Indigenous Partnerships & Community Coordination

Guidelines for partnership, coordination, and culturally informed collaboration with Indigenous and First Nations communities.

Indigenous Partnerships

Purpose and Scope

This page outlines operational considerations for developing, maintaining, and evaluating partnerships with Indigenous-led organizations and communities in the domestic violence service ecosystem. It focuses on governance structures, coordination models, and implementation practices that respect sovereignty, self-determination, and community-defined priorities.

Core Partnership Principles

Partnerships with Indigenous organizations and communities are more effective when grounded in clear, shared principles. Common elements include:

• Recognition of Indigenous governance, legal orders, and decision-making processes
• Respect for treaties, land rights, and jurisdictional contexts
• Commitment to long-term relationship-building rather than project-only engagement
• Shared development of goals, indicators, and evaluation approaches
• Integration of culturally anchored and trauma-informed practice frameworks
• Transparent communication about roles, mandates, and constraints of all partners

Indigenous-Led Governance Models

Indigenous-led governance means Indigenous partners set strategic directions, define priorities, and determine how coordination occurs. Non-Indigenous agencies align their participation with these structures rather than imposing parallel models.

Example Governance Structures

• Indigenous Steering Council: An Indigenous-only body that sets the partnership’s strategic vision, with external agencies participating through advisory or implementation groups.
• Co-Governance Board: Shared governance where Indigenous representatives hold defined leadership roles (e.g., co-chair, veto or consent authorities on specific decisions).
• Community Advisory Circles: Community-defined advisory groups that review protocols, data use, and evaluation, and provide guidance to service and policy partners.
• Nation-Based Governance: Structures organized by specific Nations, tribes, or communities, rather than by jurisdictional or program boundaries.

Governance Content Areas

Governance documents and agreements can address:

• Decision-making processes, quorum, and escalation pathways
• Authority to approve protocols, tools, and shared resources
• Priorities for funding applications and joint initiatives
• Cultural protocol expectations for meetings and engagements
• Review schedules for charters, terms of reference, and MOUs

Co-Created Coordination Structures

Co-created coordination structures are mechanisms developed jointly with Indigenous leadership, rather than adapted from pre-existing mainstream models. They operationalize how agencies work together day-to-day.

Types of Coordination Structures

• Joint Coordination Tables: Regular forums where Indigenous organizations, shelters, legal services, child and family agencies, health providers, and others coordinate policies, protocols, and regional initiatives.
• Program-Level Working Groups: Focused groups on specific functions, such as information-sharing, referrals, housing navigation, or legal coordination.
• Regional Hubs: Indigenous-led hubs that coordinate multiple external partners across a geographic area and establish access protocols for remote communities.
• Thematic Task Teams: Time-limited teams addressing specific issues (e.g., cross-jurisdictional referrals, transportation access, digital access for remote clients).

Design Features of Co-Created Structures

In establishing coordination mechanisms, partners may jointly define:

• Membership criteria and expectations for participation
• Meeting formats (virtual, in-person, hybrid), frequency, and facilitation models
• Decision-making processes and documentation standards
• Shared tools, such as standard referral pathways, contact matrices, and request forms
• Processes for raising concerns, revising protocols, and addressing misalignment

Trauma-Informed Partnership Principles

Trauma-informed principles in this context refer to how agencies collaborate with Indigenous partners, not to client-level interventions. Partnership processes can be aligned with trauma-informed concepts by:

• Building predictability into meetings, timelines, and consultation processes
• Allocating time for relationship-building and clarification of expectations
• Ensuring that decision-making is transparent and documented
• Recognizing the impact of historical and ongoing systemic harms on trust in institutions
• Supporting Indigenous partners to set their own boundaries on information-sharing, timelines, and participation

Operational Applications

• Engagement Planning: Scheduling consultations with sufficient lead time, providing materials in advance, and confirming how feedback will be used.
• Staff Roles and Training: Assigning staff with demonstrated experience in Indigenous partnerships, and integrating Indigenous-designed training into orientation and supervision for cross-agency collaboration.
• Meeting Practices: Starting with clearly articulated objectives, acknowledging jurisdictional context, and closing with agreed next steps, responsibilities, and timeframes.
• Conflict and Repair Processes: Establishing agreed procedures for addressing miscommunication, misalignment, or harm within the partnership.

Remote and Rural Service Considerations

Many Indigenous communities are in remote or rural locations where service access depends on tailored coordination models. Partnership frameworks can address these conditions explicitly.

Access and Logistics

• Mapping transportation routes, seasonal access constraints, and alternate travel arrangements
• Aligning service schedules with community calendars and key events
• Clarifying emergency re-routing, accommodation, and escort protocols across agencies
• Planning for continuity during weather disruptions, infrastructure failures, or limited staffing

Digital and Communication Infrastructure

• Assessing connectivity, bandwidth, and device availability in partnership planning
• Agreeing on secure, low-bandwidth-compatible communication channels
• Co-developing guidelines for remote coordination (e.g., contact trees, hours, backup contacts)
• Aligning with community rules on the use of digital tools and data storage locations

Service Integration Options

• Mobile and Visiting Services: Coordinated schedules for visiting service providers, with Indigenous partners determining entry protocols and priorities.
• Community-Based Workers: Indigenous-led local positions that act as key connectors to regional and urban agencies.
• Shared Infrastructure: Use of multi-purpose spaces (e.g., health centres, community halls) based on community-defined protocols.
• Regional Agreements: Cross-community agreements for mutual support, especially where communities share access routes, schools, or health services.

