Social Services

The work of the Social Services Coordination Unit (SSCU), under the Chiefs of Ontario, is an ongoing and dedicated effort to improve the quality of service and care for First Nations citizens according to First Nations customs and values.

First Nations have consistently emphasized that the gross disparity in the resources provided for First Nation child welfare services versus Canadian children must be addressed, especially as there are more Indigenous children in care today than at the height of the residential school regime.

The Social Services Coordination Unit (SSCU) is a technical and advisory body operating under the Chiefs of Ontario. It provides advice, guidance, and recommendations to the Leadership Council and the Chiefs in Ontario on initiatives pertaining to 1965 Welfare Agreement, Ontario Works, Child and Family Services, Daycare, and Homemakers services. Under the 4 major programs there are 30+ sub-programs.

The SSCU was set up to support First Nation participation in policy and program development of social services for their regions. The broad focus of the Unit is to:

  • Support the independent efforts of the PTO Social Units directed at assisting First Nations to develop social services for their communities; resolving issues between present legislation and regulations, and First Nation requirements for social services;
  • Develop strategies and policy/position papers on social services issues;
  • Support the consultation and negotiation processes for the attainment of First Nation control of social services;
  • Develop a working and information sharing relationship with other First Nation and non-Aboriginal social services organizations;

Regular intergovernmental liaising with federal and provincial governments to facilitate information access for First Nations.

The members of the SSCU is composed of Social Services Directors from the Anishinabek Nation, Grand Council Treaty #3, Nishnawbe Aski Nation and the Association of Iroquois and Allied Indians, one representative of the Independent First Nations and the Six Nations of the Grand River.

Mission: The Chiefs of Ontario Social Sector plans on leading the way through advocacy and engaging with political leaders and government by:

  • Creating and maintaining a supportive and collaborative work environment for our team to do the ‘good’ work.
  • Seeking equitable services and realizing human rights.
  • Prioritizing First Nation Leadership through coordination, resources, and communication to create opportunities for First Nation sovereignty in the Canadian Federal, Provincial, and Municipal governments.
  • Supporting First Nation Leadership in their pursuit of self-determination, jurisdiction, and sovereignty.
  • Establishing and maintaining strategic political partnerships development with Canadian governments for all social services and programs on/off-reserve.

Values:

  • To have Social Services improve the quality of life for First Nations citizens through service and care.
  • To consistently respect and improve First Nations individual and collective rights, self-determination, jurisdiction and sovereignty.
  • To advocate for equitable Social Services from the governments through substantively equitable funding allocations.
  • To demonstrate that the COO Social Sector is a leader and expert in social services areas and political advocacy.

Child and Family Wellbeing

Our Nations’ children are not only being failed through a lack of equal opportunities to education, but also through a lack of culturally appropriate and inadequately resourced child welfare structures to protect and keep our children in our communities.

Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act), affirms the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis in relation to child and family services, and establishes national principles to help guide the provision of child and family services in relation to Indigenous children.

About: The over-representation of First Nations, Inuit and Métis children in the child and family services system was described as a humanitarian crisis; according to Census 2016 data, According to the data, Indigenous children represent 7.7% of all children between the ages of 0 and 14 but account for 52.2% of children in foster care in private homes. The current approach to Indigenous child and family services too often sees Indigenous children separated from their families and communities, due to poverty, inter-generational trauma and culturally biased child welfare practices that lead to apprehension.

Bill C-92, An Act respecting First Nations, Inuit and Métis children, youth and families (the Act), affirms the rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis in relation to child and family services, and establishes national principles to help guide the provision of child and family services in relation to Indigenous children.

The Sixties Scoop is a term that describes the Canadian practice of fostering or adopting out First Nations children at high rates into non-Indigenous families between the 1960s to the late 1980s.

About the 60s Scoop

It was estimated that 16,000 Indigenous children were a part of the Sixties Scoop, who as a result, experienced a loss of cultural identity, their families, histories, and status.   The assimilationist practice was noted to have formally ended in the 1980s.

