International Conference 2024 | International Keynote - Standing in the Winds of Systemic Discrimination

The 10th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health (ICSWHMH) was held in November 2024 in Melbourne. This significant event in successfully brought together social work professionals, researchers, educators, and students from around the world to discuss and share the latest developments in the field of social work in health and mental health.

International Keynote Presentation: Standing in the Winds of Systemic Discrimination

Social injustice is growing on a grand scale and social work is trending toward therapeutic interventions. As a profession, we must stand in the winds of discrimination to safeguard others from its powerful forces but too often our training does not prepare us. Based on true events, this presentation shares lessons learned from a historic human rights case against the Canadian Government for its discrimination toward First Nations children.

Presenter: Dr Cindy Blackstock, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society

A member of the Gitxsan First Nation, Cindy is honoured to serve as the Executive Director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society and a professor at McGill University’s School of Social Work. She has over 30 years of experience working in child welfare and Indigenous children’s rights and has published on topics relating to reconciliation, Indigenous theory, First Nations child welfare and human rights. A recipient of the SSHRC Gold Medal, Cindy was honoured to work with First Nations colleagues on a successful human rights challenge to Canada’s inequitable provision of child and family services and failure to implement Jordan’s Principle. This hard-fought litigation has resulted in hundreds of thousands of services being provided to First Nations children, youth, and families. Cindy is frequently sighted in the company of the Caring Society’s reconciliation Ambearrister, Spirit Bear, engaging children in meaningful actions to implement the TRC Calls to Action.