New Brunswick's child and youth advocate is calling for a sweeping reform of the child welfare system in First Nations communities.
The root causes of aboriginal poverty and unemployment also have to be addressed, said Bernard Richard, who released a report in Fredericton Wednesday.
Aboriginal youth are six times more likely to end up in foster care, and four to five times more likely to be charged in court, he found. They also have higher rates of obesity and illiteracy.
The need for change is urgent, said Richard, who also serves the province as ombudsman. Unlike the rest of New Brunswick, there's a baby boom in First Nations communities, with children and young people forming a growing proportion of the population, he said.
Richard's report comes on the heels of news that six First Nations communities in New Brunswick are among the 10 poorest communities in Canada, based on median income data from Statistics Canada.
Kingsclear, Eel Ground, Tobique, Elsipogtog, Red Bank and Esgenoopetitj all had median incomes below $14,000 in 2006. Esgenoopetitj ranked the worst in Canada with a median income of $9,200.
The provincial government had asked Richard to review the province's 11 First Nations child and family services agencies last May, based on a recommendation in a Child Death Review Committee report.
The recommendation involved the case of a child who was receiving care from a First Nations child and family service agency.
Richard, who met with elders, youth and child welfare workers, said he discovered a system in crisis, with a confusing web of jurisdictions.
Ottawa pays for child welfare services, while First Nations band-run agencies provide them, and the province oversees compliance with laws and policies.
To make matters worse, there's not enough money in the system and the three layers of government can't agree on a new funding model, said Richard, who served as the minister responsible for aboriginal affairs in Frank McKenna's Liberal government.
As a result, many of the 11 agencies lack the people and training to operate efficiently, he said.
Richard has recommended replacing them with three agencies - the existing one at Elsipogotog and one each for all Mi'kmaq and Maliseet people.
They should be co-ordinated by a central office, funded by the province, but run by Aboriginal people, which would free up the staff on reserves from administrative work and allow them to them focus on children, he said.
Richard previously said his review would be the most in-depth review there has ever been of First Nations child welfare services in New Brunswick.