Withdrawn

Recognizing Indigenous Home Visitor Competencies Highlights Indigenous Knowledge and Cultures as Central to Self-Determination in Indigenous Early Childhood Service Delivery

Bibliographic Data

ID21257193
AuthorsTeresa Abrahamson-Richards (0000-0003-3788-8261, Hummingbird Scientific (United States), corresponding author), Koa Beck (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), Kamalei Brandon (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), Alice Oligario (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), Charlotte Pfeiffer, C D Pfeiffer (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), D’Ana Valenzuela (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), Katie Stover (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), LeChante Raiwalui (Hummingbird Scientific (United States)), Lynette Jordan (Hummingbird Scientific (United States))
Year2025
Pages100474
Publication date2025-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSSM - Mental Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2666-5603 • E-ISSN: 2666-5603
PublisherElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.ssmmh.2025.100474
OpenAlexW4411139938
LanguageEN
References cited17

Purpose Indigenous self-determination remains underexplored in early childhood mental health and intervention research despite widespread barriers that existing Western-driven evidence paradigms present for Indigenous communities. This study examines how Indigenous knowledge systems can inform home visitor professional competencies through the development of an Indigenous-centered practice framework. Methods We employed a multi-stage approach including a literature review of existing home visitor competency frameworks and Indigenous practice approaches followed by a novel "grounded re-review" process with Indigenous home visitors that aimed to elevate Indigenous practice-based expertise. Through facilitated interviews and hands-on activities, Indigenous practitioners critically examined dominant frameworks and co-analyzed existing literature to identify areas of alignment, tension, and omission. Results Ten common home visitor competencies were identified across existing frameworks, reflecting standardized approaches that largely fail to account for Indigenous epistemologies and values. Indigenous literature and the grounded re-review highlighted critical misalignments for applying these competencies to Indigenous settings. These include the assumption of nuclear family structures, an emphasis on individual rather than collective wellbeing, and a failure to recognize the important role of cultural knowledge. In response, the authors propose an Indigenous Home Visitor Competencies Framework that positions Indigenous cultures and languages at the center of five other interconnected domains. Conclusions This framework represents a fundamental shift from cultural adaptation to Indigenous sovereignty in early childhood services. By centering Indigenous knowledge systems as complete epistemologies rather than add-on considerations, this approach supports both maternal and infant mental health and community self-determination in early childhood practice

Business · Indigenous · Traditional knowledge · Visitor pattern · Computer Science · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Ecology · Marketing

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access