“Inclusive Foster Care is about keeping children safe, connected and loved. Inclusive fostering was identified as a step to begin transforming the foster care system to include the on-going participation of parents and extended family in caring for their children. It is about forming relationships which develop and change, as parents and foster caregivers work together to care for the child. It is an intense relationship, demanding co-operation to resolve differences and to work in true partnership. The focus is the best interest of the child; the goal is preserving the family ties. It is a partnership where parents and foster caregivers teach and support each other to care for the child.”

Inclusive Foster Care is practiced to ensure that foster caregivers and social workers keep children connected to their family, community and culture. Inclusive fostering is made up of three components:

1. Partnering with the Child’s Parents,
2. Supporting the Child’s Identity, and
3. Including Extended Family.

*Interactive Nation Maps*

To better understand Inclusive Foster Care, here are examples of inclusive fostering in action from foster caregivers:
“My daughter came with parents, uncles and a grandma. At one point we visited grandma all the time, brought her food and then tried to arrange for her to live with us. The parents visited us off and on for a year. We were in constant contact with her brother who was in another foster home. Visits twice a week, take the kids to the park, invite them over, and do birthdays together.” – Foster Caregiver

“I asked mom where she was from when she was picking up for a visit. I asked her if she had regalia. I’ll go ahead and do the regalia. We want the parents to know they have a part in the girl’s life… I will do the research on dad’s family because it is important.” – Foster Caregiver

“My wife learned to make bannock and Indian tacos on a regular basis. The kids have grown up to have a strong affiliation to their nation. We took the kids to their community for powwows. We know now that it’s absolutely critical for them to be around their family, to know their family, not just as a name at the end of a telephone line but to know where they live. To see them, hear them, play with them, all that kind of good stuff.” – Foster Caregiver

“We get a lot of teaching from Elders and I’ve reached out to the Band – sent letters, email. We have not got anything back yet but I will keep trying. The kids can show you where the band is on the map and I talk to them about their family and where they are living and we’ll go there one day. I want to make sure the kids learn not just about West Coast culture but about their own Nation. I tell them to be proud.” – Foster Caregiver

The above examples show the heart of inclusive fostering and do a good job of highlighting the three main components of Inclusive Foster Care mentioned above. Read the Message From a Caregiver to learn more about inclusive fostering in action. And check out this video for more information (LINK TO VIDEO).

Learn more about the history of inclusive fostering, including the development of Inclusive Foster Care policy and practices within VACFSS.

Hopefully this website is able to provide you with a wide array of information that helps you to better understand what Inclusive Foster Care is and how to engage with inclusive fostering in your day-to-day life. We understand that inclusive fostering is complicated and the information presented here or events you experience may leave you with more questions about Inclusive Foster Care and the different components of inclusive practice.

When questions about Inclusive Foster Care arise or you need additional information contact your Resources Social Worker (RSW)! The Resources Social Worker is here to support your caregiving needs and can help your engagement in Inclusive Foster Care practices. Resource Social Workers can connect you with additional resources, such as an Elder or other cultural supports.

Resource Social Workers are located at:
3284 East Broadway
Vancouver, BC
V5M 1Z8

You can contact your Resource social worker by:
Phone: 604-216-6150 or use their extension number
Email: firstname_lastname@www.vacfss.com
V5M 1Z8

You can also contact inclusivefostercare@www.vacfss.com when you have questions about
Inclusive Foster Care!

For emergencies: After Hours
Helpline for Children in BC Phone: 604-660-4927
Phone: 310-1234 (no area code needed) Toll Free: 1-800-663-9122

Growing up in care can be a trauma inducing and isolating experience; often children and youth in care are disconnected from family, cultural teachings, and may have little to no understanding of the place they come from. The disconnection from land, family, and culture experienced in the care system is a continuation of the forced disconnections imposed on Indigenous peoples during the Residential School era and contributes to ongoing intergenerational trauma (see John, 2016). The youth programming at VACFSS centers around the belief that healing can come through speaking out, experiencing success, team work and a reconnection to culture. By offering opportunities to experience leadership, success, and a stronger connection to cultural practices, we are creating healing opportunities and supporting them to have a clear vision of their future and unlimited potential. Go to our Programs page to learn about the specific cultural programs and events VACFSS has to offer.

