Haida Nation Child and Family Services

The CHN, Skidegate Band Council and Old Massett Village Council are in the process of setting up a Haida Nation Child and Family Services Agency. This is a huge and very important undertaking. In Canada, there are an appalling number of Aboriginal children in the care of the government. Many of these children are in permanent care and placed with non-Native families. These children have been removed from their families, their communities and their culture. Haida children are no exception. The first step is setting up the groundwork for a successful child welfare authority that will be uniquely Haida. The HNCFS will at first provide family support services and eventually lead to full child protection services. The purpose of the programs is to prevent families from having their children apprehended by the Ministry by providing alternatives and to provide support programs that are preventative in nature. Haida social workers will be able to look at extended families and other options for child placement all of which are proven healthier environments for First Nations children than removing them from the community.