Embedded Files
This collection brings together key reports, legislation, and research that have shaped Indigenous child welfare policy and practice in British Columbia. These resources provide historical context, legal foundations, and evidence to support informed decision-making in the AOPSI Redesign.
Timeline
Timeline
Key Materials
Key Materials
Draft standards for culturally grounded, Circle-based Aboriginal child and family services practice.
Overarching framework guiding restorative, culturally grounded policy and practice.
History of Approved AOPSI
History of Approved AOPSI
Initial framework defining expectations for governance, service delivery, and practice.
Updated standards incorporating learning from early adoption and sector input.
Streamlined operational standards clarifying roles, processes, and accountability.
Additional Materials
Additional Materials
1. Legal Foundations & Rights
1. Legal Foundations & Rights
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
Theme: Child Rights Framework
A global human rights agreement that establishes children’s rights to safety, development, identity, family, culture, and participation.
Key Takeaways:
The best interests of the child must guide decisions.
Children have the right to identity, culture, and family.
Children should have a voice in decisions affecting them.
Calling Forth Our Future (2002)
Calling Forth Our Future (2002)
Theme: Foundation Direction in BC
A foundational paper from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs grounded in Indigenous Peoples' inherent right of Self-Determination, suggesting ways for the assertion and exercise of jurisdiction in the area of child welfare.
Key Takeaways:
The paper equates provincial delegated child-welfare authority with assimilationist policies that continue Indigenous colonization.
It affirms that the only viable alternative is recognizing and supporting Indigenous Peoples’ inherent right to self-determination.
Indigenous jurisdiction over child care and protection requires decolonization grounded in revitalized traditional laws.
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (2007)
UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) (2007)
Theme: Indigenous Rights & Self-Determination
A foundational international declaration recognizing the individual and collective rights of Indigenous Peoples, including rights to self-determination, culture, governance, lands, and participation in decisions affecting them.
Key Takeaways:
Indigenous Peoples have the right to self-determination.
Governments must respect Indigenous rights, laws, cultures, and governance systems.
Free, prior, and informed consent is central to rights-based decision-making.
Declaration Act Action Plan (2022)
Declaration Act Action Plan (2022)
Theme: Implementation of UNDRIP in British Columbia
Government of British Columbia action plan outlining how the province will implement Indigenous rights in alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Key Takeaways:
Policy and legislation must align with UNDRIP.
Indigenous participation in decision-making is required.
Systems must support Indigenous self-determination.
2. Foundational Direction in British Columbia
2. Foundational Direction in British Columbia
Liberating Our Children (1992)
Liberating Our Children (1992)
Theme: Indigenous Self-Determination in Child Welfare
A landmark BC report from community matriarchs calling for Indigenous control over child welfare services.
Key Takeaways:
Nation self-determination and jurisdiction over child and family services are essential to the wellbeing of children and communities.
Child welfare must support cultural identity and nation rebuilding.
Prevention and community support should replace removal-focused systems.
Aboriginal Policy & Practice Framework (2015)
Aboriginal Policy & Practice Framework (2015)
Theme: Culturally appropriate, restorative care for Indigenous children, youth, and families.
An overarching framework intended to improve outcomes for Aboriginal children, youth, families, and communities through restorative policies and practices.
Key Takeaways:
Cultural safety and humility are foundational.
Practice must be relational and strengths-based.
Indigenous identity and community connections are central to wellbeing.
3. System Reviews & Accountability
3. System Reviews & Accountability
The Gove Inquiry (1995)
The Gove Inquiry (1995)
Theme:
A major public inquiry led by Judge Thomas J. Gove following the death of five-year-old Matthew Vaudreuil, examining the adequacy of child protection policies, practices, and oversight in British Columbia’s child welfare system. This inquiry invigorated a systemic risk-averse approach to child protection that relies heavily on documentation and government oversight.
Key Takeaways:
Resulting in structural reform including stronger monitoring and review of child welfare services and child deaths
Consistent standards and clear roles are needed to protect children
Diverted efforts to build a strengths-based system supporting the self-determination of First Nations
BC Children & Youth Review — Hughes Review (2006)
BC Children & Youth Review — Hughes Review (2006)
Theme: System Accountability & Reform
An investigation into failures in BC child welfare following the death of a child in care.
Key Takeaways:
Strong accountability and oversight systems are needed.
The report helped establish the need for the Representative for Children and Youth’s office.
Solutions to the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in care cannot rely only on protection-based child welfare interventions.
Delegated Aboriginal Agencies must be strengthened and properly resourced.
Auditor General Report: Management of Aboriginal Child Protection (2008)
Auditor General Report: Management of Aboriginal Child Protection (2008)
Theme: Systemic Failure & Accountability
An investigation into the death of an Indigenous child and systemic failures in child welfare.
Key Takeaways:
Government needs to consider policy and outcomes in funding decisions.
The system is not serving the needs of Aboriginal children.
Outcome-based reporting and data must be improved in collaboration with Aboriginal communities.
RCY Final Progress Report on the Hughes Review (2010)
RCY Final Progress Report on the Hughes Review (2010)
Theme: Implementation Accountability
An assessment of whether recommendations from the Hughes Review were implemented.
Key Takeaways:
The opportunity to transform the system had not been realized.
There was no clear path for legislative, policy, or standards reform directed at measurable improvement for children and youth.
Tracking outcomes and reporting remained a key concern.
Quality Assurance Visioning Session Report (2011)
Quality Assurance Visioning Session Report (2011)
Theme: Indigenous Quality Assurance Models
Visioning work exploring how quality assurance could reflect Indigenous values and community accountability.