Video on The Impact of Residential Schools.

For more information about VACFSS cultural programming talk to the child’s social worker or reach out to the contact below! Click here to view cultural seasonal calendar developed by VACFSS’ Cultural Coordinator and Elder to learn more about important cultural practices throughout the seasons

Contact for information regarding VACFSS-related programming:

Jessica Knutson – Child and Youth Cultural Engagement Coordinator

Phone: 604-216-6136
Email: Jessica_Knutson@www.vacfss.com

Gathering The Circle
The Gathering the CIRCLE (Children’s Indigenous Rights, Culture, Languages, and Education) program, referred to as CIRCLE for short, was developed in 2016 to address gaps in services for young Indigenous children in care. The program is grounded in the idea that every Indigenous child should have the opportunity to learn about and be connected to their culture. CIRCLE recognizes that connecting children and youth to their cultural roots can be difficult sometimes, and thus aims to begin cultural engagement at a young age. The program assists Indigenous children in care to enhance and/or develop their understanding of their Indigenous heritage, as well as their sense of identity as Indigenous children living in an urban environment.

The CIRCLE program runs every Tuesday afternoon (4:00-6:00pm) from September to June; the program alternates between a group of VACFSS children aged 6-9 years old and a group of VACFSS children aged 10-13 years old. The program is run by Knowledge Keepers in the community and supported by VACFSS staff, social workers, community members, and Elders. CIRCLE aims to incorporate cultural teachings and practices from Nations across Turtle Island, with a focus on Nations the children come from. Participating in CIRCLE provides children with the opportunity to develop their unique cultural identity, as well as build connections with other Indigenous children in care.

Culturally Relevant Urban Wellness
We believe in the inherent right of Indigenous children and youth to be grounded in their histories, families, and communities, and thus strive to provide a range of culturally-relevant programming to Indigenous children and youth as they age through the care system.
The Culturally Relevant Urban Wellness (CRUW) program was developed in 2011 by a community partnership – led by VACFSS – interested in promoting the use of green space as a source of wellness and concrete skill development for vulnerable youth. The program is grounded in the concept of food as medicine, and the Indigenous perspective that we derive wellness and community from relationship and interaction with land and territory. The CRUW program has three programming streams:

1. UBC Farm Program
2. Life Skills & Leadership Program
3. Youth Mentor Committee

The programming streams aim to work towards four program objectives:

1. Honouring Our Diversity, with an emphasis on applying ancestral Indigenous knowledge and practice to contemporary urban living.
2. Holistic and Sustainable Urban Wellness, with an emphasis on food security, food sovereignty, and empowering youth to access green space in their communities as a source of wellness and concrete skill development.
3. Emotional and Cultural Competence, with an emphasis on breaking down stereotypes, bullying and discrimination.
4. Youth Leadership & Mentorship, with an emphasis on promoting self-esteem, positive identity formation, and skills and capacities to support the transition into independent living.

Youth Advisory Committee
The Youth Advisory Committee was formed 2010 and consists of 12 youth in or from VACFSS care. The committee was formed to ensure that youth not only have a voice in their own care, but in the larger care system that is designed to support them. It also ensures that VACFSS holds a youth voice, and its policies and initiatives are informed by young people who have experienced care. The youths’ vision is to have every young Indigenous leader journey successfully from care into community. YAC is also committed to improving social work practice, and to continually developing their leadership and advocacy skills. The YAC holds interviews every year for two new members to join the committee; youth must be 16 years or older to apply!

For more information on the Youth Advisory Committee.

Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) contact information:
youthadvisorycommittee@www.vacfss.com

VACFSS Youth Conference
Every year the VACFSS Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) plans a youth conference for youth aged 12+ who are in the care of VACFSS. The YAC works together to create the conference theme, logo, what workshops to include, and other details that go into planning a conference. The annual youth conference is a one day event where youth from care can interact with one another, in cultural activities, and learn more about what the youth advisory does within the organization. The conference is usually held in March during spring break and hosts approximately 60 youth. Activities and workshops that have been put on in the past include yoga sessions, mental health workshops, music performers, YAC presentations, dreamcatcher making with a VACFSS Elder, hoop dancing, and most recently, a puppy room! Youth who attend the conference have the opportunity to win prizes, such as Bluetooth speakers or tablets, and all youth receive giveaways and a t-shirt displaying the conference theme and artwork. Most importantly, the conference is used to celebrate Indigenous youth in care and to give them the opportunity to connect and build relationships with each other. The conference aims to also connect youth to positive Indigenous role models in the community, to connect with Elders, and participate in cultural activities.

Honouring Our Sacred Bundles
Honouring Our Sacred Bundles is a ceremony that occurs twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring, for our babies. The ceremony put on through VACFSS arose from a meeting of our Cultural Committee during which they created an ages and stages guideline for our children to represent the certain times ceremony could be offered.. Babies are considered gifts from the Creator and are still connected to the spirit world, a connection that may be lost for some as they go through life and its changes. At VACFSS, we also believe that babies are a gift and that their presence is sacred; this is portrayed in the song VACFSS was gifted by the Musqueam Elder Shane Pointe, “Our Children are Sacred, Our Children are Medicine”. During the Honouring Our Sacred Bundles ceremony we have Elders and Knowledge Keepers guide us; these individuals come from different Nations and bring forth specific teachings regarding children and ceremony from their territories.

Honouring Our Sacred Bundles creates an opportunity for us to celebrate the young ones through family, ceremony, and connection. Babies who are one year or younger may participate in the ceremony. The babies are gifted a blanket and drum; the blankets are sewn and blessed by the VACFSS sewing club and a VACFSS Elder.

Honouring the Journey of Our Youth
Honouring the Journey of Our Youth (HJOY) is a coming of age ceremony and celebration of the Indigenous youth at VACFSS who are aging out of care and into community. HJOY celebrates a major milestone and sacred time in our youths’ lives. This is a time when youth begin the transition from teenagers to young adults, and continue their journeys of discovering their dreams and their futures. We are blessed to have a Musqueam Elder present for HJOY and to have them help guide the youth through this cultural experience of sharing knowledge, gifts, and food. The evening includes a blanketing ceremony and each of our youth is drummed to their place of significance. Youths’ families, friends, community, and other members of their circles are invited to celebrate this special occasion. We also have Elders present to give songs and prayers. An important aspect of the ceremony is gifting the youth, showing the great respect and honour bestowed upon them during this time in their lives. Each youth is gifted a blanket, cedar headband, and a cedar box that contains items to help guide them in the next part of their journey.

A great deal of care and thought is required to build a relationship between foster caregivers and children’s parents. The development of this relationship with the parents is important to the success of a placement. Parental participation in caring for children is also central to Inclusive Foster Care and visits prepare the groundwork for the inclusive care team. If foster caregivers and parents can accept and respect each other, then children can feel emotionally safer. Children should not feel forced to choose between their parents and foster caregivers, nor should they be forced to participate in visits against their will or if it appears to be traumatizing for them (if this happens then discussion with the child’s social worker must occur). Visits can be difficult for everyone; people may experience intense emotions, such as longing, and may have expectations of how a visit will play out. Preparing for visits beforehand and debriefing afterwards is important and can be beneficial for all partners of inclusive fostering. An example of preparing before a visit could include discussing information about the child’s parent with them; children should be given as much information as they can handle, given age and developmental stage. If you are unsure about what or how much information to share with a child, discuss with the child’s social worker.

