This guide was created in collaboration with the Indigenous Education and Youth in Transition/Housing Support Workers Networking Circles, the Indigenous and non-Indigenous Directors of Services and Resources (DOSR), as well as former youth in care and seeks to offer information about available supports and resources for Indigenous youth transitioning out of Ontario’s child and family services sector.
Provincial, federal, and international legislations provide that Indigenous youth and those in care, have the right to have their voices heard and recognized and partake in every step of decision making about their care and how they will be supported during their transition to independence in a safe and supportive way. This includes having access to information, services and supports that are wholistic and culturally responsive to their physical, emotional/mental, social, educational/vocational, and spiritual needs.
In recognizing the multi-facets that attribute to a young person’s wholistic wellbeing, the resource guide intends to provide a fulsome overview of the services and supports available in all of these aspects and assist youth and those working with and supporting them in their successful transition out of the child welfare system and on their journey towards adulthood and independence.
The guide offers a variety of user-friendly features to help readers navigate and find what they are looking for with ease, including in-text document links, webpage hyperlinks, text-to-speech (read out loud) instructions, and symbols to easily identify additional multi-services a resource may provide. Additionally, the guide includes various funding opportunities which ICFWAs and First Nations communities may consider applying for.
To access and download the resource guide, please visit the ANCFSAO website: https://ancfsao.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ANCFSAO-Resource-Guide_Youth-in-Transition_2022.pdf
The guide is also available on the OACAS website: https://www.oacas.org/2022/07/ancfsao-indigenous-youth-in-transition-resource-guide/
This guide is meant to be used and shared broadly; we encourage ICFWAs and CAS to upload the resource guide on their respective internal sites (i.e., Intranet, SharePoint, etc.) and externally on public websites, as well as share on their social media channels and via other communication channels as appropriate.
ANCFSAO will continue working with the sector and stakeholders to ensure the guide is up to date and additional supports are added as they become available.
If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback please contact:
Meagan Lindley, Researcher and Policy Analyst (ANCFSAO), mlindley@ancfsao.ca .