Kina’wenimowsowin

Wabishki Makinaakoons uses traditional practices to ensure the safety of the child while ensuring the child does not lose connection to the community.

Abinooji Inakonigewin ensures the safety and security of our children.

Abinooji Niwiidabimaa ensures that children in need of protection are kept within their extended family and/or community.

The Community Child Care Code relies on family support, immediate response, community conferencing, inclusive planning and cultural supports. These supports are provided by:

• Kina’wenimowsowin Workers
• Youth in Transition Workers
• Care Homes (placements)

This model of care and intervention, grounded in holistic and cultural teachings, has already demonstrated success by significantly decreasing the number of children in care.

Our community is rich with traditional knowledge of medicines, and traditional practices and processes. Anishinabemowin is readily used in the community.

We must acknowledge our Elders and traditional Knowledge Keepers, and ensure the transfer of their knowledge and a focus on rejuvenating our traditional ways. Passing our language down to younger generations is the key.

Customary Care may be agreed upon or not, and the family is the prime authority as to whether Customary Care is beneficial. Only when the family is so incapable of making a decision is their participation excused.

The Customary Care and Orders that may be issued by Wabaseemoong Independent Nations are:

• Shawentasoowin: the Agency supervises the family home while the children remain there
• Ganawentasoowin: the children are temporarily removed from the parental home and placed in a customary care home with parental consent & access
• Ombigiasoowin: the children are removed from the parental home and placed in a customary care home with or without parental consent or access
• Gagiigimawasoowin: children are placed permanently in a long-term customary care home with or without parental consent, in the absence of custom adoption plans
• Odapinawsowin: custom adoption order as outlined in this Code

What is Custom adoption?

Custom adoption is a long-standing and accepted practice of child placement in Aboriginal culture, and is increasingly being practiced as a permanent option to keep the children within the community.

The arrangement is usually with relatives or other people in the same community. The Elders deem that Custom Adoption has taken place if the following has occurred:

• consent of the birth and adopting parents
• child has been voluntarily placed with adopting parents
• if no consent, the Grandmothers are in agreement with the adoption
• adopting parents are indeed Aboriginal or entitled to rely on Aboriginal custom
• rationale for Custom Adoptions is present
• the relationship created must be understood to create the same relationship as that resulting from familial systems and placements
• a ceremony sanctioning the adoption has taken place

The role of the Customary Care & Custom Adoption Home Provider

• to receive children in their homes as emergency, short- and long-term placements
• to assume the responsibility as a substitute parent to ensure safety & security of the child
• to assure the social & cultural development of the child
• to ensure developmental growth & enculturation while cooperating fully with WCWA
• to be trained specifically in the care of Anishinaabe children
• to aid in recognizing the child’s rights to their identity, language, land, lifestyle, education, spiritual name, clan and cultural & healing practices
• to not obstruct the WCWA, Wabaseemoong Customary Care Code or Abinojii Inakonigewin