Summary
ALIGN Association of Community Services is a provincial membership network representing agencies that provide essential services to children and families across Alberta. Through extensive consultation and guidance from Elders, ALIGN members, youth, and the Indigenous Cultural Understanding Advisory Group, ALIGN developed the Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework (ICUF).
The Framework is available in oral and written form, including a digital interactive tool, a reflection guide, and a written report designed to strengthen cultural understanding within Alberta agencies. Its goal is to ensure that indigenous children in Alberta are supported with dignity and respect by individuals who have a deeper awareness of Indigenous worldviews, histories, and present-day realities.
Policy & Practice Implications
- Agencies can use the 12 principles outlined in the Framework as a foundation for staff training and reflection, helping to embed Indigenous worldviews into daily practice and decision-making.
- Organizations can use the Framework as a practical tool to launch ongoing learning journeys, creating spaces for dialogue and policy development that deepen cultural understanding and advance reconciliation in child and family services.
- Policymakers can use the Framework to recognize Indigenous worldviews as valid sources of knowledge, ensuring policies are informed by principles grounded in cultural respect, reconciliation, and the lived realities of Indigenous children and families in Alberta.
Image source: https://alignab.ca/icuf/
