What Is Jordan's Principle and How Does the Caring Society Support It?

Jordan's Principle is a legal rule in Canada that says when a First Nations child needs a service, the government department or level of government that can provide it first must pay for it — so the child isn't left waiting while governments argue over who is responsible. The First Nations Child & Family Caring Society (the Caring Society) is one of the organizations that pushed for this rule and continues to advocate for it, alongside the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case on First Nations child welfare. The site fncaringsociety.com is where the Caring Society publishes its campaigns, resources, and updates on that work.

What Jordan's Principle actually does

The principle is named after Jordan River Anderson, a First Nations child from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba. Jordan was born with complex medical needs and spent years in hospital while the federal and provincial governments disputed who should pay for his home care. He died in 2005 before ever living in a family home.

Jordan's Principle is meant to prevent that from happening again. Its core idea:

• First to pay, not last to argue. Whichever government can act first must do so, and cost disputes get sorted out afterward.
• The child comes first. A child shouldn't be denied a service, or have it delayed, because of jurisdictional disagreements.
• It applies to services for First Nations children — health, education, and social services among them.

The principle was the subject of a motion in the House of Commons in 2007 and has since been shaped by subsequent legal and tribunal decisions.

How the Caring Society is involved

The Caring Society describes its mission as standing with First Nations children, youth, and families so they have equitable opportunities to grow up safely at home, be healthy, get a good education, and be proud of who they are. Its work connects to Jordan's Principle in a few concrete ways:

• The human rights case. The Caring Society is a party to the case on First Nations child welfare and Jordan's Principle at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. The site's "I Am a Witness" campaign invites people to learn about that case and decide for themselves whether they think there is discrimination against First Nations children and youth.
• Public education. The Knowledge Portal is a searchable database of annotated literature reviews, reports, guides, films, booklets, studies, journal articles, and presentations related to Aboriginal children and families in Canada and similar countries.
• Symbolic and youth engagement. Spirit Bear, a member of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, represents the 165,000 First Nations children affected by the child welfare case, as well as other children who have committed to learning about the case and taking part in peaceful, respectful actions in support of reconciliation and equity.
• Scholarships. The Jordan's Principle Scholarship is administered through the site. Applications for 2026 are open, with a deadline of September 7, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

What you can find on the site

Who this is for

This material is most useful if you're a student, educator, researcher, or member of the public trying to understand the legal and policy side of First Nations child welfare in Canada — or if you're looking for the scholarship application or the FNCFS resource page. If you need to make an actual Jordan's Principle request for a child, that goes through the federal government's Jordan's Principle process rather than through this site; the Caring Society's role is advocacy, education, and the human rights case.

One practical note: the site lists specific dates for the scholarship and Orange Shirt Day, so check the current pages before relying on a deadline you saw elsewhere.