Barbara Hume
Barb Hume was born in Haines Junction.1) She grew up in the residential school system and so had a personal interest in making sure families and communities were involved in child rearing.2) She was a Justice of the Peace in the southwest Yukon for many years. She worked for the Champagne Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) government developing policies for social programs and was instrumental in developing the First Nations' Child Welfare Program.3)
Between 2004 and 2008, Barb was the director of CAFN's Health and Wellness department and a member of a team tasked with the revision of the Yukon's 23-year-old Children's Act. Hume and Council of Yukon First Nations health and social director Lori Duncan travelled to Yukon communities and conducted major consultations. The draft bill, now called the Child and Family Services Act, includes the intention to work with children and families and to reduce the use of courts in determining a child’s placement; provisions for First Nations involvement in planning, service delivery and court proceedings; support services for youth between 19 and 24 who have been living in care and are making the transition to independent living and mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect.4)