Family Support Values
Anishinaabe children, youth, and families are surrounded by layers of support: Family, extended family, community, clan, and Nation.
- Anishinabek culture is the foundation for wellness and supports the healing process of family visits.
- Flexible family visits that occur in the family home and community.
- A strengths-based approach to family visits.
- Understanding of historical trauma.
- Anishinabek staff members.
- Our focus is to remove barriers.
- Children’s Rights Poster
Our Medicine Wheel illustrates Anishinabek beliefs, values, and traditional teachings such as the circle, stages of life, seven grandfather teachings, four colors, four directions, four sacred medicines, and the four concepts of hope, belonging, meaning, and purpose needed to achieve ‘Mino Bimaadiziwin’. Anishinabek cultural beliefs and values are the foundation for wellness and support renewal, healing, and balance.
The Child is in the center of the Medicine Wheel to signify their importance and their Voice. The Child is surrounded by Family and Community reflecting the Anishinabek belief that Family is the foundation of Community. Our traditional teachings see the four directions as sacred because each direction gives us special gifts and teaches that we must always respect the four directions and the gifts they bring.
Family Support Services’ medicine wheel guides the work of our team.
The Anishinabek belief in wholeness is symbolized by the circle, family, and community. The life cycle is a circle that shows our lives as a circle from infant to Elder. Wholeness includes our body, mind, heart, and spirit, which are the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical parts of self that are shown in the four quadrants of the medicine wheel. Wellness is a balance of the mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional.
Family visits are a right of children/youth and their families.
Niijaansinaanik Child and Family Services will ensure that families are provided timely, supportive, and responsive visits following an Alternative Care placement or family separation.
The Family Support team provides services in two key areas:
- In-home family support/reunification
- Family visiting
Our Access Program is Child/Youth-Centered and built upon the foundation of our culture. This approach enables our families to be guided by the Seven Grandfather Teachings and empowers positive learning experiences.
Our Doodemag Enji Maawnjidjik Centre (Where Families Gather) locations are located at:
- Henvey Inlet
- Parry Sound
- North Bay
These are welcoming and safe spaces where every room is child-friendly and family-focused. Anishinaabe teachings are illustrated in the interior design of the buildings.