The Aboriginal Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and Child Nutrition Program is a program offered by Aboriginal organizations across the province for families with children and youth who may have been affected by alcohol before birth.


The program:

provides information, family support and activities related to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
offers educational opportunities to the broader community about the dangers of alcohol use during pregnancy, and
organizes activities that focus on healthy nutrition.

Akwe:go is a Mohawk word meaning "everybody" or "all of us". It's the name of a unique program for Aboriginal children ages 7 to 12.

Wasa-Nabin means "to look forward, to look beyond" in Ojibway. It's the name of a new program for Aboriginal youth ages 12 to 18.

These programs are available through Indian Friendship Centres in Ontario. The Ministry of Children and Youth Services provides funding to the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres to provide these programs.

Akwe:go and Wasa-Nabin promote healthy development in ways that respect cultural backgrounds and traditions. The programs are designed to meet the unique needs of each community. They provide:

a personalized plan of action for each child and youth
teachings by elders, as well as other culturally relevant programs
recreational and after-school programs, where youth can get peer support and help with homework
health resources
referrals to community resources and agencies
public awareness and community outreach through events and local agencies.

A child's early years - from before birth to age six - are very important. Healthy babies are more likely to develop into healthy children, and healthy children are more likely to grow up to be healthy teenagers and healthy adults.

That's the purpose of Ontario's Healthy Babies Healthy Children Program - to help children get a healthy start in life. The program does this by helping infants and children up to age six and their families through:

screening and assessments to see if there are any risks that could affect a child's healthy development and referrals to community programs and services.
supports for new parents.
help in finding community programs and resources on all kinds of subjects such as: breastfeeding, nutrition and health services, parenting programs and family literacy programs.

The website of the (Ontario) Ministry of Children and Youth Services provides information about adoption in Ontario.

This web page of the Ministry of Children and Youth Services is intended to assist parents and caregivers seeking information about services funded and/or provided by the Ontario government for children with physical, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, mental health disorders, medical problems or those who need specialized services to participate in daily living activities.

The Ministry of Children and Youth Services administers the following statutes:

Child and Family Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chap. C.11 (except for sections 162 - 174 inclusive)
Day Nurseries Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chap. D.2
Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chap. H.7 (section 7 in so far as it relates to the Healthy Babies Healthy Children program as described in guidelines published under section 7)
Intercountry Adoption Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, Chap. 29
Ministry of Community and Social Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chap. M.20 (in so far as it relates to activities and programs respecting children and youth services and except for sections 11.1 and 12 in so far as those sections relate to Long-Term Care Programs and Services)
Ministry of Correctional Services Act, R.S.O. 1990, Chap. M.22 (Part V)
Rescuing Children from Sexual Exploitation Act, 2002, S.O. 2002, Chap. 5 (Note: This Act has not been proclaimed. The Ministry is responsible for Parts I and II and section 31 of the Act in so far as that section relates to activities and programs under these Parts).