Introduction
The state is the entity that is legally obligated to fulfill the fundamental human rights of its citizens to freedom of speech, education, and medical care. When there is the need to ensure that the country’s entire population has access to essential services, the state must be in a solid position to react to the issues posed by the local and global economies. Because of all of these factors, several development experts have placed a strong focus on the fundamental role that governments play in regulating, supervising, and monitoring the provision of services. This essay aims to discuss differences in offering social services to indigenous populations in significant metropolitan areas and small isolated First Nations communities in Canada. In fact, the research will focus on the quality of the provided services in these regions. Unfortunately, relationship development, community ownership, political sanctions, confidentiality codes, and existing service systems in the First Nations are often underdeveloped even in urban areas.
Social Services
Service delivery in social work refers to the process through which charitable organizations, whether governmental or private, assist those in need. The primary purpose of social programs is to accomplish critical societal objectives and satisfy individuals’ continuous needs. When people need assistance, they often ask for help from their families and friends. As problems in the modern world have become more complex, particularly mental health and social issues, other service delivery assets gained popularity due to their ability to provide aid in challenging situations. Providing essential services is a critical component in the fight against poverty. According to low-income groups, improving access to inclusive services is one of the most vital factors in reaching the Millennium Development Goals. These individuals rank water, education, healthcare, and personal security as their highest priorities. The fundamental role that the government controls in funding, supplying, and regulating these services is frequently presented by strategies that aim to enhance service delivery.
Client Population
Many representatives of the First Nations live in cities or in the proximity of metropolitan regions. Native Americans create spaces of indigenous survival and cultural creativity in urban areas. Thus, many cities now have thriving communities of Native American artists, galleries, companies, and other cultural institutions. In the 1950s, many aboriginal populations moved to urban areas (Winterdyk, 2021). In the present day, the number of indigenous people living in cities is on the rise. In the 1950s and 1960s, when many Native Americans relocated to metropolitan areas, they discovered a lack of culturally appropriate programs to help them adjust to life in the city (Winterdyk, 2021). They responded to this issue by forming service groups; hence, programs and services for this population group are provided via friendship centers.
Organizing service groups contributed to the rise in the number of Native Americans in urban areas. Since 2006, the percentage of people who identify as indigenous has increased by more than 42%, which is more than four times faster than the overall population growth rate (Statistics Canada, 2018, para. 2). In fact, the number of registered Indians under the Indian Act increased by 39% from 2006 to 2016, reaching about 977,000 persons in 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2018, para. 3). These statistics demonstrated that the pace at which indigenous people relocate into tiny First Nations settlements that are geographically isolated is higher than the rate at which they move into major metropolitan regions.
Relationship Building
The connection with First Nations, if any, is one facet that does not always get the maximum attention it deserves. Establishing such relationships may confer various advantages on a project, one of which is an edge over similar endeavors in the market. The significance of relationships being predicated on a respectful attitude toward one another cannot be overstated. Respect and trust between people and organizations are earned by each other via good, consistent, and cooperative behavior. Both parties understand the other’s short-, medium-and long-term interests and are ready to accommodate at least some of the other side’s interests. Both are dedicated to maintaining their partnership over the long run, as opposed to a transactional or short-term approach. The alignment of long-term interests, particularly financial ones, is often a contributing factor in this commitment.
When it comes to providing social services, establishing connections with clients is essential, but doing so in major metropolitan regions is not the same as doing so in small villages or isolated towns. In giant urban centers, organizations have recognized the necessity of establishing positive relationships with indigenous groups. However, in smaller communities, there is a greater need for residents to become aware of the significance of the issue. Since many Native Americans have a history of being rejected, it is hard for them to receive social services from organizations for fear of being mistreated (Goodman et al., 2017). Another obstacle that impedes the delivery of social services in those isolated regions is the probable scarcity of skilled labor among resource firms. Therefore, more professionals in this field are in great demand.
