The vision of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society Indigenous Strategy is intended to provide employees, volunteers and foster parents with focus and a framework to improve supports and culture informed services, policies and practices when delivering child protection services to Indigenous families and communities. The Strategy will build upon the successful work completed to establish a community-informed Strategic Plan that was launched in 2014. It is the responsibility of Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society to ensure that Indigenous communities are involved in making decisions in the best interests of their children.
We are committed to:
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- Gather information necessary to determine eligibility for services and make every effort to determine the child, youth or family’s Indigenous identity at the start of a referral.
- Contact appropriate Bands/Nations to connect children and their families to their communities and together create plans of care.
- As soon as possible, arrange for the transfer of children and families of Indigenous Heritage to Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child and Family Services for service and support.
- Ongoing access to training and workshops in conjunction with the Association of Native Child and Family Services Agencies of Ontario (ANCFSAO).
- Act as an advisory council to the Executive Director, making recommendations for training priorities, policies and practices to enhance truth and reconciliation activities, knowledge and understanding by the employee group.
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- Ongoing commitment to build partnerships with individuals and community programs involved in planning for Indigenous children and families.
- Train each Kawartha-Haliburton in the “Other Side of the Door” training offered via OACAS.
- Support the location of a support person, cultural mentor, or community elder who could be present to support initial meetings with families wherever possible, until families can be formally connected to their communities.
- Support the maintenance of the Kawartha-Haliburton Indigenous Circle and its connection to Indigenous Community partners.
