by
the Canadian government which over-represents poverty- stricken indigenous children in
child welfare schemes of the nation.” It is because the indigenous girl children are poorest,
firstly because of the gender which they belong to, second, their ethnic identity and third,
their socio- economic downfall (Bourgeois, 2015). Girl children can be more vulnerable to
mistreatment, sexual offenses and undernourishment from the male caregivers or interveners
who are responsible to carry out the child welfare schemes. Poor girls who do not have
enough access to resources and assistance are exploited the most in such situations.
Generally, girl children who begin their puberty at an early age and the pre- adolescent girls
are the ones who need most of the care, protection and education so that they grow up as a
healthy and a responsible individual. Intervention techniques such as “out- of- home
replacements” for child welfare make them vulnerable as they are taken away from their
immediate caregivers into a completely alienated atmosphere leading to sexual assault and
unwanted pregnancy. Maltreatment of such girls is more as they are physically, mentally and
emotionally vulnerable. Cases such as child trafficking, forced prostitution and
objectification of children (which is directly linked to pedophilia) are certain cases which girl
children are tremendously vulnerable of.

5CLASSISM: A SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
References:
Barker, B., Alfred, G. T., & Kerr, T. (2014). An uncaring state? The overrepresentation of First
Nations children in the Canadian child welfare system. Cmaj, 186(14), E533-E535.
Bourgeois, R. (2015). Colonial exploitation: The Canadian state and the trafficking of
Indigenous women and girls in Canada. UCLA L. Rev., 62, 1426.
Howitt, D. (2013). The Mass Media & Social Problems (Vol. 2). Elsevier.
Sinha, V., Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., MacLaurin, B., Fast, E., Prokop, S. T., & Richard, K. (2011).
Kiskisik Awasisak: Remember the children. Understanding the Overrepresentation of
First Nations Children in the Child Welfare System. Ontario: Assembly of First Nations.
Cover art by Jackie Traverse, Lake St. Martin First Nation.