The Indigenous Family Support Program is a Community Action Program for Children (CAPC) program, a community-based children’s program delivered by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC).
CAPC was established as a response to a commitment made at the 1990 United Nations World Summit for Children to invest in the well-being of vulnerable children, with a proposed Child Development Initiative (CDI) based on evidence that poverty, low education and unemployment had a negative impact on healthy child development. The CDI outlined four approaches to addressing the conditions of risk for children, including: prevention, promotion, protection and partnerships. CAPC was identified as a significant part of the partnership approach and is designed based on community development principles. Inherent within the program is a strong emphasis on partnerships, community capacity- building and other health promotion strategies that influence the broader determinants of health. CAPC is founded on the principle that communities are well positioned to recognize the needs of their children and have the capacity to draw together the resources to address those needs.
The Indigenous Family Support supports families with children ages 0-6 and is predominantly a program-based support service, with a focus on delivering programs that meet Core Standards including family healing, parenting skills, child development, family nutrition, cultural development and retention, and community development and outreach. Programs are divided into the seasons, and are offered both on-site and throughout the city of Thunder Bay at partnering agencies, including EarlyON Centre’s, local schools, and other partnering agencies. Most programs offer child care, transportation, and snacks or meals. Contact the Indigenous Family support Worker for more information or to register for this program at (807) 345-5840 ext 9051.