Invitation to Participate
Research Project Title
Developing and piloting the assessment and application procedure for the implementation of the First Nations Jordan’s Principle Final Settlement Agreement
The collaborators on this project are:
- Dr. Carol Hopkins, Thi Nguyen, Ekta Pandya
Thunderbird Partnership Foundation - Dr. Christopher Mushquash
Lakehead University - Dr. Carina Fiedeldey-Van Dijk
ePsy Consultancy - Dr. Lucyna Lach
McGill University - Pre-Pilot Working Group
SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE WHOLE PROJECT
1. What is the Final Settlement Agreement (FSA) and who is this compensation for?
The Final Settlement Agreement (FSA) between the First Nations Child and Family Services, Jordan’s Principle, the Trout Class plaintiffs, and the Canadian federal court affirms that First Nations children and their caregivers are eligible to apply for compensation if the First Nations child/children have experienced denial, delay, or lack of provision of essential services between 1991 and 2017. The eligibility parameters for compensation have already been agreed to in the Final Settlement Agreement.
If you are interested to know more about the FSA please visit the website below:
2. What is the purpose of this project?
The overarching objective of this project is to design an application process (with forms and guiding documents) for compensation as outlined in the FSA. This involves the development and validation of individual, proxy, and caregiver claimant forms that will evaluate the impact of denial, delay, or lack of access to required essential services on the well-being of claimants.
3. What does this project involve?
The project partners and First Nations study participants are expected to work collaboratively to achieve the objective while also upholding First Nations self-determination at every stage of this project.
This project will be conducted in four main phases.
Phase I Pre-pilot
A targeted circle of experts will be invited to join a virtual discussion about the impact of denial, delay, or lack of provision of essential services to First Nations children between 1991 and 2017. This will involve up to eight group meetings that will take place between March and May 2024. Each meeting will last for about 1 to 1.5 hours and will be scheduled on Fridays between 12:30 PM and 2:00 PM (EST).
The first couple of virtual group meetings will focus on a set of questions about the impacts. Those experts who are unable to attend these group meetings will be contacted for a separate individual meeting to obtain their input regarding impacts. We anticipate that information saturation will be achieved by the end of this set of meetings. The discussion questions for these first two meetings are described in this link.
Based on expertise and availability, some of the experts will be invited to join the project working group. Acceptance of the invitation is voluntary.
The remaining meetings will take place with this smaller working group and focus on
- checking the key findings of the analysis of the discussions,
- adapting the items assessed in the Impact on Wellness Questionnaires (IWQ), and
- addressing any other issues that arise in the remaining phases of the project.
Phase II Pilot (Testing and re-testing)
During this phase the useability and feasibility of the items in the IWQ will be tested. Future potential claimants will be recruited and asked a series of assessment questions that tap into the extent to which these items are understandable, relevant, culturally appropriate, etcetera. During this phase the working group will also seek feedback about the level of support that claimants might need while completing the forms.
Based on the results of the first testing, the IWQ will be adapted and may undergo additional useability and feasibility testing.
Phase III
Thunderbird Partnership Foundation will recruit a group of 200 First Nation people who either received what they needed or did not need any essential services and were therefore not impacted by the denial, delay, and lack of essential services. During this phase we will discuss the reliability and validity testing of the IWQ with the claimants.
Phase IV
Finalize all claimant and caregiver forms, the IWQ and processes, then provide a recommendation to the Settlement Implementation Committee.
4. How will the information from each phase be used?
The information generated from the discussions with experts in Phase I (Pre-pilot) will be used to adapt the draft versions of the IWQ and the claimant forms for the compensation application, and to finalize the essential services framework. Additionally, information gathered from the experts will help create the interview guide for the next phase of the study. It will also clarify the level of emotional support required for the claimants.
The valuable feedback received from all the participants in Phase II will be used to adapt draft versions of the IWQ and claimant forms. The testing conducted during Phase III will generate a normative impact on well-being scores of the control group. In addition, the validity and reliability of the IWQ of First Nations people who were not provided with the services that they needed will be established. Finally, in Phase IV a validated IWQ, claimant forms and a set of recommendations for implementation in the real world will be available.
5. How will your privacy and confidentiality be protected?
- Members of the circle of experts will be asked to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that establishes the terms of reference for the group and invites participants to respect confidentiality.
- Those who participate in Phases II or III will sign a consent form that describes how confidentiality will be maintained. The informed consent process for Phase II or III will be consistent with the OCAP® principles.
- All the information (meeting notes and decisions, interview transcripts, survey results) pertinent to this project will be stored on an encrypted, password-protected hard drive. The hard copies of any document will be stored in a secure and locked cabinet at Thunderbird Partnership Foundation. The data will be stored for a period of 5 years after the project is completed, after which the electronic copies will be completely erased, and hard copies will be destroyed.
