Our Key Agency Partners

Hulitan Family and Community Services 

Hulitan preserves, unifies, and advocates for Indigenous families by supporting healing and fostering resilience through culturally rooted programs and services and collaboration with community partners (from website)

Hulitan’s current programs and services include:   

    • Family Preservation Reunification Program  
    • Journeys of the Heart Cultural Learning and School Readiness Program 
    • L, KI, L (L,TH,KEEL) Child and Youth Mental Health Program 
    • NIȽ YEḴ OLs Sexual Abuse Intervention Program 
    • Healing Generations Program 
    • Out-of-Care Caregiver Support Program

Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Services

Located on lək̓ʷəŋən territory, Surrounded by Cedar Child and Family Service’s (SCCFS) history began in the early 1990s, at a time when Indigenous children were being brought into care at alarming rates, and Indigenous community leaders gathered to take a stand against the ongoing destruction of familial and hereditary linkages, cultural identities and healthy spirits.  Through years of collective efforts, the agency was incorporated as a Society in 2002 and then received its status as a Delegated Aboriginal Agency, responsible for serving the urban Indigenous community in South Vancouver Island, in 2005. Since its beginnings, SCCFS has held strong to its mission of providing child and family services strongly rooted in Indigenous cultural values and worldviews while ensuring urban Indigenous children and youth grow up connected to family, community and culture. They continue to support the empowerment of the urban Indigenous community, working to reclaim traditional systems of caring for and protecting children so no child or youth will be placed into care. 

 

Surrounded by Cedar’s current programs and services include:   

    • C3 Delegated Services:  Non-protection family services and Resources  
    • C4 Delegated Services:  Guardianship & Permanency Planning 

Victoria Native Friendship Centre (VNFC) 

The VNFC is a non-profit Indigenous-led organization located on Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, on the traditional lands of the Lekwungen speaking People of the Songhees and Esquimalt Nations. The Centre comprises over 125 compassionate staff members, building and delivering over 75 programs working to further innovative solutions to improve socio-economic conditions for urban Indigenous peoples. Our goal is to stitch the fabric of Indigenous traditions into everything the VNFC does, and to greet each other and the natural world in a good way every day. (from website) 

South Island Wellness Society 

The South Island Wellness Society (SIWS) delivers a variety of community driven collaborative family planning services using the Coast Salish teachings that have been used by our people for centuries.

SIWS provides services to all First Nations and Urban Aboriginal Children and Families that live within our Coast Salish territory, which included our nine First Nations’ villages and all of the surrounding territories of the Southern Vancouver Island. (taken from website)

SIWS ’s current programs and services include:  

    • Cultural connection planning  
    • Permanency planning  
    • Voluntary family planning  
    • Family group conferences  
    • Family case planning conferences  
    • Youth transition conferences

NIȽ TU,O

NIȽ TU,O was originally formed by representatives of the Esquimalt, Beecher Bay/ Sc’ianew, Tsartlip, Songhees, Tsawout, Tseycum and T’Sou-ke First Nations in 1997, in response to concerns about the number of Coast Salish children in the foster care system. 

The following seven South Island Coast Salish Communities have submitted a BCR (Band Council Resolution) to have NIȽ TU,O CFSS provide services to their children and families: Beecher Bay/ Scianew,  Tsartlip, Songhees, Tsawout, Tseycum and T’Sou-ke.  NIȽ TU,O provides two distinct streams of services. Both streams of services are designed to keep Coast Salish children with their families and in their community. 

The first stream of services is Family Strengthening Programs for any member Nation youth, parents or caregivers that could benefit from additional support. The second is the types of Support Services that were previously provided by the Ministry of Child & Family Development (called delegated services) and are now provided by NIȽ TU,O CFSS using Coast Salish definitions of care. (from website) 

NIȽ TU,Os current programs and services include:

    • C3 Delegated Services:  Non-protection family services and Resources  
    • C4 Delegated Services:  Guardianship & Permanency Planning