Visits can be very emotional for a child and may trigger a variety of feelings and behaviours. It is normal and healthy for children and youth to experience some emotional/behavioural disruption or regression as a result of visits with their parent(s) or extended family. Children become upset about visits because they need to express their thoughts and feelings. As a foster caregiver it is important for you to understand the emotionality of visits and help the child to express and process feelings that arise from visits with family; for example, preparing and debriefing for visits with the child/youth Children’s needs regarding visits change as they develop. Infants and toddlers typically require frequent visits, preferably every couple of days to support healthy development. However, they also need consistent routine and care, meaning that young children are best served by frequent visits in their own placement environment. As children develop it becomes more important to them that visits are outside of school hours and enable them to participate in favourite activities.

Speaking to children about planning and engaging in visits with parents and family members can be difficult; check out the book, “The Invisible String,” for some ideas to help you discuss visits and why children cannot always be with their parents.

One of the three components of Inclusive Foster Care is foster caregivers supporting the child’s identity as an Indigenous person. VACFSS is a multicultural agency providing services to people from many different Indigenous Nations. Children in care, and sometimes parents, need assistance in learning about their culture and in developing and maintaining a cultural identity. “Culture is a way of life, everything you do, who you are. It is not something you can get.” This does not mean that children cannot participate in cultural experiences from other Nations; it means that there must be clarity about the child’s unique cultural identity. Inclusive Foster Care helps to connect the child with their Indigenous community and culture, supporting their Indigenous identity by helping them learn about, and be proud of, who they are. It is important in transcultural placements (ie. a placement where the caregivers are from a different culture than the child) that caregivers show cultural receptivity, or an appreciation of and willingness to engage in the child’s culture, which supports the child’s cultural identity.

Here is more information on children’s cultural and relational rights, including access to related United Nations documents.

And here is a video about the importance of culture.

The following help foster caregivers support connections to a child’s community and culture:

• Lived experience (for Indigenous foster caregivers): as Indigenous foster caregivers, drawing on your own cultural practices and kinship networks provides opportunities to engage children in Indigenous cultures; even when caregivers are from a different Nation than the child, caring for them as an Indigenous person can be a way to support cultural identity.
• Doing your research: take the initiative in researching about a child’s Nation and learn about local community events and cultural connections. Make sure to check-in with the child’s social worker and discuss your role in contacting the child’s Nation and community.
• Engage in cultural activities as a family, in the community and at home: it is important to engage in both community-based and home-based activities which can include activities such as cultural nights, Pow Wows, engaging with Elders, cooking traditional foods, using educational books and shows, networking in community and attending VACFSS events and programming.
• Engaging in and preparing for children to touch the land of their relations: the most powerful way to connect a child to their specific culture is visiting the child’s home territory, community and extended family members. Trips home are an important way to make or strengthen relationships with members of the child’s circle and can lead to ongoing relationships and a greater openness between the child’s family and the foster family. Make sure that you have discussed this with the child’s social worker, as you will need the consent and support of the social worker before contacting and visiting a child’s community.
• Using resources in schools: look to schools for additional education, resources, and events that can support your work in connecting children to cultural knowledge and opportunities.

Find out more about VACFSS cultural events and programming by visiting the cultural programming page or speak with the child’s social worker to learn more.

To learn more about how to approach Inclusive Foster Care, including tips for caregivers, social workers, and resources, download the “Inclusive Foster Care: How Do We Do It?” booklet designed for those in a child’s circle.

We knew that the kids needed to see their parents, and we also knew, intuitively, that the parents needed to see their kids. – Foster Caregiver

Understanding the cultural practices and protocols that are specific to a child’s Nation is highly dependent on information from that Nation and dialogue with the child’s parents and extended family. It requires relational connections. Two of the main components of Inclusive Foster Care includes foster caregivers being partners with the parents and including a child’s extended family. Inclusive fostering is a partnership where parents and caregivers teach and support each other to care for the child. A child’s extended family may include individuals that may not be deemed as “family” by a Western perspective, but in many Nations, the child’s family is seen as the whole community.

