A Nation-Led Pathway to Child & Family Care (Child & Family Jurisdiction Project)
WHO THEY ARE?
Skwlax te Secwepemcúlecw is one of seventeen Secwépemc communities on the shores of Little Shuswap Lake near Chase, BC. For over 10,000 years, Secwépemc people have stewarded Secwepemcúlecw; that continuity guides how the Nation strengthens language, governance, land stewardship, and ceremony today. Named for the black bear Skwlāx teachings of endurance and care inform community investments in wellbeing and youth, rooted in Secwépemc knowledge and values. Children and families sit at the heart of community life.
On the ground, the community delivers prevention-first supports family services, child and youth mental health, and an on-reserve Head Start so children stay close to language, Elders, and land. This direction reinforced the governance and capacity needed for Skwlāx to decide how children are supported—on their terms.
WHAT THEY NEEDED
Skwlāx stood at a generational turning point: to resume full authority over how children and families were supported under C-92 the federal law recognizing Indigenous jurisdiction and setting guiding principles for best interests and cultural continuity while doing so in line with Secwépemc law and community consent. Legislation affirmed the right; it did not deliver the plan. The Nation needed internal clarity, unified leadership, and a culturally safe approach that placed prevention, kinship, and continuity of language and land at the centre.
To turn intent into action, Skwlāx needed a single, Nation-led roadmap that translated vision into sequenced work linking law to policy and everyday practice, setting credible milestones, and aligning roles across leadership, departments, and partners. Equally, they needed shared alignment and practical project-planning capacity so decisions could be made, communicated, and monitored consistently over a multi-year transition the community could trust.
WHAT WE DID
Led a foundational Planning Essentials session to translate the C-92 mandate into a Skwlāx-defined plan for children and families.
Grounded the work in real project context, developing a Project Charter that clarified:
- Why the work was needed now
- What was in and out of scope
- Who carried specific responsibilities
- The early conditions shaping choices and decisions
Built intentional coordination across systems by:
- Mapping who participates, when, and for what purpose across community, programs, and public authorities
- Identifying where cultural protocols, safety, and information-sharing must be explicit
- Defining clear decision points that paced progress along a multi-year timeline
Produced a cohesive set of in-session outputs including:
- Project Charter
- Staged pathway (summary and detailed)
- Stakeholder engagement map
Outlined the full jurisdiction journey, from law-making to daily practice, by:
- Drafting and adopting Nation lawDrafting and adopting Nation law
- Setting plain-language policy and procedures that prioritize prevention and kinship
- Preparing the operational foundation, roles, handoffs, and decision timing, so teams could act in coordination
Compiled all deliverables into one coherent working set teams could continue to build on.
RESULTS WE GOT
Single, Nation-led planning framework for children and families that the community could stand behind.
Turned governance intent into structure by:
- Capturing the mandate, scope, boundaries, roles, and early conditions in a Project Charter
- Establishing a 5-7-year pathway from law to policy to practice, showing how authority transitions into everyday care
Strengthened coordination and clarity through:
- A consolidated engagement map with clear handoffs
- Defined roles and timing for engagement, who acts, when, and with what safeguards
- Reduced ad hoc responses, aligning community services with public authority touchpoints
Improved decision-readiness by:
- Setting phased work, defined milestones, and simple decision points
- Providing a practical system to time decisions, monitor progress, and maintain alignment
Positioned Skwlāx to begin staged implementation with control, coordination, and confidence.
IN NUMBERS
1 Nation-Led Jurisdiction Framework Established
Project Proposal and engagement map unified into a single governance document for mandate, scope, and roles.
9 Deliverables Sequenced Into a Single Delivery Pathway
Spanning Gap Analysis through Transfer to Operations.
5-7-Year Transition Timeline Defined
Clear phases from law-making to an operations handoff on Skwlāx terms.
