The Government of Saskatchewan and the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) officially signed agreements to work toward “meaningful improvements in the lives of children, youth and families”: a new Delegation Agreement, Children and Families Reconciliation Partnership Agreement and First Contact Panel Protocol. The partnership agreement identifies a number of short-term and longer-term priorities, including:

• Reviewing plans for STC First Nations children and youth in care to ensure they support connections to culture, language, identity and community;
• Exploring options to repurpose Saskatchewan Housing Corporation units to provide emergency and other services for STC children, youth and families;
• Collaborating with the Ministry of Justice on services and resources for parents and children fleeing domestic violence;
• Establishing a joint Child Welfare Innovation Committee to improve child and family services;
• Establishing a Leaders Forum to oversee work being done under the partnership agreement; and
• Working to keep First Nations mothers and their newborns together through better prenatal prevention and support, and to reduce birth alerts and the trauma associated with interventions during the prenatal and post-natal period.