What does the act mean to me?
What does the act mean?
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As an Indigenous child
- The act can help you stay with your family and community
- If you are currently in care, the act can help you return to your family
- The act recognizes and prioritizes the importance of you staying connected with your language, culture and community
- Financial, health or housing challenges should not be the only reason you are separated from your family
As a parent or care provider of an Indigenous child
- The act can help the children you care for stay with you
- If a child was already removed from your care, the act can help that child return to you or any adult family member
- The act will guide service providers to prioritize that Indigenous children stay connected to their language, culture and community
- A child will not be removed from your care or from the care of his or her family only because of financial, health or housing challenges
As an Indigenous governing body, community or people
- The act affirms your jurisdiction over child and family services for section 35 rights holders, which includes First Nations, Inuit and Métis
- The act provides a framework for you to enact your own laws in relation to child and family services which could extend to all of your members no matter where they are located in Canada
- Your laws will need to be consistent with the minimum standards established by the act in sections 10 to 15
- To facilitate the exercise of your legislative authority over child and family services, the act allows for tripartite coordination agreements to be concluded which could include fiscal arrangements
- An Indigenous governing body acting on your behalf will be notified of any significant measures taken in relation to a child from your community, and will be able to make representations in court regarding that child's care
As a provincial or territorial government
- The act establishes principles to be applied nationally, including by the provinces and territories
- These principles are to be interpreted as minimum standards and provincial and territorial laws could go beyond what is provided in the act
- The act will have to be applied by courts and by all child and family services providers
- Provinces and territories will be able to work with Indigenous governing bodies and the Government of Canada toward coordination agreements related to the exercise of jurisdiction by Indigenous groups over child and family services