Indigenous Child Welfare Conference coming to Edmonton in September

Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director of First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, middle, attends the National Day of Action on First Nations Child Welfare on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday Nov. 2, 2017. (Sean Kilpatrick)

There is a lot of apprehension surrounding the latest developments in Indigenous child welfare legislation and those looking for further information will be able to have all their questions answered at Edmonton’s Expo Centre from Sept. 16 to 18.

The Indigenous Child Welfare Conference (ICWC) will consist of three days of learning and networking, with special focus on Bill C-92 — an Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families — which was brought into effect in January 2020, as well as the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) ruling that the Canadian government has systematically underfunded on-reserve First Nations child welfare programs.

The event will feature welcoming remarks from First Nations Child and Family Caring Society executive director Cindy Blackstock, as well as keynote addresses from Bent Arrow Healing Society executive director Cheryl Whiskeyjack and Indigenous Nation Rebuilding CEO Andre Bear.

There will also be luncheon sessions, with breakout sessions based around the conference’s four themes — Bill C-92, the CHRT ruling, best practices on reserve, and best practices off reserve.

"There’s a lot of people, even in the whole human services industry, who don’t really understand what the CHRT ruling means and how it could benefit First Nations communities, as well as what Bill C-92 means and the effects that it could have on the whole system, with developing their own laws," explained Karen McCarthy, the owner of the Inspire Group, the 100 per cent Indigenous owned and operated consultancy firm that organized the conference.

"We just wanted to bring in experts and people who work in the industry, to share best practices, both off and on reserve, as well as the background and history of CHRT and C-92."

McCarthy added that the ICWC’s target audience is people who work with the federal and provincial governments, and both management and frontline workers in the child and family services sector.

She anticipates anywhere from 200 to 250 attendees, mostly from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, in addition to about 20 industry exhibitors and 30 volunteers.

A key purpose of the event is fostering connections between First Nations and the child and family welfare service sector, McCarthy emphasized.

"That’s why we’re inviting exhibitors — like companies and organizations — to present. So it’s also networking and then highlighting different organizations and their services that they do. Perhaps there will be contacts made and some synergies within the organizations to work together or offer their program services to nations that are attending the event," she explained.

Some of the exhibitors invited focus on Indigenous healing work, which McCarthy said is integral to promoting Indigenous child and family welfare.

"They practice different ways of healing to overcome different effects of intergenerational trauma, because a lot of well-being goes past just mental wellness. There’s the spiritual approach as well," she said, adding that the ability to integrate their own healing practices is a major benefit of allowing Indigenous communities to establish their own child welfare systems.

"It’s not just about sending somebody to a psychologist. There needs to be more incorporated healing methods and ceremonial, land-based and traditional cultural activities."

Those interested in registering for the conference can do so online at www.icwc.ca, or via email at [e-mail].