Child Advocacy Centre and First Nation partner on program
The Child Advocacy Centre has announced that Westbank First Nation (WFN) has signed on as the fifth formally collaborating partner of the organization.
The centre, which launched operations on January 1, 2020, is a child friendly facility that supports children and families impacted by child abuse and neglect. Westbank First Nation joins RCMP, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, Interior Health and the Central Okanagan Elizabeth Fry Society in a working partnership dedicated to evolving the system of care around vulnerable children.
“Our team has been working with the team and leadership at the CAC informally over the past two years moving toward this day. WFN Council members and I visited the Centre in August and left knowing it was time to take the next step in our collaborative working relationship. We are dedicated to being part of this resource because it is an extraordinary step forward in the way we respond to issues around child abuse and neglect. This is not about any one communities’ children it is about all of our children and we are absolutely committed to being part of that,” stated WFN Chief, Chris Derickson
“As a formal partner of the project, Westbank First Nation becomes an important voice at the table, helping to guide how the centre evolves over time and also acts as a daily resource in our service delivery model, ” said CAC Executive Director, Ginny Becker. “This is a milestone step in expanding our ability to serve all members of our collective communities in a culturally informed and respectful way. Our job here is to put children at the center of care, our new partners at WFN are an important part of our ability to deliver that promise.”
The MOU between the CAC and WFN was officially signed on October 19th, 2020.
For more information on the CAC https://www.CACKelowna.com/