As per the Touchstones of Hope for Indigenous Children, Youth and Families Reconciliation in Child Welfare report compiled by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society, "given the historical and contemporary issues [experienced by Indigenous communities], reconciliation in child welfare is needed to move forward on a new path for Indigenous children.
Reconciliation – truth telling, acknowledging, restoring and relating - can lead to building trust, respecting one another’s worldviews, being heard in meaningful ways and having your views inform policy and practice (Indigenous peoples), working as an ally and contributing to meaningful outcomes (non-Indigenous peoples), and most importantly, remembering that the work is about children, youth, and families." (2019, p. 7).
Ultimately, the goal of these next two pages is to offer child welfare staff some ways that they can act as allies/advocates with First Nations, Inuit and Métis families to support the reconciliation process by countering colonial policies and practices in the child welfare system. However, it is also meant to be a place that emphasizes "truth telling, acknowledging, restoring and relating". As such, these pages include different sources and formats of information such as OACAS and sector publications, policies, journal articles, documentaries, podcasts, and other forms of storytelling.