How are we working together?
The Ministry of Education and Child Care meets regularly with the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC), First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC), and other provincial ministries at a technical working table to implement key actions and milestones from the workplan.
An oversight table with representation from senior leadership at the FNESC, FNLC, and the Ministers of Education and Child Care, Children and Family Development and Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills is required to meet twice per year to review and provide feedback on progress to date. The oversight table last met on April 12, 2024, and is tentatively scheduled to meet next in Spring 2025.
Are there challenges?
All parties involved have capacity challenges that make it difficult to meet key milestones and deliverables within the established timelines.
Identified limitations to existing legislation and information sharing agreements may require changes as they impact the ability to complete the action.
Additional expansion to the Provincial Tuition Waiver Program and a debt relief program for former children and youth in care will require substantive work to advance before changes can be made to programs.
Highlights
In January 2025, the Ministries of Education and Child Care, Children and Family Development, and Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills published the inaugural Children and Youth in Care: How Are We Doing? report as required by Action 4.18 and the First Nations Children and Youth in Care Protocol (the Protocol).
The oversight table will continue to meet bi-annually to ensure that the objectives of the Protocol and the workplan are being met. The technical working table is also exploring mechanisms to appropriately and consistently identify children and youth in care to provide educational support as needed.
Previous years’ progress
Highlights
On November 22, 2023, leadership from the Ministry of Education and Child Care (ECC), the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills (PSFS), the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC), and the First Nations Education Steering Committee (FNESC) met as an oversight table to approve a co-developed workplan designed to implement key aspects of the protocol. This marks an important step towards operationalizing the children and youth in care (CYIC) protocol that aims to improve the educational outcomes for First Nations children and youth in care and former youth in care.
The oversight table will continue to meet bi-annually to ensure that the objectives of the protocol and the workplan are being met.
A First Nations CYIC Protocol workplan and technical table terms of reference, endorsed by the oversight table, was completed November 22, 2023.
One of the milestones completed was collection of qualitative and quantitative data regarding existing school-based supports, services, and expenditures for children and youth in care.
How are we working together?
The Ministry meets regularly with FNESC, FNLC, and other provincial ministries as a technical working table to implement key actions and milestones from the workplan.
An oversight table with representation from senior leadership at FNESC and FNLC, and the Ministers of ECC, MCFD and PSFS is required to meet twice per year to review and provide feedback on progress to date. The oversight table met on November 22, 2023, and again on April 12, 2024.
Are there challenges?
Organizational capacity based on competing priorities for all parties (ECC, MCFD, PSFS, FNLC, and FNESC) to meet key milestones and deliverables within the established timelines.
Identified limitations to existing legislation and sharing agreements may require changes as they impact the ability to complete the action.