In January 2022, the parties to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) proceedings on First Nations child and family services (FNCFS) announced an agreement in principle, which included compensation for past harms of the FNCFS system, and a commitment to long-term reform.  This commitment to long-term reform presents an opportunity to reset the FNCFS system with a focus on well-being and the needs of First Nations. 

The Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) is pleased to continue its collaboration with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) and the Caring Society to support this reform.  Over the past four years, the contributions of FNCFS agencies – from sharing data and wise practices to welcoming us to your offices – were the backbone of the cost estimate in Phase 1 and the development of the well-being focused and needs-based funding approach in Phase 2.  This progress and this work would not have been possible without you. 

We remain grateful and humbled by the commitment, trust, and generosity you have shown us.  We are respectfully asking once more for your help. 

1. Share your experiences by completing a questionnaire on your funding, resource needs, and programming.  You can access the questionnaire HERE or join a virtual work session by contacting helaina.gaspard@ifsd.ca  
2. Volunteer to serve as a research collaborator.  Research collaborators will have detailed budgets, operating plans, a capital needs assessment, and transition considerations developed.  This will be a multi-year commitment with significant requests for data, financial information, site visits, and the testing of tools and approaches.  IFSD can offer support for your participation.  If you’re interested in contributing as a research collaborator, contact helaina.gaspard@ifsd.ca

The project will leverage, build-on, and translate previous phases of work (Phase 1 and Phase 2) into discrete First Nation-based delivery models that transform organizational strategy, people, process, and systems. 

It is intended to build capacity and an enhanced bottom-up planning framework for agencies and First Nations, while building confidence among stakeholders.

IFSD depends on the experiences, perspectives, and information from research collaborators to connect this work to realities of exercising jurisdiction in First Nations child and family services. 

IFSD follows OCAP® Principles.  IFSD asked FNIGC to provide a technical review of its tools and materials.

Any information that is disseminated publicly will be aggregated and/or anonymized to protect the privacy of collaborators.

The shared data will contribute to the development of models, tools, reports, briefings, and decision-support for stakeholders. 

All data shared by FNCFS agencies will be held on password protected cloud-storage system (OneDrive).  All servers associated to IFSD’s cloud-storage system are resident in Canada.  Data shared will be accessible only to IFSD staff directly engaged in the project.

Research collaborators and participants can withdraw at any time. Any data shared with IFSD will be destroyed.