Key Takeaways:
Quality assurance should be principle-based and grounded in community values.
Evaluation must measure wellbeing, not just compliance.
Indicators should measure progress toward meaningful outcomes.
Social Work Oversight Engagement Report (2024)
Social Work Oversight Engagement Report (2024)
Theme: Professional Accountability
Engagement findings related to social work oversight and professional regulation.
Key Takeaways:
Professional standards must align with cultural safety.
Oversight structures need clarity and independence.
Practice standards must ensure accountability.
Don’t Look Away (2024)
Don’t Look Away (2024)
Theme: Systemic Failure & Accountability
An investigation into the death of an Indigenous child and systemic failures in child welfare.
Key Takeaways:
There is an urgent need for system transformation toward child and family wellbeing.
Indigenous families continue to face systemic barriers, with tragic consequences.
Indigenous authority must be recognized.
Accountability and transparency must be improved.
Don’t Look Away — Appendix 2: History of Child Welfare in BC (2024)
Don’t Look Away — Appendix 2: History of Child Welfare in BC (2024)
Theme: Historical Context of Child Welfare in British Columbia.
Historical analysis of Indigenous child welfare policies in British Columbia
Key Takeaways:
Historical harms continue to shape current systems.
Structural racism must be addressed.
Reform requires systemic transformation.
4. Indigenous-Led Research & Reconciliation
4. Indigenous-Led Research & Reconciliation
Touchstones of Hope (2005)
Touchstones of Hope (2005)
Theme: Approaches for Caring for First Nations Children & Reconciliation
A framework emphasizing that Indigenous child welfare requires a grassroots, ground-up approach.
Key Takeaways:
Reconciliation in child welfare can happen through relating, restoring, truth-telling, and acknowledging.
Communities must be central in defining solutions.
Child welfare reform must be rooted in Indigenous values and relationships.
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015)
Truth and Reconciliation Commission (2015)
Theme: Reconciliation & Child Welfare Reform
Calls to action to address the harms of residential schools and systemic inequities, including urgent reforms in child welfare.
Key Takeaways:
Ensure Indigenous control over child welfare services.
Reduce the number of Indigenous children in care.
Establish culturally appropriate parenting programs.
Root Causes to Root Solutions (2016)
Root Causes to Root Solutions (2016)
Theme: Structural Drivers of Child Welfare Involvement
Research examining systemic causes of Indigenous child welfare involvement and proposing community-based solutions.
Key Takeaways:
Poverty, housing, and colonial policies drive system involvement.
Reunification and prevention should be prioritized.
Community resilience must guide policy.
MMIWG Calls to Justice (2019)
MMIWG Calls to Justice (2019)
Theme: Safety of Indigenous Women, Girls & Families
A national inquiry outlining actions for addressing systemic violence and social inequities.
Key Takeaways:
Child welfare reform is linked to family safety and wellbeing.
Indigenous-led services are essential.
Systems must address structural discrimination.
Justice, Equity, Culture: First Gathering of Youth in Care (2019)
Justice, Equity, Culture: First Gathering of Youth in Care (2019)
Theme: Youth Voice & Lived Experience in Child Welfare
A landmark gathering where youth in care shared their lived experiences and recommendations for improving the child welfare system, emphasizing dignity, belonging, and being heard.
Key Takeaways:
Youth must have a meaningful voice in decisions affecting their lives and the systems that serve them.
Relationships with trusted adults and consistent support are critical for wellbeing.
Standards should prioritize stability, cultural connection, and youth participation in care planning.
5. Practice Models & Tools
5. Practice Models & Tools
Measuring to Thrive (2021)
Measuring to Thrive (2021)
Theme: Indigenous Wellbeing Measurement
An outcomes-based framework aligned with Indigenous ways of understanding and measuring child, family, and community wellbeing.
Key Takeaways:
Outcomes should focus on wellbeing, not just service activity.
Community-defined indicators are critical.
Data governance must respect Indigenous data sovereignty.
Wrapping Our Ways Around Them (2021)
Wrapping Our Ways Around Them (2021)
Theme: Indigenous Child Welfare Practice Guide
A practical guide supporting culturally grounded child welfare practice in BC.
Key Takeaways:
Child welfare must be holistic and family-centred.
Collaboration between agencies and communities is essential.
Culture, language, and kinship are protective factors.
Walking with Wise Practices (2022–2024)
Walking with Wise Practices (2022–2024)
Theme: Indigenous-led Practice Transformation
Collaborative work between Indigenous child and family service agencies in BC and government, exploring Indigenous practice and research approaches to support structural change.
Key Takeaways:
Relationship-based practice is central to child wellbeing.
System transformation requires shared accountability between Indigenous agencies and government.
The Aboriginal Policy and Practice Framework can support shared goals between collaborating parties.
6. Expanded Reading
6. Expanded Reading
Literature Review References (2009)
Literature Review References (2009)
Theme: Indigenous Child Welfare & Social Work
A list of resources supporting the literature review for Holistic Pathways: Child, Family, Community and Worker Wellness in Indigenous Social Work.
Key Takeaways:
There is extensive academic research supporting prevention and family-based support for Indigenous children, families, and communities.
Implementing Bill C-92: Strengthening Indigenous Jurisdiction and Community Resilience (2025)
Implementing Bill C-92: Strengthening Indigenous Jurisdiction and Community Resilience (2025)
Theme: Indigenous Jurisdiction Through Federal Legislation
Academic analysis of federal legislation recognizing Indigenous jurisdiction over child and family services.
Key Takeaways:
Bill C-92 affirms Indigenous authority in child welfare.
Implementation requires capacity and funding.
Community resilience strengthens jurisdictional models.
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