OACAS hosted the first Bringing Our Minds Together Think Tank, a gathering of Ontario First Nations, Inuit, and Métis community leaders and service agencies to help inform OACAS and the child welfare sector’s Reconciliation journey.

In the Call to Action, OACAS began collecting and distributing samples of resources to assist agencies in furthering Reconciliation with Indigenous people and communities. As part of this work, OACAS developed an online tool for members which maps the proximity and information of First Nation communities and Indigenous resource centres/organizations…

OACAS made a renewed commitment to Reconciliation following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) report, which includes five recommendations directed at child welfare.

The third annual Indigenous Youth-in-Care Gathering was held again at Bark Lake. Youth came together to celebrate their culture, traditions, and identities through various workshops and activities. Blake, an Indigenous youth in care, shared his most memorable moments with OACAS here.

A Restoration of Jurisdiction survey was completed by all OACAS member agencies. The results provided a snapshot of where agencies were at that moment in time, along the continuum of Reconciliation with Indigenous people and communities, compared against the Reconciliation Framework.

OACAS released The Other Side of the Door: A Practice Guide for Child Welfare Professionals in Working with First Nation, Inuit and Métis Peoples. The practice guide was developed by Kenn Richard, Executive Director, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto, to strengthen understanding of the history of colonization within…

OACAS hosted the “Sharing a Good Heart Symposium”.  The event was the experiential component organized to accompany the release of The Other Side of the Door: A Practice Guide for Child Welfare Professionals in Working with First Nation, Inuit and Métis Peoples. This took place at Kempenfelt Resort, where non-Indigenous…

The second annual Indigenous Youth-in-Care Gathering took place at the Bark Lake Leadership Centre in Kawartha-Haliburton. Youth participated in several days of cultural workshops and activities, including canoeing, kayaking, and archery.

The first annual Aboriginal Youth-in-Care Gathering (later renamed the Indigenous Youth-in-Care Gathering) took place at Seneca College in conjunction with the annual YouthCAN conference. The event was envisioned as a way to support Indigenous youth in care to remain connected to their cultures, languages, and traditions.

The Aboriginal Services Advisory Committee started work to develop a “Reconciliation Framework” to guide Reconciliation efforts within Ontario’s child welfare sector.