Marcia Brown and Robert Commanda have put forward a class action lawsuit against Canada on behalf of themselves and possibly 16,000 other Indigenous persons who were a part of the Scoop, charging that the loss of cultural identity caused significant suffering.   The case was stalled for a year after it was certified by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice because Ottawa appealed the lawsuit.  The appeal hearing took place in a Toronto courtroom on October 28, 2011.

The Chiefs of Ontario affirmed their support for the Sixties Scoop litigation in 2008 through Resolution 08/92.  The resolution states that, “adopting out of First Nations children is a continuation of assimilation policies handed down by the provincial and federal governments of Canada.  These government policies have devastated First Nations families, children and culture.  First Nations continue to be tragically affected by the “adopting out” of their children, as evidenced by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada statistics from 1996 whereby 16,810 Treaty status children were adopted out to predominantly non-native families across Canada, the United States, and Europe.  The long term effects of the Sixties Scoop continue to be felt in every First Nation community across Canada as parents and children continue to deal with the devastating effects of lost relatives.  The federal and provincial governments are responsible for the intentional and systematic destruction of First Nation families and communities through assimilation policies and actions…”

Article 7 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples states that “Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group to another group.”

The purpose of the Sixties Scoop website is to notify individuals directly or indirectly affected by the Sixties Scoop that they may register and possibly join in the class action lawsuit.

This agreement requires INAC to reimburse Ontario 93 cents for every dollar of services provided to “status” Indians in the following areas:

  • Social assistance
  • Child & Family services
  • Child care
  • Homemaking

First Nations were not a signatory in this agreement which remains in effect today. Section 2 (2) does require consent from First Nations for any new programs, however the remainder of the agreement fully operates without consultation or consent from First Nations. First Nations have never given up their right of jurisdiction over the social well being of our communities despite existing programming’s failure to meet critical community needs.

The Final Agreement on Long-Term Reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program (the Final Agreement) is a commitment to long-term reform of the First Nations Child and Family Services Program (the FNCFS Program) and to eliminate the discrimination perpetrated by Canada in its FNCFS Program and found in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) decision 2016 CHRT 2. The reformed Program is designed to support First Nations in addressing the best interest of First Nations children, youth, young adults and families. The reforms will also respect the right to self-determination of Indigenous peoples, which is a right recognized and affirmed in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

On February 26, 2025, the Chiefs of Ontario, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and Canada jointly announced they have reached a $8.5 billion landmark Agreement to reform First Nations child and family services in Ontario.

Background:

The path to the Ontario-specific agreement began with the resolution passed at the Chiefs of Ontario Special Chiefs Assembly (SCA) on October 10, 2024, where the Chiefs in Assembly supported and ratified the Provisional Final Agreement (FA) on the long-term reform of the FNCFS Program, a deal worth $47.8 billion. This agreement was between COO, NAN, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), and Canada. It aimed to address the systemic issues in child and family services for First Nations across Canada.

However, during the AFN Special Chiefs Assembly in October 2024, the national agreement was rejected by First Nations in Assembly. This prompted the Chiefs of Ontario, and Nishnawbe Aski Nation, to pursue a regional agreement which protects the gains in the national agreement for Ontario First Nations.

During the Chiefs of Ontario’s Fall Special Chiefs Assembly held from November 19-21, 2024, the Chiefs-in-Assembly passed a resolution mandating the Chiefs of Ontario to explore and pursue a regional agreement with Canada. The Ontario-specific deal advocates for Ontario’s portion of what was included in the proposed and rejected Final Agreement.

For more information about the Ontario Final Agreement, please visit the website: FNCFSReform

Early Learning and Child Care

Chiefs of Ontario Social Sector began the SoftWind Project to highlight First Nations-led Early Learning and Child Care as a necessary and high-quality service for children, families and communities. The SoftWind Project was intended to increase the quality, quantity and accessibility of ELCC services and programs with a focus on children with special needs. In spring 2024, Sisco Consulting was brought on to lead the SoftWind Project and develop a website, database, training modules and resource kits reflecting the culture, language and values of First Nations in Ontario.

