The Standard
What IFISC measures.
A reference framework for Indigenous family integrity, safety, and reunification. Seven pillars. One standard.
What problem does IFISC solve?
Indigenous children in Canada are removed from their families at rates without parallel in any other population. The systems built to protect them were not built by them. Family service decisions continue to be made by frameworks that do not measure cultural continuity, kinship, ceremony, or nation-specific law.
IFISC names a different reference point. Where current frameworks ask whether a family meets the legal threshold of state-defined safety, IFISC asks whether they meet the standard of Indigenous family integrity.
What gets certified?
Certification is open to nations, family service providers, agencies, and organizations whose work touches Indigenous families. The certification process measures practice across all seven pillars, with documented evidence and community accountability.
Certification is not a one-time event. It is a renewable standing that requires ongoing evidence of practice, community feedback, and alignment with nation-specific law. Read the certification process.
What are the seven pillars?
- Health and Wellness. Physical, mental, and spiritual health frameworks rooted in Indigenous knowledge.
- Rights and Legal Accountability. Recognition of family rights, due process, and legal recourse within and beyond colonial systems.
- Indigenous Law and Tradition. Customary law, ceremony, and nation-specific governance integrated into family safety planning.
- Family and Reunification. Concrete pathways to keep families together and to bring them home.
- Culture and Identity. Continuity of language, ceremony, kinship, and belonging across generations.
- Community and Accountability. Transparent oversight and shared responsibility within and across nations.
- Crisis Intervention. Protocols that protect children without severing family.
Each pillar is described in depth on the 7 Pillars page.
Who built the standard?
IFISC was developed by KFT-Families Society in collaboration with Indigenous families, advocates, elders, legal practitioners, and community members across multiple nations. The Society is Indigenous-led, governed by a board of community leaders and allies. Meet the team.
Standard FAQ
Common questions about the standard.
What does the IFISC standard measure?
IFISC measures organizational practice across seven pillars: Health and Wellness, Rights and Legal Accountability, Indigenous Law and Tradition, Family and Reunification, Culture and Identity, Community and Accountability, and Crisis Intervention. Each pillar is broken down into documented criteria.
Is IFISC a government program?
No. IFISC is a program of KFT-Families Society, a registered Canadian charity. The standard is independent of provincial child welfare authorities, though it is designed to inform and improve their practice.
Can the standard be adapted to specific nations?
Yes. The standard names what must be present, not how it must look. Nation-specific law, language, ceremony, and protocol shape how each pillar is implemented in practice.