Childcare Law & Capacity Building

The Canadian child welfare system has long contributed to the separation of Indigenous families and the dismantling of Indigenous kinship and family systems. Children that are removed from their families through the child welfare system are deprived of the bond between child, family, and community, and families that have lost children face the social implications arising from the loss of children. Children placed in non-Indigenous families face cultural assimilation through the deprivation of an appropriate cultural upbringing and may struggle to develop a strong cultural and spiritual identity. The purpose of this project is to develop Indigenous and community-led Child and Family Services legislation, systems, and programs for Dakota Tipi First Nation. Through the development of this Child and Family Services model, children will live, belong, and grow older within the environment which is their birthright—one rooted in kinship, knowledge, and culture.