APTN NewsThe federal government says it has a plan to take action against the crisis in child welfare.That includes shifting from apprehension to prevention and trying to keep children connected to their families and culture.Many of the reasons for over representation are well known – a lack of proper housing, poverty and inter-generational trauma.Another problem is the data, or lack of it.In an opening speech at a two-day emergency meeting on child welfare in Ottawa Thursday, Indigenous Services Minsiter Jane Philpott said the data available to count the number of Indigenous kids in care is not good enough and without an accurate measure you can’t properly understand what is wrong and fix it.An estimated 40,000 Indigenous children are in care across Canada, accounting for more than half of the kids in care overall, but Philpott said she doesn’t believe anyone actually knows the real number.She said the government has the political will to fix the crisis, including getting accurate data, but she won’t yet put deadlines or targets on reducing the number of kids in care and keeping more families together.Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed says the discrepancies in services for Indigenous children are rooted in a lack of a basic level of respect for Indigenous families and culture.Philpott said the ultimate goal is Indigenous management of child welfare but Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde is urging First Nations to take control now and not wait for Ottawa or provincial governments to delegate the authority to them.-with files from The Canadian Press read more