Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 122: Guarantee free and culturally appropriate child care and early childhood education for all children on and off reserve, with adequate staffing ratios and support for children with special needs.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 123: Guarantee free individualized support such as culturally appropriate parenting programs; detox on demand; and counselling for mothers with mental health diagnoses, learning disabilities, drug use dependence, and who are survivors of domestic violence.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 125: Social workers must increase communication with families about what is being investigated, clear timelines and goals, and file status.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 126: Frequent family visits and family reunification must always be the top priority and never delayed due to MCFD’s own bureaucratic inefficiencies. Social workers must not be allowed to cancel family visits without written authorization from the Director.

Recommendations to keep Indigenous families together in the DTES

Support Indigenous families

Recommendation 127: Increase the number of culturally appropriate family liaison workers and parenting supports.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Legal and judicial reform

Recommendation 148: End the counter-charging and criminalization of Indigenous women who defend themselves or their children from abuse and violence.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 175: Increase supports for Indigenous women on conditional release, particularly through income assistance, employment, counselling, and child care. Permit conditional release options that facilitate Indigenous women to be housed with their children.

Recommendations to end criminalization of Indigenous women in the DTES

Correctional facilities

Recommendation 178: For women who do not have primary custody of their children, prioritize the social bond between incarcerated mothers and their children. This includes:

1. Funding for families to cover the costs and logistics of transportation for visits and child-friendly practices during visitation including visitation hours scheduled after school hours, no body searches of children, and allowance for physical contact.
2. Visitation outside the prison setting.
3. Free and unlimited phone calls and introduce video calling technologies, in addition to the right to open in-person visits.
4. Family reunification as a priority post-release by providing all the necessary supports including housing, child care, and parenting support.