Recommendation 1: MCFD to conduct a systemic needs analysis of cultural and family support resources required to ensure that social workers are better supported to promote a sense of belonging and identity for First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Urban Indigenous children and youth in care in relation to their families, culture and cultural community over time and at different stages in their lives and identity development. This review will inform the development of a longer-term resourcing and implementation plan. However, given the urgent need to address the significant over-involvement of the child welfare system in the lives of Indigenous children and families and poor outcomes for Indigenous children in the child welfare system, a substantive investment of new resources should be made immediately that can be considered a down payment on the resources identified for the longer-term plan.

Funding for immediate and substantive new resources to be secured and implementation to begin no later than April 1, 2022.

Needs analysis and resourcing plan to be completed by Sept. 30, 2022 with longer-term, sustained funding secured and implementation of new resources beginning by April 1, 2023.

The needs analysis of cultural support resources must be informed by meaningful consultation and collaboration with First Nations, Métis and Inuit entities in accordance with obligations under DRIPA and recognizing that Indigenous people hold the expertise, and inherent right of responsibility, over their children. Without limiting the foregoing, the ministry should consider enhancing social workers’ capacity to do the required work; Roots workers/Family Finders; working with communities to create cultural support circles, matriarchal circles or other circles deemed appropriate by individual communities; cultural reconnection and reunification actions such as visits to home communities and places of connection; support for case re-assessments and family/community reconnection; support to family member visitations regardless of where the child lives; participation in cultural activities; and children in care being supported to visit their traditional territories for significant family or milestone ceremonies and at minimum twice a year.

Recommendation 2: That MCFD conduct a comprehensive review and revision of all relevant care-planning and case management standards, policies, practice guidelines and training materials with the goal of aligning those materials with the dimensions of belonging, as described in this report.

Revisions of all relevant materials to be completed by March 31, 2022.

The review and revisions noted above should be aligned with the ‘best interest’ provisions in the federal Act concerning First Nations, Inuit and Métis children and families, informed by meaningful consultations with relevant First Nations, Métis, Inuit and Urban Indigenous entities and include Delegated Aboriginal Agencies as well as the Policy, Practice and Aboriginal Services branches within MCFD to ensure a fulsome and progressive review that advances the changes that are already underway.

Recommendation 3: In the interest of improving practice, that MCFD distribute Skye’s Legacy: A Focus on Belonging to all staff who work with and plan for children and youth who are in care or who may come into care, and then meaningfully engage in discussions with those staff about belonging for children and youth in the context of case planning, decision-making and the development and implementation of care plans. These discussions should be informed by the Circle practices developed in the APPF in order to foster strength-based, holistic and restorative work that centres child and youth well-being and belonging and should be designed to promote thoughtful reflection and enhance understanding. This process of engagement should not be a one-time process and should occur regularly to support strong practice development and reflection.

Report dissemination to be completed by Aug. 31, 2021 and initial Circle discussions to be completed by March 31, 2022.