On September 19, 2023, the ELCC Regional Table was approved by the Chiefs of Ontario Leadership Council with a Record of Decision made for Motion #2023-09-19.10 – Early Learning and Child Care Regional Table Terms of Reference. The Early Learning and Child Care Regional Table (ELCCRT) began in February 2024 with one clear vision: To support, inspire, provide, and empower Ontario First Nations in order for them to fully integrate IELCC into their communities. The ELCCRT discusses and advises on issues relating to early learning and child care including Ontario First Nations-specific funding agreements, priorities, goals, recommendations, policies, delivery of ELCC services, and gaps in ELCC data, and will assert jurisdiction over early years and child care and all 0-12 children’s services with a First Nations perspective. All activities, recommendations, and reports provided by this table will go to the Social Services Coordination Unit, the Chiefs Committee on Social, and the Chiefs in Assembly for approval and final decisions.

Terms of Reference

The Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care (IELCC) Framework was co-developed with National Indigenous Organizations. Before this, there were extensive engagements done in 2017 with various First Nations, Inuit, and Métis partners. The IELCC Framework envisions First Nations, Inuit, and Métis children and families as happy and safe, imbued with a strong cultural identity.

The IELCC Framework was endorsed and jointly released in Fall 2018 by the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami and Métis National Council Leadership alongside Canada. Specifically, the First Nations Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) Framework was developed and supported by the First Nations-in-Assembly in 2017 via Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Resolution 83/2017: Support for the National First Nations Early Learning and Child Care Policy Framework. The Framework identified the vision, goals, and outcomes of a First Nations ELCC system, with a focus on First Nations governance and control over ELCC.

The IELCC Framework is implemented through a program called the IELCC Transformation Initiative. Established in 2018 at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), the IELCC Secretariat is the federal lead in implementing the IELCC Framework. This is done alongside other federal departments such as Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIR-NAC). This is also done through the National Expert Working Group (NEWG), regions such as those represented by Chiefs of Ontario, Provincial Territorial Organizations, and First Nations.

Currently, as of 2025, First Nations in Ontario have access to multiple funding pots from multiple government funders. This includes but is not limited to 1.) Federal legacy programs, such as First Nation and Inuit Child Care Initiative (FNICCI), Aboriginal Head Start in Urban and Northern Communities program (AHSUNC), Aboriginal Head Start On Reserve (AHSOR); 2.) Funding through the Indigenous Early Learning Child Care (IELCC) Framework, such as Major Capital Infrastructure Funding, Transformative Action Fund, Programs and Services, and Governance; 3.) The Ontario Child Care and Early Years Act; 4.) The 1965 Indian Welfare Agreement (IWA); and 5.) The Canada-Ontario Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement (CWELCC), of which on-reserve programs are excluded. These various funding commitments lead to piecemeal approaches to children and community needs and service delivery. It also results in increased administrative burden and reporting for First Nations.

The Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care (IELCC) Framework funding is advanced via Employment and Social Development Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada, Crown Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada to Indigenous recipients.  Allocations are decided by First Nation leadership at the national level and then, at the regional level. In June 2024, at the Chiefs of Ontario Annual Chiefs Assembly, Resolution 24/19 Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Funding was carried. Resolution 24/19 established an ongoing regional allocation. It directed Employment and Social Development Canada to release and distribute the remaining fiscal years of the IELCC Framework Funding as based on the Ontario First Nation Limited Partnership (OFNLP) Funding Formula. This applies to all funding sources under the IELCC Framework. The OFNLP Funding formula will apply until a needs-based allocation formula is determined or until the agreement exhausts.

Chiefs of Ontario acknowledge that this funding model does not account for the high costs of service delivery in Northern communities, small communities, or communities with high populations. The model does not account for historical underfunding, infrastructure, human resource or capacity funding, or the costs of language and cultural

programming, and is based on an inadequate population dataset.

Overall, if a First Nation is eligible and are able to maintain the reporting requirements required to offer Child Care and Child and Family Programs suitable to Ontario Ministry of Education Standards, then there is funding for Operating, Mental Health Support, Professional Learning, Administration Funding, and Child Care Services

If a First Nation enters a Child Care and/or Child and Family Program service agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Education, they are required to produce supplementary information by detail codes (funding types) summarizing all revenues and expenditures related to the service agreement(s). detail codes (funding types include but are not limited to: Fee subsidies, Health and Safety, Special Needs Resources, Wage Subsidy, Pay Equity Union Settlement, Ontario Works Formal, Ontario Works Informal, Child Care Transformation, Childcare Supervisor Network- Capacity, Wage Enhancement/ HCCEG. Wage Enhancement/ HCCEG Administration, Small Water Works, Base Funding for Licensed Home Child Care and/ or First Nations Child and Family Programs- Operating Ongoing. In addition to reporting on funding expenses, First Nations must report on child and family programs data elements.

