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Indigenous Resilience, Connectedness and Reunification – From Root Causes to Root Solutions

Last updated on October 30, 2023

The Ministry of Children and Family Development is committed to sharing with British Columbians actions taken and progress made on recommendations in the 2016 report, Indigenous Resilience, Connectedness and Reunification – From Root Causes to Root Solutions. 

On November 21, 2016, the Province accepted the 85 recommendations put forward. A number of these recommendations were assigned solely to the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) and others were assigned to be co-led by MCFD and other organizations or solely led by other organizations. The ministry welcomed this report as it offered valuable insights on strengthening supports and services for children, youth and families, and it has guided and informed legislation and policy changes as well as new legislation, to improve those services and supports. 

Of the actions that MCFD is responsible for:

  • 52 are substantially complete.
  • 6 are identified for continuous improvement.
  • 10 are identified as having a new direction actively being implemented.
  • 5 are in progress.
  • 12 are solely assigned to another organization.

The report identified ten focus areas with recommendations. The focus areas are:

  1. Direct Support for Indigenous Children, Parents and Families in all Indigenous Communities
  2. Access to Justice and Child and Family Services
  3. A New Fiscal Relationship – Investing in Patterns of Connectedness
  4. Prevention Services – Keeping Families Connected
  5. Reunification and Permanency Planning
  6. Nurturing a Sense of Belonging and Prioritizing Culture and Language – Care Plans as a Tool for Building Connectedness
  7. Early Years – Early Investment in Establishing Patterns of Connectedness
  8. Indigenous Peoples and Jurisdiction Over Child Welfare
  9. The Existing Policy Framework – Shifting Towards Patterns of Connectedness
  10. A National Strategy for Indigenous Child Welfare

Since this Report was issued in 2016, there have been significant changes in the approach to child and family services:

  • Within MCFD there has been a shift to a system-wide approach to transforming child, youth and family services.  
  • There has been significant and historic progress at all levels of government in creating legislative pathways to upholding and honouring Indigenous Peoples’ inherent jurisdiction and authority.

For more detail information about the changes and evolution of the ministry’s approach to child and family service delivery, the pathways to jurisdiction, and the detailed progress report see below.

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