About
Get to Know Us
Payukotayno James & Hudson Bay Family Services is 1 of 47 Children’s Aid Societies (CAS) in Ontario. We protect children from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect, while also providing parents and caregivers with they support they need to build healthy families. We serve the communities located along the western James Bay coast.
Payukotayno’s Vision
Our families and communities are healthy and empowered to nurture and care for their own.
Our Mission
In partnership with our communities, Payukotayno delivers culturally appropriate services for the safety and well-being of children and families.
Guiding Values
Payukotayno recognizes the importance of aligning our values with the traditional Seven Grandfather teachings. These teachings guide us in the work we do.
- Wisdom: To cherish knowledge is to know Wisdom. Wisdom is to be used for the good of the people. This word also means “prudence,” or “intelligence.”
- Love: To know Love is to know peace. Love must be unconditional. When people are weak they need love the most. This form of love is mutual.
- Respect: To honour all creation is to have Respect. All of creation should be treated with respect. You must give respect if you wish to be respected.
- Bravery: Bravery is to face the world with integrity and with a fearless heart. Do what is right even when the consequences are unpleasant.
- Honesty: Honesty in facing a situation is to be brave. Always be honest in word and action. Be honest first with yourself, and you will more easily be able to be honest with others
- Humility: Humility is to know yourself. This word also means “compassion.” You are equal to others, but you are not better.
- Truth: Truth is to know all of these things. Speak the truth. Do not deceive yourself or others.
Our History
The development of Payukotayno James and Hudson Bay Family Services was the result of the growing demand in the 1970’s for First Nations people to deliver their own child welfare services. The child welfare system at the time was seen as being inadequate and inappropriate to the needs of the native people it was mandated to serve. Previous services did not reflect the cultural values and social norms of the native communities involved. Native people virtually had no choice but to accept services from a system whose alien concepts and standards frequently conflicted with those of native people and this conflict tended to create and perpetuate problems and needs.
Out of this evolved the concept of native child welfare services and organizations such as Payukotayno James and Hudson Bay Family Services emerged in the early 1980’s. The concept of Payukotayno was endorsed by the Ministry of Community and Social Services with the assistance and support of North Cochrane District Family Services.
Payukotayno was officially incorporated on July 12, 1984, to assume total responsibility for child welfare services previously handled by other agencies in the south. Its new mandate was to build new services geared to meet the requirements of the Child and Family Services Act and to take into account the traditional aspects of the Cree people.