Social Assistance

The Joint First Nations – MCCSS Social Services Table (JSST) was established as a standing table to support ongoing dialogue between the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services (MCCSS) and First Nations in Ontario on matters related to income assistance and income security. The JSST is a permanent, co-developed forum for dialogue and collaboration.

Originally formed following the release of the Income Security: A Roadmap for Change report, the JSST was formally endorsed by the Chiefs in Assembly in 2017 through Resolution 26/17. In November 2018, the Ontario government announced planned reforms to the province’s social assistance programs. Importantly, these changes were deferred for First Nations, recognizing the need for meaningful engagement and the development of a First Nations-specific implementation approach.

The JSST reflects commitments made in the 2015 Political Accord and aligns with the federal government’s commitment to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), including the right to participate in designing and delivering social programs.

Key priorities of the JSST include:

  • Asserting First Nations jurisdiction over income assistance and income security.
  • Addressing policy, planning, and program delivery with a First Nations lens.
  • Identifying gaps in data and building a stronger evidence base for First Nations-led change.
  • Ensuring equitable, inclusive engagement on all reforms that impact First Nations in Ontario.

The JSST is co-chaired by the Chiefs of Ontario and MCCSS, with quarterly meetings held regularly throughout the year. Sub-groups are formed specific issues (such as ODSP, Techology, TSF, and Administrative Funding). All work is brought back to First Nation political leadership for direction and approval.

At its core, the JSST is a platform for nation-to-nation collaboration, grounded in the principles of self-determination, reconciliation, and respect.

Terms of Reference

The Joint Social Services Table First Nations Caucus (JSST FNC) was established to focus on First Nation-specific solutions and approaches to income security and income assistance. It supports all First Nations in Ontario as they assert their sovereignty, jurisdiction, and chosen expressions of nationhood. The table members are made up of the First Nation PTOs that sit at the JSST.

Following the release of Income Security: A Roadmap for Change, the 2018 Ontario Social Assistance Reform Plan, and Chiefs in Assembly Resolution #26/17 on Social Assistance and Income Security Reform, it was recognized that the JSST’s First Nations Caucus required political endorsement to advance more effective, community-driven solutions to income security and assistance challenges. In 2025, a Terms of Reference was developed for this subsection of the JSST.

The JSST FNC provides a coordinated approach to addressing income security and assistance issues, including those related to both provincial and federal income assistance programs. Its overarching goal is to help realize a vision of high-quality, affordable, flexible, and inclusive income security and assistance services.

The JSST FNC also examines interconnected areas within the broader social services sector, such as housing, mental health, and addictions services, that influence the well-being of First Nations individuals and communities.

Terms of Reference

Ontario Works (OW) is a provincial income assistance program that provides financial and employment supports to individuals in need. For First Nations in Ontario, the program is more than service delivery, as it is a key area for asserting sovereignty, advancing self-determination, and ensuring equitable access to resources.

Through the JSST, First Nations in Ontario are working collaboratively to advocate for a more responsive and flexible OW program. This includes increasing local control over how services are delivered, ensuring fair compensation for staff, addressing community-specific needs, and advancing data sovereignty.

Our efforts focus on strengthening First Nation decision-making authority, securing flexible funding formulas that reflect cost-of-living differences (including in remote and fly-in communities) and promoting wrap-around supports in areas such as mental health, addictions, and homelessness.

Equitable and sustainable funding for administrative costs is essential to ensure First Nations can deliver high-quality social services that reflect their unique needs and governance. Currently, administrative funding for First Nations often falls short of what’s required, especially when compared to off-reserve counterparts.

