2. Brief History: Jordan River Anderson
Jordan's Principle is named in memory of Jordan River Anderson,
a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba.
Jordan was born in 1999 with complex medical needs, which
required him to stay in the hospital from birth. When Jordan was
2 years old, doctors determined he could go home, however, the
federal and provincial governments could not agree on who
should pay for his home-based care. Because of this, Jordan
unnecessarily stayed in the hospital until he passed away at the
age of 5, never having the chance to spent a day of his short life
in his family home, his First Nation, and his loved ones.
The First Nation’s Child and Family Caring Society and Assembly
of First Nations advocated for over a decade to prevent this from
happening again and ensure First Nations children do not face
barriers in getting the care they need. Together they took the
government of Canada to the Canadian Human Right’s Tribunal,
and in 2016 the Tribunal ordered Canada to fully implement
Jordan’s Principle. Jordan’s Principle is a legal requirement that
provides access to services for First Nations in need, without
delays, denials or disruptions. This has also expanded to Inuit
children.
3. Eligibility & Process
Jordan's Principle is open to all First Nations and Inuit children in
Canada with an identified need, regardless of where they live (on and
off reserve), or their health or social status. At this time, First Nations
children without status can apply for eligibility with acknowledgement
from their band.
The services that are covered by Jordan’s Principle vary according to
the nature of the child’s needs. There is not a single list of all things
that are available. There are a wide range of health, education, social
and cultural services that may be eligible to support a child based on
their needs.
An intake will be completed with a Service Coordination Organization
to gather the necessary information and identifying the child’s unmet
need, a release of information signed by parent/guardian,
services/products will be identified to meet the child’s unmet need,
and supportive documentation from related professionals will be
gathered to support the request. The Service Coordinator Organization
will then submit the request to the regional Focal Point for review.
4. Adjudication & Escalation
Once all the supportive documentation has been
gathered and a request has been completed by the
Service Coordination Organization, it will be sent
into the region’s Focal Point for review. As outlined
in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal order and
timelines, decisions should be made within 48
hours, and in urgent cases, a decision should be
made within 12 hours.
At times the Regional Focal Point adjudicators will
require additional information to make a decision,
or will need to escalate a decision to National
Headquarters in Ottawa for review.
5. The Verdict: Approvals & Denials
Requests submitted by Jordan’s Principle Coordinators will come back to the Service Coordinator
Organization with approvals or denials.
Approvals: Once a request is approved the families will be contacted by the Service Coordinator
Organization and informed of the decision. Service providers will be contacted and funds will be
allocated as specified in the request.
Denials: Denials will also come to Service Coordinator Organization, who will then inform the
families. Families then can decide if they accept the denial or if they would like to appeal it.
Appeals: Appeals to decisions under Jordan's Principle can be sent to regional focal points across
Canada. Jordan’s Principle Coordinators will help you start the appeal and work with you
throughout the process. Appeals of a request can be made within 1 year of the date of denial. To
do so, Families send in a written request to their regional Jordan's Principle focal point. At a
minimum, the request for appeal must contain: the child's name and date of birth, the product or
service requested, and the date of denial.
Although it is not required to begin an appeal, Information that may help to support this appeal
may include additional information, such as:
• assessments, or information to establish substantive equality
The appeal process can take up to 30 business days.
6. Urban Context v.s. Reserve
Largely, there are few differences, the process itself is the
same.
The difference mainly lies in where the family is accessing
services and the families support system. Both of these
affect the family in gathering letter of recommendations, as
well as finding services when they are approved.
Other notable differences we have experiences are:
– finding culturally appropriate and culturally safe services
– language barriers
– families in different geographic areas throughout the province
– families living away from their First Nation/Inuit community
(we serve families from over 40 different communities)
7. Challenges & Barriers
• Gathering supportive documentation
• Education community organizations/institutions
• Establishing eligibility (self determination)
• Varied awareness of Jordan’s Principle within
communities (i.e. school board, doctors,
Community Services, etc)
• Implementation of Bill C-92
• Lack of culturally safe/competent services
8. Impacts
Health:
• Screening assessments (ex:
ADHD, Autism, etc)
• Transportation to
appointments
• Medical
Supplies/Equipment (ex:
ramps for wheelchairs,
mobility aids, etc)
• Respite services
Social:
• Daycare
• Specialized Summer Camps
• Programming to develop
parenting skills
• Personal Support Worker
Educational:
• Tutoring Services
• Psychoeducational assessments
• Educational Personal Assistants (EPAs)
• Speech Language Therapy
• Technical or electronic assistance
(ex: laptops, chromebooks, iPads,
apps)
Cultural:
• Cultural Mentorship
• Land Based Activities
• Attending Cultural Events
• Accessing Cultural materials (ex:
medicines, books,
