Ontario child welfare sector unanimously agrees to 8 Reconciliation commitments

The Ontario child welfare sector unanimously agreed to eight commitments to further the Reconciliation agenda. Children’s Aid Societies committed to:

1. Reduce the number of Indigenous children in care
2. Reduce the number of legal files
3. Increase the use of formal customary care agreements
4. Track and report the number of Indigenous local Board members
5. Implement mandatory Indigenous training for their staff
6. Continue to develop relationships between their agency and the Indigenous communities they serve
7. In consultation with the Indigenous communities they serve, develop a unique agency-based plan to further address the needs of those communities
8. Change their inter-agency protocol to include Jordan’s Principle** as a fundamental principle

* Customary care leaves the responsibility for the care of the child with the Indigenous community.
** Jordan’s Principle is a child-first principle aimed at ensuring that services to First Nations children are not denied, delayed, or disrupted due to jurisdictional disputes. The principle is named for Jordan River Anderson, a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Learn more here.