*Certain details of this story, including names, have been withheld or changed to protect the confidentiality and safety of our clients and staff.*
A child’s soft, steady breath curled against her mother’s chest, outside is the hum of city streets, through the walls of a place that remembers its duty to care. This is the sound of a family still whole. See the hands that carefully and mindfully created safety where systems would have torn it apart. The hands of aunties, lawyers, support workers, and Nation members, all reaching, unbroken, across generations. The art on the walls, the familiar curves of a carver’s work, saying, You belong here. This is the sight of Indigenous love in action.
Feeling the weight of a baby never taken. The warmth of tea in a cup offered without hurry. The solid ground of community beneath feet that once trembled. This is the touch of justice that heals.
In late 2024, Violet, a young mother, and Sara, her one-month-old baby, stood outside the Surrey Indigenous Justice Centre (IJC). Anxiety and dread filled her body, she took several deep, calming breaths before walking through the doors. She had recently been contacted by a social worker from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), who suggested that Sara could be removed from her care due to concerns about a domestic violence incident involving Violet’s partner.
The threat was immediate and deeply distressing. An investigation had begun, and a temporary safety plan was quickly put in place, requiring the constant presence of an additional supervisor in the home. That supervisor, Violet’s mother, would only be available for a few more days. If no alternative supervisor could be found, the safety plan would collapse – and the baby could be apprehended.
Violet knew she needed urgent support, but fear and distrust still made it difficult to seek it out – she knew of many family members and relatives who had been harmed or discriminated against by those in the justice system. However, she had also heard from those in her community about BCFNJC’s Indigenous Justice Centres and how they were doing things differently.
When Violet entered the Surrey Indigenous Justice Centre, she was warmly greeted at the front desk by the Office Manager who introduced herself as she prepared a tea for Violet. Violet’s doubts faded away as she was embraced with kindness. Violet recognized a drum above the desk made by Brandon Gabriel, a Kwantlen First Nation artist. A sense of comfort washed over her, and she was glad she was in a space that honoured the laws and language of First Nations communities. Violet was then introduced to a IJC Lawyer, a Resource and Support Worker, and a Legal Assistant. These three Indigenous Justice Centre staff members met Violet where she was – with patience, compassion, and a commitment to listen and find the best way forward for her and her daughter.
Compassion and Cultural Connection
“In the days that followed, we maintained near-daily communication with Violet, offering support and working quickly to explore solutions. Recognizing the importance of involving the client’s community, I reached out to her Nation. To our surprise, the Nation had not been contacted by MCFD at all,” stated the IJC Lawyer.
“With the Band Representative’s support, I informed the social worker and encouraged them to initiate contact with Violet’s Nation – restoring a vital connection to community; ensuring that culturally grounded solutions were considered in the decision-making process.”
Keeping Family Together
“At the heart of our work was one goal: prevent the removal of Violet’s baby. We needed to secure transportation for a new supervisor – someone Violet trusted from her home community – to fly into Vancouver as soon as possible, but the clock was ticking, and updates from the social worker were slow,” continued the IJC Lawyer.
“I escalated the matter to the team leader, requesting an expedited process to safeguard the family’s stability. Every delay could mean a devastating outcome.”
The Client Voice was Heard
“Soon after, a Resource and Support Worker and I attended a family case planning conference to support Violet. The 15 Resource and Support Workers at the Indigenous Justice Centres play a vital role in supporting clients’ wellbeing and healing paths, connecting them to holistic, culturally appropriate wraparound supports, including supports informed and offered by their Nation or community,” stated the IJC Lawyer.
“Thanks to our collaborative approach and the strength of Violet, the meeting was productive, with her voice being heard and respected by all those present, including the social worker. We all worked together to address Violet’s concerns and created a plan that focused on keeping the family together while ensuring the child’s safety. At the conclusion of the conference, a path forward was agreed upon: Violet’s partner would begin a program to address the safety concerns, and the file would be monitored closely over the coming months.”
A Transformative Outcome
“The involvement of the Surrey IJC helped shift the tone of the relationship with MCFD. From that point forward, communication became timelier and more transparent. The client’s partner began participating in their program, and over time, progress was clearly demonstrated. Recently, the team leader at the MCFD office acknowledged the powerful advocacy done on this file and gave recognition for the collaborative approach taken to support this family,” concluded the IJC Lawyer.
“Today, the family no longer requires supervision. Violet and her daughter were never separated in this challenging process – not for a single day – we consider this a beautiful success story.”
Restored Healing Connections
Violet was filled with a peace she had not felt for a long time in her life – she felt the warmth of the restored connection with her Nation and, importantly, she cherished the love and bond she had with her daughter that remained in her embrace.
Violet’s story shows what can happen when Indigenous-led advocacy, community connection, and cross-agency collaboration come together in support of family preservation. At the IJCs, our teams of lawyers and outreach staff remain committed to walking alongside clients – especially in moments of crisis – and working toward a justice system that uplifts, not undermines, Indigenous families.
This is a story of reclamation. Every child kept in their mother’s arms is a defiance of colonial logic that said we could not govern our own families. Every Nation consulted, every cultural solution centred, is a restoration of the laws that have always held us. When we work to keep families together, we are insisting on the sacred truth that Indigenous identity is a responsibility we all uphold through the power of kinship. In the stories told at bedtime, in the teachings passed through hands that never let go.
Violet’s story is a single twisting fibre in a basket of thousands. But pull that fibre, and feel how it connects to the strength of Nations, to the never-ending strength of our communities refusing to lose another generation to the machinery of displacement.
So let us close with beauty, as we began: The rustle of a child’s hair against her mother’s chest, outside the streets humming in activity, and still remains, is the unshaken truth that our people have always known, no one is disposable, and love is the first law.
A Note on BCFNJC’s Storytelling Approach: With our storytelling process, we invite stories only through trusted relationships – either as client-guided narratives with full consent and control, or as anonymized dramatized journeys that reveal systemic truths without exploitation. This trauma-informed, Indigenous-led approach transforms storytelling from data extraction while protecting our people while still demanding accountability and sharing truth.
