A new study finds that First Nations Children still face long-standing inequalities in health care access in Canada despite improvements made through the application of Jordan\u2019s Principle \u2014 a policy designed to ensure First Nations children receive the services they need.<\/p>\n
Jordan\u2019s Principle was created after the tragic case of Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations child who died in hospital while governments argued over who should pay for his home care. The policy requires that the first government contacted must pay for services right away, putting the child\u2019s needs first.<\/p>\n
While this \u201cchild-first\u201d approach has the potential to transform care for First Nations children by improving access to services such as therapies, medical equipment, educational supports, and cultural programming, many families are not benefiting fully from the program, says the researchers. In fact, they found that many children still face delays and barriers due to lack of awareness and complex application processes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan\u2019s Principle represents a powerful step toward fairness for First Nations children, but its impact depends on people knowing it exists and how to use it,\u201d says lead author Sarah Boudreau<\/strong>, a BSW graduate of Algoma University. \u201cWithout awareness, families may miss out on services that could change a child\u2019s life.\u201d<\/p>\n Millions of services have been approved under Jordan\u2019s Principle in recent years, demonstrating its potential reach. However, the authors found that systemic barriers, such as complicated paperwork, inconsistent decisions, and delays, continue to limit access.<\/p>\n \u201cEven with expanded eligibility, First Nations families often face a maze of requirements that can delay care,\u201d says co-author Rose E. Cameron<\/strong>, an Associate Professor at Algoma University who is Anishinaabekwe. \u201cWe need systems that truly reflect the urgency of children\u2019s needs and reduce the burden on families.\u201d<\/p>\n A key finding of the review is that the role of allied health professionals, including social workers, therapists, nurses and rehabilitation specialist, is critical in helping families navigate the system. These professionals often provide the documentation required for applications and can guide families through the process.<\/p>\n \u201cAllied health professionals are in a unique position to connect families with vital supports,\u201d says Meghan J. Bird<\/strong>, a recent Master of Social Work graduate of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto. \u201cWhen they are informed and engaged, they can act as powerful advocates for children and families.\u201d<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the researchers found that awareness of Jordan\u2019s Principle remains limited, among all health professionals, reducing the policy\u2019s effectiveness and contributing to ongoing inequities in access to care.<\/p>\n \u201cImproving training and awareness among social workers, nurses, doctors and other health professionals is essential if we want this policy to achieve its full promise,\u201d says senior author Esme Fuller-Thomson<\/strong>, Professor at the FIFSW and Director at the University of Toronto\u2019s Institute for Life Course & Aging. \u201cBetter knowledge mobilization can help ensure no child falls through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n The authors call for clearer guidelines, faster processing, better data systems, and stronger collaboration with Indigenous communities to improve implementation. They also stress the importance of culturally informed approaches that respect Indigenous knowledge and experiences.<\/p>\n Ultimately, the study highlights both progress and ongoing challenges. While Jordan\u2019s Principle has already improved access for many children, ensuring equitable care for all First Nations children will require continued effort, awareness, and system-level change.<\/p>\n Journal of Indigenous Social Development<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A new study finds that First Nations Children still face long-standing inequalities in health care access in Canada despite improvements made through the application of Jordan\u2019s Principle \u2014 a policy designed to ensure First Nations children receive the services they need. Jordan\u2019s Principle was created after the tragic case of Jordan River Anderson, a First… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":70,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[20,233,602,603,601,73,508],"class_list":["post-34117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-behaviour","tag-culture","tag-indigenous","tag-jordans","tag-justice","tag-kids","tag-law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34117"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34117\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34118,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34117\/revisions\/34118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/therapytoronto.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nJOURNAL<\/h4>\n