At least a quarter of the children in Labrador's two Innu communities are in some form of protective custody, a document obtained by CBC News shows.

More than 200 children in Sheshatshiu and Natuashish are involved with the child welfare system, care that ranges from supervision by social workers to being taken out of the home — and, in some cases, out of the province altogether.

Natuashish Chief Prote Poker said he found new figures on foster care placements startling.
(CBC)

For instance, 57 children as of Jan. 1 were placed in continuous custody, according to a statistical update filed to the chiefs of the two Innu communities, both of which have had notorious histories with alcohol, drug and solvent abuse.

With about 800 residents of the two communities under 18, the figures show an appalling situation, said Natuashish Chief Prote Poker.

"I think we need help in our community," said Poker, who led the campaign to ban alcohol in Natuashish, a community in northern Labrador.

Poker said drug and alcohol abuse among parents is directly connected to why about one-third of the children in his community are involved in the foster care system.

"We put the cap on the bottle," he said. "I think lot of the issues will come out like grief and sexual abuse and other issues that were hurting those people."

The memo was sent to Poker and Sheshatshiu Chief Anastasia Qupee last month by Lyla Andrew, the director for child, youth and family services with the Labrador-Grenfell health authority.

"When I saw those [figures], it was startling," Poker said.

The document shows that 27 children — 18 from Natuashish, nine from Sheshatshiu — require care that cannot be provided in Newfoundland and Labrador's foster care system.

Children sent to Ontario

Health Minister Ross Wiseman said resources in the Labrador region are stretched thin.

"Some of them who'll require much more intensive intervention are living in therapeutic foster homes in Ontario," Wiseman said.

"We don't have any therapeutic foster homes in this province."

Poker said Innu leaders are concerned about the long-term consequences of dividing so many Innu children from their parents.

"We need to focus on the parents, and that's what we're trying to do now," he said.