MKO 22nd LEGISLATIVE GOVERNMENT HOUSE
Annual General Assembly Opaskwayak Cree Nation
September 9, 10, 11, 2003

Introduction

The Aboriginal Justice Inquiry - Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI) is a joint initiative of the Manitoba Metis Federation, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, and the Province of Manitoba to restructure the child and family services system in Manitoba. The AJI-CWI responds to the need for a system that:

• Recognizes and respects the cultural diversity of Manitoba
• Returns to First Nations and Metis peoples the right to develop and control the delivery of their own child and family services
  

The Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) is a comprehensive framework for planning and implementing the new system. It is a detailed plan designed to be flexible and responsive to changing circumstances. As such, it is described as a “rolling document” that can be amended based on the consensus of the four partners to the AJI-CWI. There are 21 sub-projects, or major tasks in the DIP. The DIP was developed by building on:

• The AJI-CWI Conceptual Plan (August 2001)
• Findings from the AJI-CWI public feedback process (Autumn 2001)
• Ongoing planning among the four partners
  

The Aboriginal Justice Inquiry - Child Welfare Initiative

The child and family services system works to protect children at risk of abuse or neglect. It is also responsible for supporting and strengthening the well-being of families, especially those experiencing difficulties in caring for their children.

Commissioned in 1988, the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry (AJI) examined the relationship between the Aboriginal peoples of Manitoba and the justice system. Part of the AJI looked at how Aboriginal people were treated by the child and family services system. The AJI said good work was being done in serving the child and family service needs of people living in on-reserve communities. The work was being done by on-reserve First Nations agencies but these agencies were not allowed to serve people off-reserve.

The AJI report of 1991 said the non-Aboriginal system did not serve Aboriginal peoples well. It recommended a number of changes:

• Provide Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal child and family services agencies with sufficient resources to enable them to provide a full range of direct and preventive services mandated by The Child and Family Services Act.
• Ensure that the federal and provincial governments provide resources to Aboriginal agencies to develop policies, standards, protocols and procedures, and to develop computer systems that will permit them to communicate effectively, track cases, and share information.
• Amend Principle 11 of The Child and Family Services Act to read: “Aboriginal people are entitled to the provision of child and family services in a manner which respects their unique status, and their cultural and linguistic heritage”.
• Establish a mandated province-wide Metis agency.
• Expand the authority of existing Indian agencies to enable them to offer services to band members living off-reserve.
• Establish an Aboriginal child and family services agency in the city of Winnipeg to handle all Aboriginal cases.
  

In 1999, the Province of Manitoba established the Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission.

It recommended that the Province sign an agreement with the First Nations and Metis political leadership to develop a plan for Aboriginal agencies to serve Aboriginal peoples throughout Manitoba.

This recommendation was acted on in 2000, when the Province, Metis and First Nations leaders signed agreements which led to the creation of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry - Child Welfare Initiative (AJI-CWI): an initiative to restructure the child and family services system in Manitoba. Work on the plan began in August 2000. Vision and mission statements were drafted to guide the development of the new system.

Vision Statement

A child and family services 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.

Mission Statement

To have 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.

A New System for Child and Family Services in Manitoba

In the new child and family services system, the delivery of services will be much more of a shared responsibility between the Province and Aboriginal peoples. The most fundamental change is the delegation of responsibility for the delivery of child and family services from the Province to four new child and family services Authorities, three of which are Aboriginal Authorities serving Aboriginal people in Manitoba.

• Metis Child and Family Services Authority
• First Nations of Southern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority
• First Nations of Northern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority
• General Child and Family Services Authority (for all other families)

All four Authorities and their agencies will provide service throughout the province. Aboriginal children and families will have access to child and family services under the auspices of Aboriginal agencies no matter where they live in Manitoba. The Authorities in the new system will work together to make sure people receive services in a timely and efficient way, leaving no child at risk. Under the new system:

• The Province approves and provides funding to the Authorities and serves as the final level of appeal in certain matters. The Province maintains ultimate responsibility for the safety and protection of children in Manitoba, and for the overall child and family services system.
• Authorities design and manage the delivery of child and family services throughout the province, and provide funding to agencies which qualify to deliver services. Authorities will be the primary liaison between agencies and the Province.
• Working in partnership, the Province of Manitoba and the Authorities design laws, policies and standards.
• Agencies work together with the Authorities and the Province of Manitoba in delivering child and family services. Agencies are accountable to the Authorities.

