A Sense of Belonging: Supporting Healthy Child Development in Aboriginal Families

By Brian Smith

While I'll admit to not reading this entire document, it looks very good from my initial scan. It is meant as a resource manual produced by Best Start: Ontario’s Maternal, Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre in 2006. Here is a paragraph from the Executive Summary:

"All people benefit from a sense of belonging, to their families, culture and communities. It is especially important in the case of parents caring for young children. Parents need to feel supported by family, friends, the community and by service providers. Aboriginal people, through a long history of assimilation and discrimination, may not have this sense of belonging. This may impact their health and sense of worth, and may result in feelings of despair and hopelessness. There are many things that service providers can do to foster a sense of belonging in Aboriginal families with young children, connecting parents to the information and supports that they need in a respectful and caring manner, and acknowledging their strengths."

Here is a link to the pdf A Sense of Belonging: Supporting Healthy Child Development in Aboriginal Families