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VAFCS Jordan's Principle
The Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society serves as a partner organization. and works with BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS) and Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) to deliver Jordan's Principle, which is an initiative that ensures First Nations children have access to the services and support they need.
It is named after Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations child from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba, who tragically passed away in the hospital at the age of five while government agencies disputed who should pay for his care.
Jordan's Principle is a child-first and needs-based principle designed to ensure that Indigenous children in Canada, particularly First Nations children, can access the public services and supports they need without delays or discrimination.
To access the services, families can submit a request through VAFCS.
The VAFCS team will work with families to assess their child's needs and identify appropriate services or supports.
VAFCS Enhanced Service Coordination:
Who is Eligible?
Jordan’s Principle responds to the unmet health, education and social needs of First Nations and Inuit children living in Canada.
Services provided under Jordan’s Principle are available to:
A child under the age of majority (18 in BC) in their province or territory of residence can access Jordan’s Principle, if they permanently reside in Canada and if the child meets one of the following criteria:
- is registered or eligible to be registered under the Indian Act;
- has one parent or guardian who is registered or eligible to be registered under the Indian Act;
- is recognized by their Nation for the purposes of Jordan’s Principle;
On November 25, 2020, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) released a ruling about Jordan’s Principle eligibility. The eligibility above replaces the CHRT interim motion ruling of February 2019.
On February 10, 2025 ISC added additional information around “ordinarily resident on reserve” ELIGIBILITY:
“Ordinarily resident on reserve means that an Indigenous child:
- lives on reserve
- normally lives on reserve even if the child or one of the members of their household (such as a sibling, parent, extended family living with child) may have been required to spend some time away temporarily from the community to access services such as health care or education where there are no other comparable services available in the community
- was ordinarily resident on reserve immediately prior to accessing Jordan's Principle
- is a dependent of a family that maintains a primary residence on reserve
- returns to live on reserve with parents, guardians or caregivers during the year, even if they live elsewhere while attending school or to receive medical care or other services
- meets student eligibility requirements in Yukon Territory
A child taken into care of a Child and family services agency or into a kinship or informal agreement is considered ordinarily resident on reserve where:
- the child's parent or guardian lived on reserve at the time the child was taken into care or
- a child goes into the care of a guardian who lives on reserve”
Learn more about who is eligible covered on Indigenous Service Canada (ISC) website
What is Covered?
On February 10, 2025 ISC updated the list of eligible supports available through Jordan’s Principle.
Examples of the services often covered by Jordan’s Principle include, but are not limited to:
Health:
- Child-specific addiction services
- Professional mental health services
- Specialized hearing aids
- Assessments and screenings for a medical or educational need
- Transportation to child-specific medical appointments
- Medical supplies and equipment
- Therapeutic services for individuals or groups (speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy)
- Medical respite care (individual or group)
- Mobility aids
- Wheelchair ramps
Education:
- School supplies
- Tutoring services
- Teaching assistants on reserve
- Assessments and screenings for educational needs
- Assistive technologies and electronics related to child-specific educational needs
- Specialized school transportation
Social:
- Child-specific land-based activities on reserve
- Child-specific specialized programs based on cultural beliefs and practices on reserve
Please Note: Jordan’s Principle funding may impact other supports or supplements families receive through the Government of BC or other groups. It is recommended to plan ahead for any possible impacts. Jordan’s Principle is not a long-term or ongoing income supplement program.
On February 10, 2025 ISC updated eligible supports available through Jordan’s Principle to EXCLUDE some items:
“What is NOT eligible to be funded”
“ISC will not approve funding for the following items unless such funding is required by substantive equality under Jordan’s Principle:
- purchase, construction or structural renovations of homes
- requests to support sporting events or elite or competitive sport-related training, unless it is linked to the specific health, social, or educational needs of the First Nations child
- International travel, unless it is related to an exceptional medical need of the First Nations child
- non-medical supports such as travel costs, non-medical respite care, child care, clothing, furniture and vehicles, unless accompanied by a letter of support from a medical professional: The professional must be able to provide a child-specific recommendation based on their professional designation and their knowledge of the First Nation child's specific needs
- school-related requests, unless linked to the specific health, social or educational need of the First Nations child. Supports to school boards off-reserve and private schools will be redirected to provincial school boards, or other existing provincial and federally-funded programs
- automatic administrative fees within group requests, including salaries, service fees and overhead costs”
Last changes to Jordan’s Principle Criteria made by ISC on February 2025
Full bulletin here: https://sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1739222520301/1739222546551
Please contact VAFCS Jordan’s Principle staff for further advice on applications and supporting documentation: jpscregional@vafcs.org
Families can also apply directly through Jordan’s Principle via the BCACCS Hub *see Individual & Family Requests section:
https://jordansprinciplehubbc.ca/submitting-requests-in-bc/
or
Call Indigenous Services Canada by phone 1-833-632-4453.