Partnership Formation and Lifecycle

Indigenous partnerships benefit from defined stages, with opportunities for reflection, realignment, and renewal.

Stage 1: Relationship Initiation

• Clarify the mandates, constraints, and governance of all prospective partners
• Identify appropriate Indigenous leadership structures and contact points
• Agree on initial engagement steps, including timelines and expectations for consultation

Stage 2: Co-Design of Frameworks

• Jointly define shared goals, domains of work, and success indicators
• Develop draft governance terms (e.g., charters, terms of reference) led or approved by Indigenous partners
• Map overlapping responsibilities, funding requirements, and reporting timelines

Stage 3: Formalization

• Co-develop MOUs, protocols, and partnership agreements that reflect Indigenous governance and decision-making structures
• Set review periods, amendment procedures, and communication plans
• Align internal policies of non-Indigenous agencies to support implementation

Stage 4: Implementation

• Establish operational contacts and escalation pathways at all agencies
• Launch joint coordination structures (tables, working groups, or hubs)
• Document processes and tools (forms, data fields, service pathways)

Stage 5: Review and Renewal

• Conduct regular partnership health assessments, led by Indigenous governance bodies
• Review data, qualitative feedback, and operational outcomes
• Adjust governance, protocols, or structures in response to community direction
• Decide on renewal, expansion, or closure of partnership components

Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and Agreements

MOUs, protocols, and other written agreements can clarify how Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations collaborate without displacing Indigenous governance.

Common MOU Components

• Purpose and Scope: Clear description of what the partnership covers and what it does not address.
• Governance and Leadership: Description of Indigenous-led bodies, co-governance roles, and approval authorities.
• Roles and Responsibilities: Definition of core functions for each organization (e.g., coordination, service delivery, data stewardship).
• Information Practices: High-level framework for information flows and consent practices, respecting Indigenous protocols.
• Funding and Resources: Description of how resources will be shared, allocated, or jointly sought.
• Dispute and Realignment Processes: Agreed pathways to address concerns and adjust agreements.

Data-Sharing and Information Practices

Data and information practices in Indigenous partnerships can consider Indigenous data sovereignty principles and community-specific protocols.

Foundational Considerations

• Respect for community decisions about what information is shared, with whom, and for what purpose
• Recognition of community rights to access, interpret, and use data about their members and territories
• Transparency about data flows, storage, retention, and secondary uses
• Alignment of data practices with existing community policies or codes

Operational Options

• Data Stewardship Roles: Identifying Indigenous-led data stewards or committees for joint projects.
• Joint Data Protocols: Co-developed protocols for case coordination, aggregated reporting, and research initiatives.
• Shared Indicators: Agreement on indicators that reflect Indigenous priorities, not only funder requirements.
• Review Mechanisms: Regular review of data practices with Indigenous governance bodies.

Funding Collaboration and Resource Alignment

Funding structures can significantly influence partnership dynamics. Collaborative models can be designed to respect Indigenous leadership and decision-making.

Funding Collaboration Models

• Indigenous-Led Primary Funding: Indigenous organizations hold primary funding agreements and subcontract or coordinate with non-Indigenous partners.
• Co-Applicant Models: Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners co-apply, with Indigenous governance bodies determining implementation priorities.
• Resource Pooling: Multiple agencies contribute staff time, infrastructure, or specialized services under Indigenous coordination.
• Layered Agreements: Separate but aligned funding streams, coordinated through a shared Indigenous-led governance structure.

Resource Exchange Protocols

• Documenting what each partner contributes (e.g., staff, transportation, technology, interpretation)
• Establishing procedures to adjust resource commitments over time
• Aligning financial reporting requirements with Indigenous partners’ capacities and systems
• Planning for sustainability beyond initial project funding

Internal Alignment for Non-Indigenous Agencies

For partnerships to function effectively, non-Indigenous agencies often align internal processes with Indigenous-led structures.

• Reviewing internal policies for consistency with Indigenous partnership agreements
• Adjusting performance indicators to reflect co-created goals and timelines
• Ensuring internal reporting does not conflict with partnership agreements or data protocols
• Building internal coordination points (e.g., Indigenous partnership leads, cross-program working groups)

Additional coordination resources relevant to Indigenous and cross-sector partnerships are available within the broader ecosystem hosted at DV.Support.

Recommended Articles

• Coalition Frameworks and Governance Models
• Partnership Eligibility and Due Diligence
• Data-Sharing Structures for Multi-Agency Partnerships
• Funding Collaboration and Joint Initiatives
• Regional Coordination Models and Service Hubs