Maori experts back in Manitoba to help grow Indigenous-led child welfare practices

Lenard Monkman - CBC News

A group of Maori — Indigenous Peoples of New Zealand — have arrived in Manitoba, Canada to meet with Indigenous leaders there and share their best practices in reducing the number of Indigenous children in foster care, according to this article from CBC News. The group has been assisting a local social service provider in developing and implementing a Family Group Conferencing Model, which was pioneered in New Zealand. "The model is an Indigenous-led approach that puts the decision-making powers regarding children into the hands of the affected family and community," says the article. "The model prioritizes keeping children in need of protection in the care of family, so they can maintain cultural ties. Murray said identity, language and culture are key to success in life."