How to Choose a Culturally Safe Foster Provider for Your Indigenous Child

If your child must be placed outside your home, the quality of that placement depends on who provides it. You have the right to advocate for a culturally safe placement — one where your child will be known, respected, and connected to their identity. Here is what to look for and what to ask.

Not all foster placements are equal. The difference between a provider who understands your child’s cultural identity and one who does not can be the difference between a child who comes home knowing who they are and one who does not.

Families have more influence over placement decisions than many realize. The key is knowing what to ask for — and what to insist on.

Start with family

Before any outside placement is considered, name every family member or community member who could care for your child. Grandparents. Aunts and uncles. Older siblings. Trusted members of your nation.

MCFD is required to explore family placements before placing a child with a stranger. Your list is the starting point for that exploration. Give it to your worker in writing and ask for written documentation of how each person was considered.

What to ask about a proposed placement

If your child is being placed with a provider outside your family, ask these questions in writing before the placement is confirmed:

• What does this provider know about my child’s nation and cultural background?
• How will ceremony access be facilitated?
• What language support is available?
• Has this provider worked with Indigenous children before?
• What Elder or cultural knowledge keeper relationships does this provider have?
• Is this provider IFISC certified?

The answers to these questions tell you whether the provider has done the foundational work or not.

What IFISC certification means

IFISC (Indigenous Family Integrity Safety Certificate) certification means a provider has been evaluated against seven measurable pillars by Indigenous knowledge holders. These pillars cover:

• Health and Wellness of the whole child
• Rights and Legal Accountability — families knowing their rights
• Indigenous Law and Tradition as primary authority
• Family and Reunification — active support for your relationship with your child
• Culture and Identity — language, ceremony, Elder relationships
• Community Accountability — transparency with the communities they serve
• Crisis Intervention — the highest standard for the most acute decisions

Certification is renewed, not granted once. A certified provider has demonstrated these practices to a review process involving Indigenous community members.

If MCFD proposes a non-certified provider

You can request that a certified alternative be explored. You can also ask MCFD to require the proposed provider to demonstrate how they will meet each of the seven pillars during the placement.

Document your request. If MCFD proceeds without explanation, that gap is part of your record.

To learn more about certified providers or to ask about the IFISC standard, contact us at [email protected] or visit ifisc.org/get-certified/.

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.