Designing Child Welfare from the Ground Up: Introduction to the Touchstones of Hope Movement

The Touchstones of Hope movement is a grassroots initiative to develop and implement community based visions for healthy Aboriginal children and families. Vision development is based on 5 touchstone principles (self-determination, culture and language, holistic response, structural interventions and non-discrimination) as interpreted by each Aboriginal community. These principles are then situated in a four phase process of reconciliation to ensure colonialism is rooted out of the vision implementation plan. Practical tools are available to help child welfare system ensure a sustained movement of change to benefit Aboriginal children and non- Aboriginal children.