The following help foster caregivers support children’s connection to parents and family:

• Develop relationships with the child’s parents and extended family: coming into relationship with a child’s parents and/or family is an inclusive act that can provide insights into the child’s family and strengthen one’s motivation to engage with Inclusive Foster Care. Developing inclusive relationships is a process; take a step-by-step approach to building the relationship over time. Set clear boundaries for the relationship while remaining open, if there are concerns about safety, speak with a social worker. You can also speak with a child’s social worker regarding direct communication with the child’s parents, as relationships are easier to maintain when you have direct communication (whether it be through email, text messaging, social media, or phone calls). You need to ensure the child’s social worker has agreed before contacting a child’s Nation or new members of the child’s circle.
• Understand a family’s stories: find common ground in shared life experiences; be open and empathetic to family’s stories. Learn more about the challenges faced by the family and the resilience of Indigenous communities through participating in training and self-study. It is particularly important to understand the impact of the following on individual and family behaviours: parental mental illness, substance use, and disability; separation and loss; and colonization and intergenerational trauma. Research colonial history and policies, such as Residential Schools and the Indian Act, to better understand the historical and current implications of colonization (you can start here (hyperlink).
• Develop a shared vision for the child: discuss plans of care and permanency for the child at Inclusive Foster Care meetings, Care Plan meetings, and with the social workers. It is important that foster caregivers and other partners share a vision of the child’s future in which the child is connected to both their family and community, and to the foster caregivers. All partners have a role in raising the child together. Within Inclusive Foster Care, children remain in the center of their own circle with foster caregivers and other supports joining them; this contrasts the idea that children belong to a foster family’s circle and parents and extended family do not. In this sense, Inclusive Foster Care involves a process of adding to, or strengthening, relationships within the child’s circle to ensure that the child grows into adulthood feeling supported by those around them and knowing who they are. It is important to reflect on how your values impact and support your responsibility to strengthen the child’s relational and cultural connections.
• Honour the strengths and successes of parents, family, and community: acknowledge that parents love their children and are doing the best they can right now. Reflect on parents’ and families’ stories of loss, struggle, and resilience, but focus on the strengths and expertise of the child’s circle. Ask the child’s circle for advice and be curious about what they have done in the past that has worked well for the child. Honour the child’s community, culture, and customs; children should develop a sense of pride and belonging in their identity as Indigenous children.

I think the purpose for me in that is I want them to understand that they still have a part in the girls’ lives. And they still, they do hold valuable information, whatever it is they know, and whatever their experiences are it’s still valuable. – Foster Caregiver

Difficulties may arise when establishing relationships with adults in a child’s circle, for example when a parent is struggling to manage an addiction. When thinking about how to support a relationship between children and their family in these situations, it is important to think of connection as more than just face-to-face contact. Familial relationships can be support through alternative ways of connecting, such as through phone calls, written communication or even, as one foster caregiver said, pictures:

And, like, they even talk about, we have a picture of their mum right there on the wall, like their bio mum so they get to see her whenever they want. They’ve never met her but they talk about her from time to time. – Foster Caregiver

To learn more about how to approach Inclusive Foster Care, including tips for caregivers, social workers, and resources, download the “Inclusive Foster Care: How Do We Do It?” booklet designed for those in a child’s circle.

The Access Practice Directive is a VACFSS policy that states: Every child has a right to access that supports safe connections to their parent(s), family, community(ies), and culture(s). In this context, access is defined as:
“Contact between a child in placement and their parent(s), siblings and/or other people who are important to them.”
Supporting a child’s right to access can:

• Strengthen the child’s sense of belonging, attachments, and resilience;
• Support the child’s well-being and adjustment to their placement;
• Honour the child’s cultural identity;
• Enable the child’s parent(s) to learn, practice and demonstrate parenting skills;
• Strengthen parental confidence and capacity to meet the child’s needs
• Facilitate and strengthen the parent-child relationship; and
• Increase the likelihood and timeliness of reunification.

