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As Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada (CAFC) marks Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30th, we do so in acknowledgement of the tragic legacy of residential schools and the Sixties Scoop that forcibly removed children from their families, severed connections to culture and language, and caused deep intergenerational trauma. We also recognize the ongoing impacts of colonial systems today, including the reality that Indigenous children remain vastly overrepresented in the child welfare system.
At CAFC, reconciliation means action. It means resourcing Indigenous partners who are leading the way toward better outcomes for children, youth, and families. It also means recognizing Indigenous sovereignty over child welfare and supporting self-determined approaches to child and family well-being.
One way we are advancing this commitment is through CAFC’s Back to the Land fund. Guided and delivered by Indigenous-led organizations and knowledge keepers, Back to the Land supports children, youth, and families in re-establishing connections to culture, traditions, and community through immersive, land-based experiences.
These experiences vary from land-based parent and kin/child attachment groups to culture camps, ceremonies, medicine harvesting, and traditional arts-based activities. They share a common purpose: to strengthen identity, foster pride, and reconnect children and families to the land and teachings of their communities.
Since 2017, we’ve worked in close collaboration with 22 Indigenous-led and serving organizations through Back to the Land, who are shaping child and family services in ways that reflect their traditions, values, and strengths. This year, we’ve had the opportunity to implement a renewed strategy in collaboration with current partners to co-shape an approach to funding and evaluation that centres on relationships, advances knowledge sharing between partners, and honours community strengths.
At times we feel restricted in the activities and programs we can support and offer to the community due to the limited funding we receive as a child welfare agency. Your funding gives us the freedom to do child welfare in the ‘right’ way and the way we know it should be done.
– Kelly Zukewich, Director of Training and Development, Sagkeeng Child and Family Services
This spirit of partnership underpins CAFC’s new five-year strategic plan and our strategic priority to: Partner Towards Indigenous Impact and Reconciliation. For us, this means walking alongside Indigenous governments and organizations as they reclaim jurisdiction over child and family services. It means listening with humility to understand what healing will require, providing resources, and amplifying Indigenous-led solutions.
As we mark Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we do so with deep gratitude for the Indigenous-led and serving partners with whom we have the honour of working. Their leadership teaches us that reconciliation is not a destination, but a journey, one built on respect for Indigenous sovereignty and self-determination, collaboration, and what is possible when we listen, co-design, and work in partnership. This day also calls us to learn through ongoing truth-telling about the impacts of residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, and the child welfare system. It reminds us that reconciliation requires accountability, courage, and a sustained commitment to change.
