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August 2022

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series #6 – Recording

Webinar #6 of our Decolonizing Child Welfare Learning Series focused on the services we offer when vulnerable children must be removed from unsafe circumstances and placed in alternative care. In this webinar, we addressed some of the most crucial questions arising from the experience of Indigenous children and families with colonial child welfare systems.

  • How do we meet the holistic needs of children and youth placed in care? What are the dimensions that guide us?
  • How do we work alongside the Alternative caregivers to guide them, in helping our children and youth who are placed in their homes?
  • How do we work to keep children connected with culture, family and community while they are in care?
  • How do we work to keep children to family, extended family and community and culture?

We were joined by our host Terri Jaffe, and the following panelists:

  • Rosary Spence, Cultural Resource Worker
  • Jeffrey Schiffer, Executive Director
  • Courtney Dorion, Children’s Services Supervisor
  • Jama Maxie, Community Member
  • Mark Atanasoff, Director of Quality Assurance & Decolonization

Click to access the presentation file

Below is the recorded webinar available for viewing.

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June 2022

2021-2022 NCFST Annual Report

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto is pleased to release our 2021-2022 Annual Report. We would like to express our deep gratitude to our partners, funders, and community members for supporting us through this past year of uncertainty, growth, and development. Please read the detailed report on the progress our agency has made during such a challenging year.

In addition to our Annual Report, we have also released our Audited Financial Statements for 2021-2022.

This year’s Annual Report and Financial Statements, as well as previous Annual Reports and Financial Statements, are also available on our Policies and Publications page.

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Join us for our Virtual Annual General Meeting on June 23rd, 2022

Native Child and Family Services of Toronto cordially invites staff, community members, funders, partners,
and all our friends to join us in our Virtual Annual General Meeting on Thursday, June 23rd, 2022.

This event has passed.

Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email containing the link to attend and the option to add this webinar to your calendar of choice.

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April 2022

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series #4 – April 22, 2022

Webinar #4 of our Decolonizing Child Welfare Learning Series focuses on our Family Finding program. At NCFST we know that the removal of children can leave a lasting legacy of trauma and the longer a child remains in care, the greater the risk of negative life outcomes. The best way to reduce harm, avoid further trauma and keep children connected to their culture and community is to keep children in the embrace of extended family.

The Family Finding model offers methods and strategies to locate and engage extended family, as well as First Nation, Metis and Inuit communities for children/youth currently living in out-of-care placements. The process identifies relatives and other supportive adults in planning for the permanency of the child and a major component of the program is to facilitate the child’s connection to their community and culture in order to promote a strong sense of cultural identity. Please join us as we share what steps we take to find extended family and community to step in to create a circle of care to support children, youth and families.

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0wMszz6g9Q

Select here to view previous webinars

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February 2022

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series #3 – Feb 25, 2022

Webinar #3 focuses on the ongoing services we provide when protection concerns have been verified and when a family’s file remains open to our Child and Family Wellbeing teams.

  • Why do cases stay open for longer-term services?
  • How do we make decisions about whether a family’s file should remain open?
  • Why do some cases go to court? How is the decision to go to court made?

Please join us to hear about how we seek to empower families to reach their goals, how we connect families and children to external and internal supports, healing services and how we decide when a child and family wellbeing case is ready to be closed

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://youtu.be/G_SwB9wgbc4

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Select here to view previous webinars

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November 2021

You’re Invited: Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series – December 13th

Webinar #2 of our Learning Series focuses on the most important decisions made in child welfare arising from the Intake and Assessment process.

Please join us to explore how Child and Family Wellbeing teams respond to concerns about the safety of children and how we connect families and children to early interventions, holistic healing, and prevention services that lessen the need for intrusive child welfare interventions and keep children safe. Attend the discussion to hear how we ensure that families stay together and are safely supported with culture and community.

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgFUgGQF13M

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Select here to view previous webinars

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October 2021

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series – Recording

Thank you to everyone who joined us on October 29th in the first of our Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series.

In this webinar we discussed the history of NCFST in relation to its provincial child welfare mandate, provided an overview of the core interventions and services that are offered from referral to case closure and we told the story of our efforts to provide prevention and early intervention to mitigate the harms caused by colonial child welfare services.

Miigwetch to our host and panelists:

  • Terri Jaffe, Senior Supervisor, Aboriginal Cultural Program Liaison;
  • Vivian Roy, Knowledge Keeper;
  • Kenn Richard, Founder and Director of Special Projects;
  • Jeffrey Schiffer, Executive Director;
  • Mark Atanasoff, Director of Quality Assurance and Decolonization.

Webinars in this learning series will be recorded and posted as the series evolves to be available to the community and the families we serve.

Below is the recorded webinar available for viewing.

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Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series – Oct 29 @ 2 PM

Please join us as we launch the first Child Welfare Webinar Learning Series.

This launch will consist of an overview of the child welfare system and the role of Native Child and Family Services of Toronto. We will look at the child welfare systems in the historical injustices against Indigenous children and families and the impact of the resulting intergenerational trauma.

The Webinar will explain the history of NCFST in relation to its provincial child welfare mandate, provide an overview of the core interventions and services that are offered from referral to case closure and tell the story of our efforts to provide prevention and early intervention to mitigate the harms caused by colonial child welfare services.

Webinars in this Learning Series will be recorded and posted on the NCFST website as the series evolves to be available to the community and the families we serve.

This event has passed, please find the recording: https://youtu.be/GAixoLSpaAU

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September 2021

Decolonizing Child Welfare Webinar Panel September 30, 2021

Thank you to the 1246 individuals who joined us today in our discussion on what Indigenous child welfare could look like in five years. Today, we announced our commitment to open a new chapter in our ongoing work and vision of transforming child welfare.

Read the full announcement here.

Miigwetch to our host Bob Goulais and the panelists:

  • Jocelyn Formsma, Executive Director, National Association of Friendship Centres;
  • Irwin Elman, Former Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth;
  • Pat Green, Traditional Knowledge Keeper;
  • Micheal Miller, Executive Director, Association of Native Child and Family Services Agencies of Ontario
  • Jeffrey Schiffer, Executive Director, Native Child and Family Services of Toronto

For those not in attendance on Sept 30th, the recorded webinar is now available to watch. 

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24th Annual Community Pow Wow – virtual event and community giveaway day

We invite you to join us on Saturday, September 25 at 12pm for the 24th Annual Community Pow Wow! You can join our virtual event via our Facebook page Livestream and/or drop by one of our locations on September 25th at noon to pick up a “Giveaway kit”.

Giveaway kits include: An “Every Child Matters” orange shirt, a take-away taco, and a bundle of medicines.

Giveaway Kit Locations:

Virtual Pow Wow Tune in to Facebook Live on Saturday, September 25th for awesome virtual programming:

12:00 PM – Traditional Opening with Knowledge Keeper Pat Green. Community Message from NCFST Executive Director, Dr Jeffrey Schiffer.  “Every Child Matters” Memorial Song – Young Creek Big Drum

1:00 PM – Live from Mount Dennis Aboriginal Child & Family Centre – Medicine Garden Walk-Through with Ojibikaans

1:30 PM – Live from Native Youth Resource Centre – Jingle Dress Dancers

2:00 PM – Live from Malvern Aboriginal Child & Family Centre – Hoop Dance Demonstration

2:30 PM – Live from Scarborough Child & Family Life Centre – All Nations Juniors Big Drum

Please like, comment, and share this event for a chance to win an “Every Child Matters Flag” and other great prizes! 

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