History of Our Organization
Since 2003, the Southern First Nations Network of Care in collaboration with our member Agencies has been delivering culturally appropriate child and family services to First Nations members (and others who choose the Southern Network) throughout Manitoba.
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In 2019, new federal legislation, “An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit, and Metis children, youth, and families.”, was introduced and has rapidly transformed the landscape of the Child and Family system in our province. We at the Network are committed to our First Nation members who seek to operationalize their jurisdiction over child welfare, and to support our Nations as they continue to move toward reconciliation and self-governance. A new chapter has begun for the Network as the work continually shifts to Indigenous values, priorities, and services.
These are the words that created and moved the Southern First Nation Network of Care (Southern Network) into being and forward at the turn of the century.
It is a historic agreement that all agreed would address the serious problems in the child and family services system in Manitoba and move recommendations forward for a major restructuring of the system.
It is a child and family service system that recognizes and supports the rights of children to develop within safe and healthy families and communities, and recognizes that First Nations and Metis peoples have unique authority, rights and responsibilities to honour and care for their children.
The road to get there began with a jointly coordinated child and family services system that recognizes the distinct rights and authorities of First Nations and Metis peoples and the general population to control and deliver their own child and family services province-wide; that is community-based; and reflects and incorporates the cultures of First Nations, Metis and the general population respectively.
The Aboriginal Justice Inquiry – Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI) was launched in 2000 by the Manitoba government in partnership with First Nations and Metis leaders, in response to the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry Report (1991). The Report documented many serious problems in the child and family services system in Manitoba and recommended a major restructuring.
Our Member Agencies
The following Agencies are mandated by the Southern Network.
- Animikii Ozoson Child & Family Services (AOCFS)
- Anishinaabe Child & Family Services (ACFS)
- Child & Family All Nations Coordinated Response Network (ANCR)
- Dakota Ojibway Child & Family Services (DOCFS)
- Dakota Tawihe Services
- Intertribal Child & Family Services (ICFS)
- Kinonje Abinoonjiiag Niigan Inc.
- Sandy Bay Child & Family Services (SBCFS)
- Sagkeeng Child & Family Services (SCFS)
- Southeast Child & Family Services (SECFS)
- West Region Child & Family Services (WRCFS)
In 2003, by proclamation of The Child and Family Services Authorities Act, four new Child and Family Services Authorities, including the First Nations of Southern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority (Southern First Nations Network of Care) were established. Through the AJI-CWI, the child and family services system has been restructured with the intent to better respond to and meet the needs of Indigenous peoples in Manitoba.
A unique feature of the restructured child and family services system in Manitoba is the Authority Determination Process (ADP). The ADP involves a series of questions and is used by agency workers to identify which of the Child and Family Services Authorities will manage the delivery of services to children and families. Through the ADP, the culturally appropriate Child and Family Services Authority is determined based on a family’s cultural identification.
The Southern Network is responsible for administering and providing for the delivery of child and family services to members of 36 First Nations in Southern Manitoba (and others who choose the Southern Network) through our member Agencies.
Aboriginal Justice Inquiry - Child Welfare Initiative
The delivery of our new system is driven by and guided by long-established values and the need to develop new ones. In all, there are 12 guiding principles:
- To protect children and ensure their well-being;
- To build family capacity, based on the belief that children are best protected in their families;
- To build community capacity, based on the belief that healthy communities will support families and maintain safe and healthy environments for children;
- To provide services that support families at risk and that seek to work with families in protecting children;
- To take a holistic approach toward child protection;
- To establish a service delivery system that is primarily non-adversarial in its approach;
- To provide services that are responsive to unique community needs;
- To develop and deliver services from a community-based perspective;
- To provide culturally appropriate services;
- To establish services throughout the province that strive to provide for parity of access to services regardless of residence, to the greatest extent possible;
- To develop a child and family service system that is built on a best practices approach; and
- To work with children, families and communities, and develop and deliver appropriate services, using a model(s) that focuses on the strengths of families and communities.