Six First Nations celebrate Niijaansinaanik Indigenous Child Welfare Agency designation

By Kelly Anne Smith

PARRY SOUND— A joyous ceremony in Wasausking First Nation marked the official designation of Niijaansinaanik Child and Family Services.

Niijaansinaanik Child and Family Services became a designated Indigenous Child Welfare Agency on April 1, 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the in-person event acknowledging six First Nations taking back the care for their children.

Niijaansinaanik provides child protection services throughout the District of Nipissing, the District of Parry Sound and the City of Greater Sudbury, including matters of Indigenous child welfare for the First Nations of Dokis, Henvey Inlet, Magnetawan, Shawanaga, Wahnapitae, and Wasauksing as well as all Indigenous children and families currently served by Niijaansinaanik’s provincial counterparts in these geographic areas.

Niijaansinaanik Executive Director Joanne Koehler explained the significance of the event.

“We were celebrating becoming designated as a child protection agency for the province. So, we now have provincial designation to carry out the mandate to [serve] children.”

2021 is also the year that unmarked graves of Indigenous children have been searched for and found in the thousands. Executive Director Joanne Koehler says Indigenous people caring for Indigenous children is critically important.

“When the First Nations had no care and control of their children, that’s where we’ve seen the effects of Residential Schools,” she says. “It’s the importance of us providing service delivery so that mainstream or western provincially funded services don’t move in and start delivering services the way they think that our children and youth should have services… The families are the experts, the communities are the experts, and although they may be struggling and they may be in their healing journey, they may not get it right, but that’s why we are there – to assist the families, not just the children.”

At the ceremony, Niijaansinaanik’s head of the Elders Advisory Committee Joyce Tabobondung did the opening prayer for the day. Elder Tabobondung has long been dedicated to the welfare of children and has been involved in projects to make communities better. Since the beginning of the Tribal Council days (Waabnoong Bemjiwang Child-Well Being Development Project), Tabobondung has provided guidance in developing Niijaansinaanik Child and Family Services.

“It’s the hope our agency grows into the vision that Joyce’s mother, Flora Tabobondung had,” Koehler adds.

Flora’s vision was painted for the Niijaansinaanik logo by Wasauksing’s Debbie Jackson.

The Niijaansinaanik cultural team did a Pipe Ceremony and then presented the agency’s Eagle Staff.

Koehler says it was the first time that it was part of any of the ceremonies.

“It took some time for it to come together. The cultural team went to ceremony to come up with a vision of what it would look like. It’s been in the makings for over six months.”

Koehler was also celebrating the positive feedback being received by Niijaansinaanik which has an all-encompassing service delivery model.

“Our numbers of services that we provide are increasing with prevention alone. And our cultural component – that is a large part of what we do. Protection is part of our mandate as a designated protection agency,” Koehler explains. “With the services we provide through prevention and cultural programming, that’s where we see the positive upswing – the positive feedback from our First Nations communities that we service.”

To learn more about Niijaansinaanik Child and Family Services, visit: https://niijcfs.com/