A Literature Review: Addressing Indigenous Parental Substance Use and Child Welfare in Aotearoa: A Whānau Ora Framework

Abstract

Parental substance use disorders (SUDs) for Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand and an ethnic minority, are considered to be contributors to adverse effects on outcomes for their children. This article offers a review of international and Aotearoa literature in regard to key considerations for Māori parents with SUDs who present to an Alcohol and Drug specialist for assessment and treatment. Factors to increase positive outcomes for Māori children of parents with SUDs are promoted. Effective adult AoD services provide support to parents with SUDs through comprehensive assessment and intervention plans that consider both individual and familial risk and protective factors. In this context, it is imperative that possible child welfare issues are identified early to ensure prevention or intervention. The AoD workforce must have the knowledge and skills to facilitate access to other relevant sectors, such as education, employment, and housing. An AoD workforce that is effective with Māori must not only have these abilities, but also have at least some basic knowledge and skills in Whānau Ora philosophy and Whānau-centered best practice. To address these processes, AoD specialist services need to acquire a set of knowledge and skills. These include increasing the knowledge and skills associated with the realities of lifestyles centered in low socioeconomic communities and co-occurring issues that contribute to poor health outcomes. To assist Māori, several key processes are proposed. This includes working in a Whānau-centered approach with Whānau as a collective entity, based on Māori foundations; understanding intergenerational dynamics; and endorsing a group capacity for self-determination. Research and training in Whanau ora philosophy and Whānau-centered best practices will be essential for developing an appropriate AoD workforce, which would provide the foundations for improving AoD service delivery for Māori parents with SUDs.

Exploring the maternal and infant continuum – ethnic disparities in infant hospital admissions for respiratory disease

“…Even after adjusting for many of the known risk factors, maternal ethnicity remained a significant predictor for infant respiratory hospitalisation. It may be that more culturally appropriate care environments such as whānau ora, 31 navigator support programs and improving access to healthy housing assistance – particularly for young Māori and Pacific mothers and their children – would help address these disparities. Research is also needed into what other factors are contributing to these disparities.…”

Child Welfare Reform: A Scoping Review

“…Review authors acknowledged that certain child welfare populations needed to be served better: ethnically and racially diverse families and children [ 67 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 80 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 107 , 108 , 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 ]; families experiencing mental health or substance use concerns [ 53 , 91 , 106 , 113 , 114 , 115 , 116 , 117 , 118 , 119 , 120 , 121 , 122 , 123 , 124 , 125 , 126 , 127 ]; youth transitioning from care [ 54 , 59 , 60 , 62 , 63 , 65 , 96 , 128 , 129 , 130 , 131 , ...…”

Cannabis and methamphetamine in New Zealand: a Kaupapa Māori literature review

“…22 Similarly, Theodore et al provided much needed commentary to the cannabis referendum, foregrounding the harms of cannabis for rangatahi Māori (Māori youth) within a colonial context. McLachlan et al (2015) and Huriwai (2002) call for culturally congruent alcohol and other drug treatment services that adopt whānau-centred approaches, acknowledging the complex layers of determinants of drug use, and the realities of the whānau context. 21 Interestingly, literature specific to cannabis presented somewhat of a double standard.…”

“…McLachlan et al (2015) and Huriwai (2002) call for culturally congruent alcohol and other drug treatment services that adopt whānau-centred approaches, acknowledging the complex layers of determinants of drug use, and the realities of the whānau context. 21 Interestingly, literature specific to cannabis presented somewhat of a double standard. In essence, the framing of Māori and cannabis use in relation to criminal convictions, illegal activity and gang activity functions to position Māori as "delinquent".…”