PARTNER NATION
South Island Indigenous Authority
PROJECT TYPE
Data Sharing & External Relationships
STATUS
Completed March 2026
Project Overview
The South Island Indigenous Authority (SIIA) piloted a project to convene Indigenous Governing Bodies advancing jurisdiction in Child and Family Services from across the province to collectively developed a child and family data standard.
The project included co-developing shared definitions, classification tiers, governance principles, and an information-sharing framework.
This provides a common foundation for how child and family data are defined, shared, and used across participating Nations.
"One of the greatest outputs was around getting to listen to other people who are thinking of jurisdiction and what their laws could entail and what they're thinking of. That shared experience was really valuable to the members from what I heard, and just always keeping children in the center."
— Mary Czernick, Working Group Facilitator
Case Study Highlights
The project brought together 15 Indigenous Governing Bodies from across BC to collectively develop shared data tools for child and family services.
The Child and Family Data Standard provides a shared foundation and living tool for how Indigenous Governing Bodies define, collect, and use data to support children and families in their care.
The Working Group used real care scenarios to ensure the Standard reflected the operational and cultural realities of child and family services practice in Indigenous communities.
Five software vendors committed to aligning their product designs with the Standard’s parameters and incorporating Indigenous Governing Body requirements into their development roadmaps.
The relationships and trust built through sustained collective work created a foundation for inter-Nation data sharing and coordination beyond the project’s development phase.
“Being able to put that out — and then creating the standard in the form of stories and case scenarios — I think that was a key success. The team was trying to carve out what we did want, not what we didn't want.”
— Erica Pepevnak, SIIA
Downloadable Materials
Read the Data Standard for guidance on defining, collecting, managing, and sharing child and family services data in ways that reflect Indigenous Governing Bodies’ laws and priorities.
Read the full Case Study on the process, discoveries, and outcomes for SIIA and the lessons other Nations can take away.