Who is responsible if my child's foster placement is not culturally appropriate?

MCFD is responsible for the cultural appropriateness of every placement they approve. Foster families are recruited, trained, and approved by MCFD. If a placement does not have the cultural knowledge or capacity to support your child's identity, this is an MCFD failure, not only a foster family limitation.

What is the formal process for complaining about a placement?

You can file a formal complaint with MCFD through their Office for Children and Family Development complaints process. You can also contact the Representative for Children and Youth (rcybc.ca), which is independent of MCFD and investigates concerns about children in care. Your lawyer can also raise placement adequacy directly with the court.

Can I request my child be moved to a different placement?

Yes. You can formally request a placement change in writing, citing the specific cultural inadequacies of the current placement. MCFD does not have to grant it, but they must respond and must document their decision. Your lawyer can raise it with the court if MCFD refuses without adequate justification.

My Child's Foster Family Knows Nothing About Our Nation — Who Do I Complain To?

MCFD is responsible for the cultural appropriateness of every placement they approve. If your child's foster family knows nothing about your nation, MCFD has approved an inadequate placement. Make a formal written complaint to MCFD, contact the Representative for Children and Youth, and request a placement review. Put everything in writing.

A placement that cannot speak to your child’s identity, nation, language, or culture is failing your child in ways that are documented, recognized, and legally addressable.

Where responsibility sits

MCFD is responsible for every placement they approve. Foster families are recruited, screened, trained, and matched by MCFD. When a placement is culturally inadequate — when a family has no knowledge of your nation, your language, or your cultural practices — that is a failure of MCFD’s placement process, not just a limitation of one family.

What cultural adequacy requires

At minimum, a culturally adequate placement for your child should:

Know which nation your child comes from and have some basic knowledge of that nation
Be willing to facilitate cultural connections — Elder visits, ceremony access, language
Not actively discourage or dismiss your child’s cultural practices
Be open to learning from you and from your community

A placement that cannot meet these minimums is culturally inadequate.

How to make a formal complaint

Write a detailed complaint to your MCFD worker and their supervisor. Identify:

What specific knowledge and capacity is missing
What cultural needs of your child are not being met
What you are requesting — a placement review, supplemental cultural supports, or a placement change

If MCFD does not respond adequately, file a complaint with the Representative for Children and Youth (rcybc.ca). The RCY investigates concerns about children in care independently.

Getting your nation formally involved

Your First Nation has rights under Bill C-92 to be involved in decisions about your child. Ask your nation’s family services coordinator to formally contact MCFD about the placement’s cultural adequacy. A nation-level request carries formal weight.

Requesting an IFISC assessment

You can request that any alternative placement being considered be evaluated against the IFISC standard — seven Indigenous-defined pillars including cultural identity and community accountability. This gives MCFD a specific bar to meet rather than a vague cultural standard to interpret.

If you are an Indigenous family navigating child welfare in BC and need peer support, contact KFT-Families Society at [email protected], call Lori at 604-512-3266, or visit keeping-families-together.com. IFISC operates weekly peer support circles, connects families with culturally grounded resources, and provides guidance to parents at every stage of the child welfare process — at no cost.