Through the JSST and the Administrative Funding Working Group (composed of MCCSS staff and First Nation PTOs and organizations), First Nations are advocating for equitable compensation for their on-reserve social services staff, recognizing that they perform the same critical work as staff off-reserve. This includes a remoteness quotient that accounts for the higher cost of living, travel, recruitment, and retention in fly-in and northern communities. Adequate funding must also support the infrastructure needed to implement data sovereignty, such as purchasing and maintaining software, training staff, and ensuring communities can own and manage their data in accordance with OCAP® principles.

Investing in wage parity, local capacity, and culturally relevant technology is not just about fairness. It’s about enabling self-determined, community-led delivery of Ontario Works (OW), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), and other vital programs.

The Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) provides income and employment supports to people with disabilities. For First Nations in Ontario, ODSP should reflect the realities, rights, and needs of communities. It must be grounded in First Nations perspectives on disability, support, and wellness.

Through the JSST and the ODSP Working Group (composed of MCCSS staff and First Nation PTOs and organizations), First Nations are actively working to reshape how ODSP is understood and delivered in their communities. This includes advocating for a culturally relevant definition of disability, flexible delivery models tailored to remote and northern communities, and equitable funding that reflects the true cost of program administration and service delivery.

We are focused on building First Nation-led capacity for ODSP delivery and have successfully supported the ODSP Pilot Project, allowing 2 First Nation sites to deliver and administer their own ODSP. Our working group and table are supporting the process of 3 more sites to begin this process, too.

By placing community at the center of reform, these efforts aim to ensure that ODSP supports are inclusive, accessible, and aligned with the realities and aspirations of First Nations in Ontario.

Terms of Reference

Life Stabilization is more than a policy: it is a transformative approach rooted in First Nations worldviews, prioritizing wellness, dignity, and self-determination. For First Nations in Ontario, life stabilization means building a system of social assistance that supports individuals and families not just to survive, but to thrive mentally, spiritually, economically, and culturally.

Life stabilization redefines income assistance as a foundational tool for improving quality of life. It recognizes that employment is not the only measure of success. Instead, it emphasizes community connection, personal growth, cultural revitalization, and healing. From access to traditional healing and mental health supports, to education, language, land-based learning, and entrepreneurship, life stabilization centers the holistic needs and strengths of First Nations people.

Through the JSST, First Nations are asserting jurisdiction and leadership in the design and delivery of social assistance programs. This includes calls for legislative opt-out clauses, culturally relevant performance indicators, and flexible funding structures that reflect the true costs of delivering life-stabilizing services in northern, rural, and remote communities.

To the Chiefs of Ontario Social Sector, Life Stabilization is rooted in abundance, not deficit. This affirms that poverty and social exclusion are the legacy of colonial policies, not the fault of individuals or families. First Nations are building systems that honour identity, promote self-improvement, and ensure every person can access supports that align with their own journey toward stability and wellbeing.

First Nations Data Sovereignty is about reclaiming ownership and control over how community data is collected, stored, accessed, and used. It ensures that data serves the needs of First Nations, not government or outside interests, and that all processes align with the principles of OCAP® (Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession).

Through the JSST, First Nations are leading the development of a data strategy that reflects their inherent rights and governance structures. This includes creating clear, community-approved data-sharing agreements with the Ministry, advocating for data ownership policies, and ensuring that First Nations retain authority over how their data is used in programs like Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP).

Technical Tables

Through the First Nations Technical Table, COO Social Services Sector is actively engaged in discussions with the Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services (MCCSS) to address the various challenges faced by First Nations youth in the child welfare system. There was ongoing advocacy and negotiations with MCCSS to ensure iterations and changes made to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act (CYFSA) are rooted in First Nations-led solutions and cultural relevance. COO Social Services Sector has also been involved in discussing programs and initiatives concerning anti-human trafficking, child protection information network (CPIN), youth justice, adoption, prevention-focused Indigenous service providers, and data collection.

Contact the Social Services Sector

Toronto Office
(416) 597-1266
Toll-Free: 1-877-517-6527

THE LATEST FROM THE SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR

Updates

DOWNLOADS FROM THE SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR

Resources

Map

View the Ontario First Nations Directory.

The Advocate

Our semi-annual magazine.

Events

Community and special events.

Resources

Download resources and information.