The Access Practice Directive outlines when and how social workers implement access, including determining visit supervision, how access affects the child, supporting the permanency plan, risks associated with access, and reviewing arrangements. Download the Access Practice Directive for detailed information regarding access arrangements and how decisions are made regarding access.

Inclusive Foster Care meetings are used to discuss foster caregivers’ engagement with inclusive fostering practices, including their understanding of Inclusive Foster Care, what they know about the child’s Nation, and how they are or will support the child’s cultural and relational permanency. Inclusive Foster Care meetings include multiple partners: the foster caregiver(s), the child’s social worker, and the resource worker, as well as additional participants such as other members of the child’s circle. These meetings happen within the first 30 days of a child arriving at a new placement, with Inclusive Foster Care plan review every 6 months afterwards. During the meeting the participants discuss the plan for cultural engagement in the home, in the local community, and for contact with the home community. Foster caregivers speak to how they will facilitate the plan and highlight any support they need in achieving their tasks regarding cultural connections. The participants then discuss the plan for connecting with the child’s parent(s), sibling(s), and other important people in their lives. Foster caregivers speak to how they will facilitate this plan and highlight the support needed to achieve their tasks to connect children to their family.

Click here to download the Inclusive Foster Care meeting document that is used during Inclusive Foster Care plan reviews every 6 months.

Foster caregivers can prepare for an Inclusive Foster Care meeting by:

• Reflecting on their understanding of Inclusive Foster Care and what it means to them.
• Thinking about what they know about the child’s home territory and Nation; if not much is known about the child’s Nation, then caregivers should engage in research and find out what they can about the community.
• Reflecting on how you will join or continue to engage with the child’s circle and engage with members in the circle in an empathetic, open, and respectful way.
• Knowing what the permanency plan and alternative permanency plan is for the child.
• Thinking about and documenting cultural engagement that occurs in the home, in the local community, and with the child’s home community.
• Thinking about and documenting how you are strengthening the child’s connection to their parent(s), siblings(s), extended family, and other important people in the child’s life.
• Reflecting on the support you need to better connect the child with their culture and family.
• Reviewing the current care plan for the child.

Inclusive fostering is the relationship between a child in care and their family and foster family. Parents, foster caregivers, social workers, and children work together to ensure that everyone is safe. They teach each other to care for the child. They develop honest open communication, respect, trust and love. Foster care is viewed as a temporary extension of the child’s family, not as a replacement for it. Although parents may not always provide full-time care for their children, the connection between them is never broken.
– Towards Inclusive Foster Care Policy Handbook, 2003

Watch this video for more information on recommendations for foster caregivers.

In inclusive fostering the parent might take the role of teacher to the foster caregiver. Participating in cultural activities together will help develop the parent—foster caregiver relationship. It is helpful if the foster caregiver asks the parent about familial child-care practices and traditions. For example, the parent can explain what words are used for relatives in their language and what the child should call the foster caregiver(s). Each partner has a different role when it comes to inclusive fostering. Also, check out the Inclusive Foster Care: How Do We Do It? Booklet for additional tips and suggestions.

Within the Family Care contract, something every foster caregiver has signed, VACFSS has outlined the following expectations for caregivers in facilitating involvement specifically for cultural activities:

• Cooperatively working with the VACFSS Guardianship social worker and the VACFSS Cultural Coordinator in building and implementing the cultural component of the Plan of Care;
• Seeking out information, knowledge and opportunities specific to the child’s Nation/Band of origin;
• Encouraging the child’s involvement in specified cultural activities;
• Participating themselves in cultural activities with the child;
• Creating a welcoming and accepting home environment that reflects the child’s specific culture;
• Adopting positive attitudes and behaviours that will encourage and promote a positive healthy environment for the child, in regards to their heritage and culture; and
• Positively interacting with family, community members and Elders who are involved in the child’s cultural life.