In June 2002, legislation to create the new Authorities and structure was introduced in the Legislative Assembly. Royal Assent was received in August 2002. The Child and Family Services Authorities Act will come into force upon proclamation, which is expected in the fall of 2003.

The Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP)

The DIP is a “rolling document” that provides the comprehensive framework for planning and implementing the new system. The understanding that the DIP is a “rolling document” acknowledges that it will need to be amended from time to time to reflect changing circumstances. Any amendments are to be made through consensus among the four partners.

The original DIP is a highly technical document consisting of over 200 pages. The DIP includes 21 sub-projects or major tasks. In the following summary, the sub-projects are presented in five categories: 1) Authority development; 2) service transition; 3) human resources; 4) direct services; and 5) system governance and supports.

Sub-Projects (Time Lines)

Sub-Project Start Date Proposed Completion

1. Authority Development A. Development of the Metis Authority Winter 01/02 Spring 2004 B. Development of the First Nations South Authority Winter 01/02 Spring 2004 C. Development of the First Nations North Authority Winter 01/02 Spring 2004 D. Development of the General Authority Winter 01/02 Spring 2003

Sub-Project Start Date Proposed Completion

1. Service Transition A. Authority Determination Process (ADP) Winter 01/02 Spring 2003 B. Service Transfers Spring 2002 Summer 2004

2. Human Resources A. Labour Adjustment Strategy Autumn 01/02 Spring 2004 B. Education and Training Winter 02/03 Winter 07/08

3. Direct Services A. Winnipeg Intake Winter 02/03 Spring 2004 B. Non-Winnipeg Intake Autumn 2002 Winter 03/04 C. Foster Care Spring 2002 Spring 2004 D. Abuse Services Winter 02/03 Spring 2004 E. Group 2 Resources (Residential Care by External Agencies) Winter 02/03 Autumn 2005 F. Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) Winter 02/03 Summer 2005

4. System Governance and Supports A. Executive Support Unit Autumn 2002 Summer 2003 B. Leadership Council & Standing Committee Winter 02/03 Spring 2003 C. Legislation Spring 2002 Autumn 2004 D. Funding Spring 2002 Autumn 2004 E. Management Information Systems Autumn 2001 Autumn 2005 F. Continuing Common Table Spring 2004 Summer 2004 G. Change Management Ongoing

Note: The time lines above are based on the version of the DIP supported by the AJI-CWI Executive Committee in February 2003. These time lines are subject to change. Selected key milestones may be completed earlier than the proposed completion date for the sub-projects.

Overall Phases and Time Lines

The AJI-CWI was developed as a five-phase plan:

• Phase 1 - September 2000 to December 2000 Proposals and recommendations for an initial draft plan
• Phase 2 - January 2001 to July 2001 Completion of the AJI-CWI Conceptual Plan
• Phase 3 - August 2001 to April 2003
  Completion of the public feedback process, development of the Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP), and transition into Phase 4
• Phase 4 - February 2003 to March 2004 Plan substantially implemented
• Phase 5 - April 2004 to October 2004 Stabilization of changes implemented
  

In the spring of 2003, the support expressed by the political leadership of the four parties for the DIP as a rolling document marked the transition into Phase 4.

Contact Information

For further information on the AJI-CWI, please contact:

First Nations of Northern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority Diane Kematch, Chief Executive Officer
MKO Winnipeg Sub-Office, 6th Floor - 338 Broadway
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 0T2
Phone: (204) 927-7511
Fax: (204) 927-7509

Alternatively, please visit the AJI-CWI website at: www.aji-cwi.mb.ca Ekosi!