Indigenous children and youth in government care and former youth in care deserve to receive consistent and effective support at school and in their homes and communities so they have every opportunity possible for educational and lifelong success.

In May, 2020, the First Nations Children and Youth in Care Protocol was signed by the First Nations Leadership Council (the BC Assembly of First Nations, First Nations Summit, and Union of BC Indian Chiefs); the Province (the Ministry of Education and Child Care, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, and the Ministry of Post Secondary and Future Skills), and FNESC. The Protocol commits BC and First Nations to engage in dialogue and joint action on specific issues and initiatives, seeking to improve the educational outcomes and well-being of Indigenous children and youth in care and former youth in care through legislative, policy, and practice reform.

In addition, Action 4.18 of the DRIPA Action Plan re-affirms the Province’s commitment to “co-develop and implement measures to support improved education outcomes of current and former First Nation children and youth in care, including meaningful data collection to inform policy planning and service delivery”.

FNESC is advocating for changes that include the following:

• Robust data collection, monitoring, and public reporting,
• Dedicated K-12 funding for children and youth in care,
• Full post-secondary funding, including further expanding the Tuition Waiver Program, and prioritizing student housing beds, and
• Legislative and policy reform.