Every child’s journey through care will be different, depending on a range of factors, including the age they came into care; if they were placed in the care of the ministry or a Delegated Aboriginal Agency (DAA) or in an out-of-care placement; how present and engaged their parents, family, and community are; if they are Indigenous; what type of home they are placed in and who their foster caregivers are; and how long they remain in care and if they age out of the care system, among others. That being said, there are policies and procedures that guide every child’s journey through the care system and determines aspects of their life such as where a child is placed when coming into care, how long they remain in the care system, and if and when they move from temporary custody to continuing custody.

The timeline of a child’s journey through care can be evidenced in the Continuum of Care diagram.

The Continuum of Care shows the options for children coming into contact with the care system (e.g. out-of-care vs. in-care options) and the processes that occur throughout a child’s time in care (e.g. removals, hearings, different types of custody). Children can come into care for a variety of reasons determined through provincial policy – the Child and Family Community Services Act (CFCSA). Section 13 of the CFCSA outlines concerns a child could be experiencing in a home that would warrant the removal of the child, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect, among others, or through a voluntary agreement with the child’s parents. There are a number of pathways to permanency for children who have come into contact with the care system (as shown in Figure 1, 2, and outlined below).

A pathway to permanency is a practice pathway that leads to all four dimensions of permanency – physical, relational, legal, and cultural – being secured for a child. Different pathways to permanency are available at points along the continuum of planning for a child, as illustrated in Figure 1 & 2. Pathways to permanency before a Continuing Custody Order (CCO) include:

1. Family Preservation: the child stays at home in the care of their parent(s).
2. Family Reunification: the child returns home to the custody of their parent(s) after temporarily living away from the home.
3.  the child moves into the custody of a person with whom they have a relational or cultural connection and who will uphold their rights to relational, cultural and physical permanency.

Pathways to permanency after a CCO include:

1. Family Reunification by Cancellation of a CCO: the child returns home to the custody of their parent(s), after living in care under a Continuing Custody Order.
2. Transfer of Custody (Section 54.1): the child for whom a Continuing Custody Order has been made moves into the custody of a person with whom they have a relational or a cultural connection and who will uphold their rights to relational, cultural, and physical permanency.
3. Kinship Adoption: the child for whom a Continuing Custody Order has been made is adopted under the Adoption Act by a person with whom they have a relational or cultural connection, who will uphold their rights to relational, cultural, and physical permanency and whose application to adopt was made for that specific child.
4. Custom Adoption: this is a community-specific and community-led process by which the child is adopted by a person with whom they have a relational or cultural connection, in accordance with the cultural practices of their Indigenous community and subject to the consent of the child’s parent(s).
5. Adoption by Invitation to the Child’s Circle: the child for whom a Continuing Custody Order has been made is adopted under the Adoption Act by a person who does not have pre-existing relationships with the child and their circle, but who is committed to developing these and who will uphold the child’s rights to relational, cultural, and physical permanency.

Click here to learn more about permanency, including the four dimensions of permanency.

Building connections with a child’s Nation is an important part of inclusive fostering, as it contributes to the development of a child’s identity – one of the three components of Inclusive Foster Care. Developing relationships with family and other community members from a child’s home territory is important and can impact a child’s engagement with cultural practices and traditions. There are also local opportunities for caregivers to engage in for children to learn about their culture. It is important to engage in community-based cultural events locally, in addition to visiting a child’s home territory, to support a child’s emerging identity as an Indigenous person. Local community engagement and networking is also beneficial when parents and extended family are involved; participating in learning and events together can aid relationship building between foster caregivers and parents. It is important to note two things:

• Remember that engagement with cultural activities and learning should be done with the child, not just for them. It is important for caregivers to also engage with a child’s culture.
• Children can participate in other Nation’s cultural practices and events, but there must be clarity about the child’s unique cultural identity. It is important for children to engage in cultural learning related to their own Nation and have an understanding of what that means.
• Find cultural activities, events, and programming in your area here.