The Coast Salish Laws Relating to Child and Caregiver Nurturance & Safety project, was created through a partnership between NIȽ TU,O Child and Family Services Society and the Indigenous Law Research Unit at the University of Victoria. The toolkit contextualizes stories from within the Coast Salish world from the seven distinct nations NIȽ TU,O serves.

The unique perspectives specific to each territory are examined within the Indigenous Storywork framework, a methodology developed by Sto:lo scholar Jo-Ann Archibald, alongside the ILRU methodologies. The result is an articulation of the legal principles embedded within each story.

“Our intention was to create a toolkit which we could tangibly integrate Coast Salish worldview into our direct programs and practice. We are moving away from the oppressive colonial systems that child welfare often represents, and we honour the impact these systems of oppression have had within the communities NIȽ TU,O serves. Within this toolkit we are exploring what the system in which we work within could look like when Coast Salish caregiving systems are upheld equally to the Child, Family and Community Services Act. As well, this toolkit provides a framework to ethically engage with Coast Salish oral history, teachings, and Natural laws by upholding teachings from Coast Salish Elders both from the communities we serve, and within the broader Coast Salish world.” shares Leslie-Ann Paige, the NIȽ TU,O project lead.

The Coast Salish Laws Relating to Child and Caregiver Nurturance & Safety Toolkit and its corresponding Casebook, Abridged Casebook, and Activity Books are part of a collaborative research project by NIȽ TU,O and ILRU, the latter a part of the University of Victoria, that began in 2018. Included in the toolkit are resources for Caregivers, Adults, and Teens as well as a Children’s workbook.