Carelink: Care everywhere
Keeping Indigenous Youth Connected to Culture, Family, and Community, Wherever They Receive Care.
When Indigenous youth enter out-of-home care, separation can extend far beyond the family home. Placements may take our youth away from their communities, cultural traditions, Elders, extended families, and the relationships that provide a sense of identity, connection, and belonging. Too often, the very services intended to provide stability are unable to maintain these essential connections.
At Indigenous Youth Services, we believe that entering care should never mean losing connection to culture, family, or community. Our youth deserve individualized care that respects their identities, strengthens their relationships, and provides meaningful opportunities to remain connected to their roots.
CareLink Out-of-Home Support was developed to bridge this gap by bringing culturally grounded care directly to Indigenous youth, wherever they are placed.
Through dedicated Care Leads, 24/7 individualized virtual support, cultural programming, and the CareLink mobile platform, we work alongside existing caregivers and service providers to strengthen the quality, accessibility, and continuity of care.
Whether our youth live in group homes, foster homes, kinship placements, or semi-independent living arrangements, CareLink provides an additional layer of support built around individual needs, cultural identity, and personal goals.
Our mission is to ensure that meaningful support and cultural connection remain accessible to our youth, regardless of where they receive care.
Because Cultural Connection Should Never Depend on Where Our Youth Are Placed.
For many Indigenous youth in out-of-home care, maintaining meaningful connections to family, culture, and community can become increasingly difficult. Geographic distance, limited resources, and changing care arrangements can restrict opportunities to participate in cultural activities, maintain important relationships, and access teachings from Elders and Knowledge Keepers.
While placement providers may offer safe and supportive environments, individualized cultural programming and ongoing community involvement are not always readily available. These gaps can leave our youth disconnected from important aspects of their identity at a time when stability, belonging, and meaningful relationships are especially important.
CareLink was developed to help address these challenges by bringing cultural care, individualized resources, and dedicated advocacy directly into existing placements.
As an Indigenous-led organization, we understand that meaningful cultural care extends beyond occasional activities or generalized programming. It requires an understanding of each youth's distinct Nation, family, community, traditions, experiences, and personal relationship with culture.
Through individualized cultural programming, facilitated community connections, and consistent support from dedicated Care Leads, CareLink helps ensure that cultural identity remains a meaningful part of everyday care.
Our goal is not simply to provide additional services. It is to help our youth maintain the relationships, traditions, and community connections that contribute to a strong sense of identity and belonging.
Personalized Care Lead
Every youth enrolled in CareLink is assigned a dedicated Care Lead who provides individualized guidance, cultural support, and ongoing advocacy.
Our Care Leads develop meaningful relationships with our youth while collaborating with existing caregivers, caseworkers, and service providers to strengthen individualized care.
With appropriate authorization, Care Leads can participate in Plans of Care, attend multidisciplinary meetings, advocate for additional resources, and help ensure cultural identity and community connections remain central to care planning.
They also coordinate cultural programming, facilitate meaningful relationships, and help maintain continuity when placements or living arrangements change.
Our youth should not have to rebuild their entire support system every time their placement changes.
24/7 Access & Support
Meaningful support should always be within reach, not limited to scheduled visits or regular service hours.
Through the CareLink mobile app and virtual platform, our youth can access individualized resources and 24/7 virtual support wherever they are.
Support in the Palm of Your Hand
- 24/7 individualized virtual support
- Personalized care plans and support strategies
- Emotional regulation and de-escalation tools
- Cultural teachings and educational resources
- Goal tracking, calendars, and daily planning
- Individualized guidance and support coordination
CareLink provides an additional layer of support that complements existing placement supervision, clinical services, and emergency response arrangements.
Enhancing Existing Care
CareLink is designed to strengthen existing care, not replace it.
We collaborate with residential staff, foster caregivers, kinship families, caseworkers, and other professionals to bring additional cultural resources, individualized guidance, and dedicated advocacy directly into established care environments.
Our Care Leads can contribute to Plans of Care, coordinate with existing support teams, and help ensure that individual needs, cultural identity, and community connections are meaningfully incorporated into everyday support.
By working together, we aim to improve the accessibility, consistency, and cultural responsiveness of care while maintaining continuity through placement changes and transitions.
Care Everywhere. Culture Always Within Reach.
Our youth deserve more than a safe place to stay. They deserve meaningful relationships, access to their culture, opportunities for personal growth, and individualized support that remains accessible wherever they live.
CareLink bridges the distance between placements and the families, communities, and cultural connections that matter most.
Wherever our youth receive care, our commitment to their culture, identity, and well-being remains the same.