- The data can be stored in a secure environment at Thunderbird or in the participant’s community.
- Only the research team members responsible for the analysis of the information generated from this project will have access to the interview data. All the analyses will be conducted on Thunderbird password protected laptops in the office.
- The audio and video recordings from the Zoom meetings will be deleted once the transcriptions of the meetings are generated.
- The information shared during the meetings will be recorded both in writing and digitally (video and audio using a Zoom recorder) so that the exact discussion can be accessed to ensure the information is accurately captured. Please note that any time sacred knowledge is to be shared and identified, this too will not be documented.
- When testing the questionnaires and the claimant forms during the pilot phase, all the participants will be requested not to add any identifiable information.
- The interview transcripts and the final report will have no identifiable information.
6. What are the benefits of this study on the individual claimants and First Nations communities?
- There are no direct benefits to participating in this study. Nevertheless, the participants’ valuable knowledge and insights shared will be utilized to ensure that the IWQ and claimant forms comprehensively reflect the impact of denial, delay, and essential service gaps experienced by First Nations children. Moreover, the information gathered will contribute to refining the claimant forms so that they are clear, feasible to implement, and are aligned with their intended purpose. Another advantage is that the ways essential services are articulated will be refined.
- This project stands out as it develops a compensation tool rooted in questionnaires and processes that are aligned with cultural understandings of well-being, which encompass spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical aspects as emphasized in the Indigenous Wellness Framework.
7. Do I have any potential risks by participating in the project?
We don’t anticipate any significant risks associated with participating in the study. However, reflecting on what happened in the past can be emotionally triggering. Emotional and cultural support will be provided by the Elders and Knowledge Keepers associated with this project. It is also possible that after being exposed to the IWQ some participants may realize their lack of connection to their cultural identity and might have a need to connect to their traditional and First Nations culture. For this project, they will be provided with an option to have an Elder or Knowledge Keeper present in the interview. Alternatively, they can meet with an Elder or Knowledge Keeper after the meeting.
The Working Group will develop a more comprehensive protocol to follow.
SECTION II: PHASE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
We will be inviting experts into a circle to contribute their knowledge about the unmet needs of First Nations children between 1991 and 2017.
The following provides more detail about the types of expertise we are seeking:
1.Have at least 3 years of experience in providing or supporting the coordination of essential services (e.g., medication, medical procedure/treatment, dental procedure/treatment, equipment and supplies, healthcare practitioner, support program, cultural support) to First Nations children and their caregivers between April 1, 1991 and November 2, 2017. This experience could have been gained in the following ways:
- Professional – Individuals who have the expertise to confirm a child’s need(s) for essential services. This could be a medical professional (e.g., general practitioner, specialist) or other type of professional (e.g., nurse, occupational therapist, social worker, teacher). Additionally, community-based workers (e.g., social service workers, mental wellness workers) who have delivered some type of support and who can confirm what a child needs, would also be considered in this category.
- Navigator – Individuals who have provided information, advice, education, emotional support, and advocacy based on identified client needs, and potentially facilitated integration and coordination within and across agencies and systems. This includes navigators who have worked with First Nations children and their caregivers to help reduce barriers to access required care services and supports. Examples of navigators include case managers and discharge planners.
- Elder/ Knowledge Keeper/Cultural Practitioner/Traditional Healer – These terms are used in various ways and may have similar or very different meanings. Essentially, the knowledge and skills of these individuals have been recognized or sanctioned by their community, within a family, or a sacred society. Some Indigenous communities identify these individuals as one whose wisdom about spirituality, culture and/or life is recognized and given sanction by the community. The use of these terms is most common amongst First Nations communities, but in some societies, such as the Haudenosaunee, the equivalent term is referred to as Clan Mother or Faith Keeper. Community members will normally seek the advice and assistance of Elders, Cultural Practitioners, Traditional Healers, and Faith Keepers in various traditional and contemporary areas.
We recognize that there is some overlap between these above three categories. Ultimately, we are interested in gaining insights from individuals from all groups. Thus, if individuals fall into more than one category, they can select which identity is their primary role.
2. Have a Two-Eyed Seeing approach to wellness. Experts should value, understand, and be willing to share their clients’ experiences from both Cultural and Western perspectives.
3. Can communicate in English.
How will the experts be remunerated?
Each expert will be remunerated based on the number of meetings they attend. Thunderbird’s project coordinator will inform experts about the exact remuneration once interest has been expressed to participate. Bank details will be required for electronic reimbursement. Alternatively, experts may select to be remunerated via a Visa gift card.
If you are willing to participate and/or would like to discuss your contribution, please contact the research team by April 5, 2024 at JP-Pilot@thunderbirdpf.org or by phone at 519-692-9922 Extension 202 or 210.
In spirit of partnership,
Carol Hopkins
Chief Executive Director