Community and Political Sanctions
The definition of good service delivery will vary from one set of people to the next. In the education sector, parents and students seek low-cost, accessible, safe, high-quality education that enhances their children’s or their life prospects. It is the goal of policymakers and organizational leaders to provide social advantages at a cheap cost while maximizing the effectiveness of their political propaganda. Educators are concerned about their students’ learning process, safety, and respect they may or may not develop for the teachers. Thus, the legitimacy of the political system and the efficacy of service delivery rely on satisfying the stakeholders’ conflicting aims and expectations.
The state is obliged to provide some essential services to all citizens by establishing specific laws. Indeed, legitimacy is crucial to the government’s ability to gain and maintain power. Furthermore, authority develops from a leader’s capacity to promote economic development, national prestige, and the provision of public goods. Alternatively, signs of specific attachment to certain customs or ethnic groups may give power to a person or group of individuals. In that case, fair service provision is under threat because citizens lack the right to choose their government. Nevertheless, even the most well-established governments sometimes fail to provide adequate and equal services.
Many obstacles have hampered the full involvement of Native Americans in decision-making. These impediments include the lack of established protocols and processes, insufficient resources, and poor acknowledgment of indigenous rights (Black & McBean, 2017). This situation is relatively common in major cities, but it is not the case in the distant countryside and small towns. It is mainly because the government’s efforts to alleviate inequality issues began in metropolitan regions and then gradually spread to First Nations communities.
Community Ownership
One may guarantee that community ownership is maintained throughout the process of planning and implementing the delivery of social services. The primary strategy involves community members and leaders from the program’s concept development and planning phase. Indeed, they are beginning to recognize both the perceived and actual requirements of the community, respond appropriately, as well as acknowledge and prioritize the community’s culture, values, and beliefs. Furthermore, they have frequent meetings and conversations with the various stakeholders, making the community members acquire leadership roles and distribute responsibilities. The leaders should also encourage active participation from community members in the program’s monitoring and evaluation processes, as well as the mobilization of local resources for use in the program.
When it comes to providing indigenous people with social services, the level of community ownership in metropolitan regions and smaller villages is drastically different from one another. Since it is simpler to locate First Nations clustered in small isolated settlements, providing services there is more straightforward. It is common knowledge that they own things like land communally. In fact, a significant portion of the lands belonging to indigenous groups is managed following established tribal principles. However, the procedure is challenging for those living in metropolitan areas because they were historically isolated from their communities. Furthermore, their sense of unity has dissipated, and some of them have already become accustomed to the ways of life in the city.
Confidentiality Issues
Clients have a legal right to remain anonymous; hence, social workers should respect the right to privacy. It is inappropriate for social workers to ask individuals for personal information unless it is necessary to deliver services or conduct research. Once sensitive material has been disclosed, measures to maintain the security of that information should be taken. In social work, practicing ethical behavior is necessary but, at the same time, challenging. Moreover, when confronted with complex moral predicaments, social workers are often required to respond quickly and decisively, particularly when the outcomes can significantly influence their clients’ lives. Therefore, it is increasingly important for social workers to acquaint themselves with the challenges they may confront in the field, but with the norms of best practice associated with their profession.
Many indigenous people living in urban areas expressed their dissatisfaction regarding the use and disclosure of personal information. Specifically, they disliked the scenario in which an organization uses personal data held about them for a secondary utilization that is different from the primary purpose for which it was collected (Goodman et al., 2017). This use contradicts the primary purpose for which the information was collected. Such a case scenario could occur when health practitioners wanted to know more about their past medical and social history. It was the case regardless of whether or not the subsequent use or disclosure was appropriate or authorized by law. Notably, it was not the case in Canada’s remote and sparsely populated First Nations hamlet. Individuals in urban areas may be hesitant to provide sensitive information for various reasons. For example, they could experience racism and discrimination, fear adverse consequences, and be uncertain and mistrustful regarding the purpose of the data being collected and how it will be used.
