Table 1 shows that Aboriginal children are greatly overrepresented in out-of-home care across provinces
for which data is publicly available. Although provincial statistics separating First Nations children from
other Aboriginal children are rare, available data suggests that First Nations children are overrepresented
compared to other Aboriginal children (Manitoba Ministry of Family Services and Housing, 2009).
Findings from the FNCIS-2008 report suggest that the overrepresentation of First Nations children
begins at the point of first contact with child welfare agencies. In the areas served by sampled agencies,
the investigation rate for First Nations children was 4.2 times that for non-Aboriginal children (140.6
investigations per 1,000 First Nations children vs. 33.5 investigations for every 1,000 non-Aboriginal
children in 2008.) This overrepresentation is driven primarily by cases involving child neglect, which is linked to factors including poverty, poor housing, domestic violence, and substance abuse (Sinha et al.,
2011).