Project aims to help kids in out-of-home care
A multi-government initiative was announced Thursday afternoon aimed at First Nations and Indigenous children who have been placed in out-of-home care.
By Tim Giilck on February 18, 2022
A multi-government initiative was announced Thursday afternoon aimed at First Nations and Indigenous children who have been placed in out-of-home care.
During a news conference, representatives from Indigenous Services Canada, the Yukon government, First Nations and the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) introduced the Cultural Connections Project for First Nations and Indigenous children in out-of-home care.
In a news release following the announcement, participants said “this project will be implemented in partnership over the next five years, to support and safeguard connection to culture and community for Yukon First Nations and Indigenous children involved in the child welfare system.
“With the launch of the Cultural Connections Project, supports will be provided to connect all children in out-of-home care with their own cultures and communities.
“For Yukon First Nations children under the care of the Yukon Director of Family and Children’s Services, this will include a mandatory cultural plan developed collaboratively with Yukon First Nations or the Council of Yukon First Nations.
“Cultural plans may include individual and group cultural, linguistic, traditional and on-the-land activities, to support connections with their family and community.”
There are currently 84 children involved in the Yukon’s child welfare system.
About 90 per cent of them are Aboriginal.
“Council of Yukon First Nations is pleased to see this project come to fruition for the benefit of Yukon First Nations children,” said CYFN Grand Chief Peter
Johnston.
“This project is the result of collaboration across governments and Yukon First Nations and demonstrates a commitment to ensuring that Yukon First Nations
children in care are able to maintain a connection to their culture and communities.”
The program is to be operational by April. 1.
“All children deserve to be emotionally, physically and spiritually safe,” added Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee.
“They must be valued, loved and respected in their culture. This project reflects our commitment to reconciliation and the importance of culture and community for children involved in the child welfare system.
“It is also an example of true partnership and collaboration between Yukon First Nations, Canada and the Yukon.”
The news release stated this project aligns with the key priorities of Yukon’s Trilateral Table on the Well-being of Yukon First Nations Children and Families, in
particular, the importance of reunification and maintaining connections between children and families.
It also responds to some of the recommendations made by First Nations during the recent review of the Yukon’s Child and Family Services Act.
“This initiative also supports the intent and direction of the federal act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families in the Yukon,”
participants stated.
“The act affirms the inherent rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples to exercise jurisdiction in relation to their child and family services, and establishes national guiding principles that must be applied by all who provide child and family services to Indigenous children.”
The federal government is supporting this initiative through its First Nations Child and Family Services Program.
Funding is being provided for five years starting in 2021-2022, and will provide up to a total of $12.6 million.
Comments (3)
Up 5 Down 2
Groucho d'North on Feb 22, 2022 at 9:03 am
I would much rather see activities focused on preventing the need for kids to be in group homes. Focus efforts on creating healthier families. Get ALL the Yukon's many governments to the table and hammer out a plan. It's your job!
Up 18 Down 2
Max Mack on Feb 19, 2022 at 5:03 pm
How come the group home and foster care operators were not included in this initative?
I'm sure the foster care and group home operators like the concept in theory, how much additional burden will this place on operators?
Perhaps initiatives like these are why GY is losing group home and foster care operators? Perhaps GY is deliberately trying to force out the private operators?
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Austin on Feb 19, 2022 at 8:28 am
I would like to ask the Minister about what extra help the caucasian kids that are placed in Home Care are going to get. My wife and I have been taking care of a girl for almost a year and she has decided to go back to the group home. She was finding school and our rules to hard to deal with. Now that she is back in the group home (which she is the only kid there) she is not liking it. We received just over $37 a day for her to be here which helps but doesn't come close to covering costs of a teenage girl.
Try to get in touch with the Social Worker (what a joke that is). They may call back a day or two later. They like to make it look like they care but what I have seen in the last 9 months it's all smoke, mirrors and lip service. I am not of the workers care I am saying do and some don't and these politicians are just out save their jobs and look like the heroes.
A Group Home is not a place for a child to grow up in. I hope she is safe and continues on with her schooling as she has had a mass improvement since she came here. At least she was going to school. Now that she is in the group home will she even go to school?
McPhee you should resign you have no empathy or sympathy for these kids and it has shown in previous cases in the Yukon. If anyone wants to talk to me about it put a comment here and I will talk to you. Please Star post my comments because this system for displaced kids, Indigenious or not, sucks especially when there are people out there willing to take care of these kids. They may need just a little more help than what the government supplies. This government is pitiful.