Traditional Services
Native Americans may be forced to use provincial programs not tailored to their cultural needs because of service gaps. Because of a poor understanding of the reality of Indigenous people, they may experience difficulties receiving local services due to the fear of prejudice and racism. A lack of access to local services may severely impact the health and well-being of Native Americans, who may be reluctant to use them. First Nations are hesitant to utilize provincial health care may instead turn to emergency services due to these hurdles, putting additional strain on the regional healthcare organizations.
There are many First Nations communities in Canada, but few have long-term care facilities, which are mostly owned and operated by indigenous groups. In many cases, Native American residents who can no longer live in their communities must be relocated hundreds and thousands of kilometers away from their homes to be put in a facility that is not available locally. These people are not only leaving their homes, but even their families, way of life, and cultural and linguistic heritage.
Existing Service Systems
Organizational and technology inputs and processes are intertwined to provide services, including mental health therapies, public health initiatives, social welfare, and education, which are all part of a service system. Social service systems in metropolitan areas include wastewater collection and disposal, garbage removal, electric and gas supply, and municipal health services. Providing social services to the indigenous population in this area has been made more straightforward thanks to their efforts. Compared to the isolated First Nations villages, metropolitan places have an advantage because of the established systems. It is difficult for social services to be delivered in the small settlements since they have not yet evolved to the same level as urban regions.
Interaction with Mainstream Service Systems
The relationships that native communities and other small groups have with the nature are held in high esteem. Some of the essentials of the major mainstream service systems include food, medicine, fuelwood, water, raw materials, and other advantages that help people make a comfortable living. Nonetheless, the significance of these linkages in people’s well-being continues to be underestimated, especially when it comes to meaningful involvement in sustainable development, welfare planning, and implementation policies.
In metropolitan locations, indigenous people have a solid connection to their local ecosystems and acquire more outstanding custodial obligations for the care and upkeep of those ecosystems than in small communities. Although many of these communities have cultural, spiritual, linguistic, and knowledge linkages with the environment, they are constrained by the number of resources available. Since most people live in extreme poverty, interacting with conventional service systems is a formidable challenge.
Due to social and cultural factors, Native American patients, their families, and their communities have been hindered from getting adequate medical services. There is a robust association between poverty and health disparities among indigenous people who may not have the money to access medical care. Basic communication infrastructure, such as phones, has been shown to have hindered access to health care information, assistance, and support in communities. Some First Nations health care providers have offered transportation to and from their institution or conducted outreach programs that have brought treatment to patients’ homes to address these difficulties. Such health care facilities have been able to help low-income indigenous individuals cover these expenditures, but more governmental support is required.
Conclusion
The issues discussed in the paper have proven that delivering social services in the small, isolated First Nations communities needs improvement. Indigenous people residing in large urban areas have an advantage compared to those in tiny communities. Even though they face other adverse effects, the citizens know how to manage them or accept them as they are. However, efforts to improve the delivery of social services in small communities in Canada persist and require more resources and involvement of social service programs.
References
Black, K., & McBean, E. (2017). Analysis of challenges and opportunities to meaningful Indigenous engagement in sustainable water and wastewater management. Water Policy, 19(4), 709-723.
Goodman, A., Fleming, K., Markwick, N., Morrison, T., Lagimodiere, L., Kerr, T., & Society, W. A. H. R. (2017). “They treated me like crap, and I know it was because I was Native”: The healthcare experiences of Aboriginal peoples living in Vancouver’s inner city. Social Science & Medicine, 178, 87-94.
Statistics Canada. (2018). First Nations people, Metis and Inuit in Canada: Diverse and growing populations.
Winterdyk, J. A. (2021). Comparing aboriginal and post-colonial restorative justice: The case of Canada. In T. Gavrielides (Ed.) Comparative restorative justice (pp. 107-129). Springer.