Make Communities whole again
Return Home Initiative
Across the country, Indigenous youth remain vastly overrepresented in the child welfare system. Despite making up a small percentage of the general population, Indigenous children and youth continue to account for a disproportionately large number of those in group care, foster, and institutionalized placements. This imbalance is not just a statistic; it reflects the ongoing impacts of colonization, intergenerational trauma, and the systemic removal of Indigenous children from their families and communities.
At Indigenous Youth Services, we believe that every youth deserves the chance to heal, grow, and ultimately return home. The Return Home Initiative was created to address this urgent need by combining culturally grounded care, individualized support, and consistent care continuity, all designed to strengthen the pathway from group care back to family and community.
Confronting a Failing System
For generations, Indigenous youth have been caught in a system that was never built for them. The Child Welfare system, designed to protect, has too often become a source of further harm. When Indigenous youth are removed from their communities, they lose more than their homes. They are separated from their families, their culture, and the very foundation of their identity.
Within many group care settings, countless youth experience trauma, neglect, and discrimination. They are placed in environments that fail to understand or respect who they are. The loss of language, tradition, and cultural belonging leaves deep and lasting wounds that often surface as pain, mistrust, or survival-based behaviors that are too often misunderstood as defiance or disorder.
The long-term effects are devastating. Indigenous youth leaving the child welfare system face far higher rates of homelessness, substance use, criminal involvement, and early death. These are not personal failures. They are the outcomes of a system that fractures instead of heals.
The Return Home Initiative exists to confront this reality directly. Through cultural reconnection, individualized care, and community-based support, we are rebuilding what was broken and helping youth reclaim their identity, restore their sense of belonging, and ultimately return home.
Changing the System
Building a Path Forward
True healing begins when we stop asking Indigenous youth to adapt to systems that were never designed for them and instead reshape those systems to honor who they are. The Return Home Initiative embodies this commitment, working to rebuild the pathways that lead youth back to identity, belonging, and community.
Through a hybrid model of in-person and virtual supports, we meet youth wherever they are, whether in group homes, foster placements, or institutional care, ensuring they remain grounded in culture and connection. Our program serves as a continuous lifeline, offering consistent mentorship, cultural engagement, and adaptive growth supports that evolve alongside each young person.
We work hand in hand with caregivers, agencies, and community leaders to ensure that every plan reflects the youth’s story, strengths, and spirit. Our mission extends beyond improving outcomes within the system. It is about helping youth find their way home: to their families, to their communities, and to their true selves.
Every success story is a step toward reconciliation, healing, and restored balance for the generations to come. The Return Home Initiative is how we begin that transformation, one youth, one family, and one community at a time.
Our Hybrid Model: Virtual + In-Person Supports
Through a blended model of virtual and in-person care, we ensure that every youth has consistent access to trusted mentors, cultural connections, and specialized supports that evolve with their needs. Whether they are in a group home, foster placement, or institutional setting, support remains personal, grounded, and continuous.
At its core, the Return Home Initiative is about removing barriers and accelerating healing. By combining the consistent connection of CareLink with the depth of in-person cultural and emotional support, we help youth overcome the challenges of displacement, isolation, and instability. Every interaction, whether virtual or face-to-face, is designed to build trust, restore belonging, and prepare each youth for a successful transition back to their family and community. Our mission is simple: to ensure that every Indigenous youth in care has the support, connection, and strength they need to return home swiftly, safely, and with their identity intact.
BRINGING CULTURE TO CARE
Carelink: Virtual Support
Our CareLink platform serves as a bridge of stability and safety for Indigenous youth whose placements may change frequently. It provides a consistent and trusted connection to support staff who understand each youth’s story, challenges, and goals, regardless of where they are placed.
CareLink offers secure video calls, instant messaging, and digital access to cultural teachings, wellness activities, and learning resources that youth can engage with anytime. Whether it is late at night, during moments of stress, or between scheduled visits, youth always have a familiar and reliable space to reach out for help, guidance, or connection.
Beyond mentorship and growth, CareLink also acts as a protective layer of security. The platform gives youth a private and direct way to report mistreatment, discrimination, or unsafe conditions within their current environment. Our team monitors and responds to these concerns quickly, sharing with their social workers, ensuring that every youth’s voice is heard and that issues are addressed before they escalate.
Through this dual purpose of connection and protection, CareLink not only strengthens cultural identity and emotional resilience but also safeguards youth from the systemic neglect and abuse that too many have faced within traditional care systems. It represents a new standard of accountability and compassion, one where Indigenous youth are supported, protected, and empowered to grow in safety and dignity.
In-Person Support
While CareLink provides connection, our in-person support brings that connection to life. Our team travels directly to each youth’s group home, foster placement, or community setting to provide individualized, one-on-one care built entirely around their needs, experiences, and goals.
Every visit is customized. We tailor our approach to the youth’s current challenges, interests, and level of readiness, whether they need a few hours of weekly support or a team of staff providing 24/7 care. This flexibility allows us to respond quickly to crises, maintain consistent guidance, and ensure no youth feels forgotten or unsupported.
Our in-person support offers respite from the often overwhelming group care environment. It creates safe, calm spaces where youth can take part in cultural activities, mentorship sessions, and therapeutic supports that strengthen identity and belonging. These experiences help reduce isolation, rebuild self-worth, and reinforce their connection to family and community.
Each session is trauma-informed and culturally grounded. We blend traditional teachings, land-based activities, and relational mentorship to help youth reconnect with who they are and where they come from. Through this hands-on, compassionate care, we nurture stability, confidence, and healing, helping youth develop the tools and grounding they need to move forward with purpose and ultimately, return home.
Join the Return Home Movement
Every Indigenous youth deserves more than survival within the system. They deserve connection, belonging, and a clear path home. The Return Home Initiative was created to make that possible by providing consistent, culturally grounded supports that make a lasting difference in the lives of our youth.
If you have a youth currently in care, our team is ready to help. Through CareLink and our in-person support network, we provide mentorship, cultural guidance, and stability that help youth begin their journey back to family and community.
Contact us today to learn how to register for these supports or to explore how our team can partner with your agency or community. Together, we can create the conditions for healing, growth, and safe reunification, one youth at a time.