Indigenous Cultural Safety in Recognizing and Responding to Family Violence: A Systematic Scoping Review

Abstract

This systematic scoping review synthesizes the recommended approaches for providing culturally safe family violence interventions to Indigenous peoples in health care and social service settings. A total of 3783 sources were identified through our electronic database searches, hand-searching of Indigenous-focused journals, and backward and forward citation chaining. After screening those sources in duplicate, 28 papers were included for synthesis in June 2020. Forward citation chaining of these 28 included articles in June 2022 identified an additional 304 possible articles for inclusion; following the screening of those 304 articles, an additional 6 were retained in the review. Thus, a total of 34 articles were included for data extraction and narrative synthesis. Initial results were presented to members of the Six Nations of the Grand River Youth Mental Wellness Committee, and their feedback was incorporated into our inductive organization of findings. Our findings represent three thematic areas that reflect key recommendations for health care and social service provision to Indigenous families for whom family violence is a concern: (1) creating the conditions for cultural safety; (2) healing at the individual and community level; and (3) system-level change. These findings demonstrate the need to center Indigenous peoples and perspectives in the development and implementation of cultural safety approaches, to acknowledge and address historically contingent causes of past and present family violence including colonization and related state policies, and to transform knowledge and power relationships at the provider, organization, and government level.