National Council
of Youth in Care Advocates
ABOUT US
The National Council of Youth in Care Advocates (NCYICA) is comprised of provincial and territorial advocates with lived experience in the child protection system, Youth in Care Networks, and key allies. The National Council is also comprised of a diverse membership, including 2SLGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and racialized peoples with lived experience from across the country. Our intersectional work is centered on ensuring that youth in and from care are afforded equitable supports and conditions for success, so they may thrive and not only struggle to survive. The National Council believes that all youth in care deserve ongoing and unconditional love, support and encouragement, just as their peers who are not in the child protection system receive from their parents, friends and communities throughout their entire lives. Our collective work is focused on achieving meaningful change in the mainstream child welfare system, and we acknowledge and recognize the sovereignty of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nations and peoples, their inherent jurisdiction over child and family services, and their approach to raising and caring for children in community, which has existed since time immemorial. We acknowledge that we live, work, play and meet, on the territories and stolen land of Indigenous Peoples across Turtle Island, now called Canada.
VISION
We dream of a world where ‘aging out’ no longer exists in our vocabulary, nor in child protection legislation and mandates. We dream of a society where youth in care are interdependently supported throughout their entire lives, just as their peers who are not in care who can rely on their family, friends and communities well beyond the age of majority.
MISSION
We seek to improve the life outcomes of young people in the child protection systems across the country by ensuring they are not forced to transition to adulthood before they are ready, and before they have securely achieved financial stability and employment, accessed housing, have long-term access to health and wellness services, and connections to their culture, supportive people and communities.
OBJECTIVES
Profile the expertise and voices of people with lived experience and strengthen a national movement of youth in care advocates.
Build momentum and secure political support for the implementation of longstanding solutions for young people in and from care during the transition to adulthood.
Seek a fundamental shift
in how young people transition out of the child protection system, with strong adherence by government, community and private organizations, as well as front line professionals, to the Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care.
Meet The National Council of Youth in Care Advocates
The National Council of Youth in Care Advocates is comprised of the following individuals and organizations outlined below. Click on the individual names to check out
their bios and learn more about their work!
National Council of Youth in Care Advocates
(NCYICA) Board of Directors:
Zoe Bourgeois
President (or Chair of the Board)
Zoe Bourgeois, MSW & RSW, and lived experience alum member of the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates, will ensure the strategic plans and policies of the organization are implemented. She will also provide strategic guidance with respect to lived experience advocacy, front line practice implications and
sustainability of the National Council.
Zoe Bourgeois is a former youth in care and adoptee who has been a registered Social Worker since 2017. She earned her Master of Social Work degree in 2022 from St. Thomas University and worked as a Child Protection Worker from 2022 to 2024. Currently, Zoe is a Social Worker at Partners for Youth, contributing to one of their newest programs, The Rent Bank. Previously, Zoe served as the Program Coordinator for the New Brunswick Youth in Care Network for five years before pursuing her Master’s degree. She has extensive experience on Boards of Directors for organizations focused on the youth in care community. Since the age of 15, Zoe has been a dedicated advocate for youth in care and older child adoptions. Her efforts have been formally recognized by the New Brunswick Legislature for her work as a foster and adoption advocate.
Treasurer
Rachel Gouin, PhD, Executive Director, Le CAP: Centre d’appui et de prevention, and former ally member of the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates will ensure all organisation revenues and expenses are rigorously taken into account, alongside the Project Lead. She will also provide strategic guidance with respect to community sector relations and sustainability of the National Council.
Rachel Gouin has extensive experience in partnerships, government relations, and fundraising within non-profit organizations. With a PhD in Education and a Master’s in Political Management, she has developed solid expertise that has strengthened organizations such as BGC Canada, the Child Welfare League of Canada, and, most recently, Le CAP. Having worked with consensus-based organizations, national organizations, and multi-stakeholder coalitions requiring a high degree of listening and dialogue, Rachel has built an excellent reputation as a leader capable of rallying individuals from diverse backgrounds around common goals. Throughout her career, Rachel has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to justice, health, and the well-being of marginalized communities. Her integrity, empathy, and unwavering optimism make her a respected and valued contributor. She has shown remarkable adaptability and a consistent ability to achieve results in a variety of contexts.
Secretary
Melissa Kimber, PhD, MSW, RSW, Associate Professor at the Offord Centre for Child Studies, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, will serve as the custodian of all books, papers, records, and documents of the organization. She will also provide strategic guidance on frontline practice implications and foster linkages to academic collaborations, research, and best practices.
Melissa Kimber is a Registered Social Worker with a PhD in Health Research Methodology. Her research focuses on child and adolescent mental health, child maltreatment, and intimate partner violence. She is a Core Member of the Offord Centre for Child Studies, an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences at McMaster University, and the Chedoke Health Chair in Child Psychiatry. Melissa’s work aims to understand the experiences of child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and mental health challenges among children and youth. She collaborates with youth, service providers, and policy partners to co-develop, implement, evaluate, and scale effective interventions in these areas. In addition to her academic and research roles, Melissa provides social work and psychotherapy services to children and adolescents in private practice in Hamilton, Ontario.
Meet The
Team
Director and Project Lead
National Council of Youth in Care Advocates (QC)
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Toronto Centre of Excellence on Youth Homelessness Prevention
& Policy Coordinator
First Nations Former
Youth in Care & Advocate
(BC)
President
Operations Manager
Kayla Dorvéus (Alum)
Former Youth in Care & Advocate
(QC)
Youth Worker
Youth Advisory
Committee Member
First Nations Former Youth In
Care & Advocate
(ON)
Former Youth In Care
& Advocate
Coordinator
(ON)
Former President
Youth Advisory Committee
C.A.R.E. Jeunesse (QC)
Francophone Program Coordinator
Coordinator
First Nations Former Youth in Care
& Advocate
Former Yukon Director
(NWT)
Former Youth In Care & Advocate
First Nations Former Youth In Care
& Advocate
(MB)
(BC)
Kim Kakakaway
Youth Council
Indigenous Training and
Relations Consultant
Estelle Alexander
Co-Director of Policy
ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
The National Council of Youth in Care Advocates secured temporary moratoriums on youth transitions out of the child protection system during the COVID-19 pandemic in most jurisdictions.
Since then, Dr. Doucet and the National Council have developed the Equitable Standards for Transitions to Adulthood for Youth in Care and the accompanying Evaluation Model that will guide healthy and supported transitions for youth leaving care across Canada.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN GOVERNMENT
Engagement of National Council members, key allies and champions (including MPs and Senators) has increased considerably.
Government decision-makers in several jurisdictions have extended moratoriums or established new extended care initiatives, providing more safety for youth in care.
Key messages are being heard in the House of Commons and Senate via engaged champions who are committed to actively raising the issue with their political peers.
Government decision-makers have requested to be involved and pursue discussion, with 3 Child Protection Ministries committing to the piloting of the Equitable Standards Evaluation Model.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY
Social media and media engagement has also increased and media features on the Equitable Standards have been positively received and widely shared on social media.
Opportunities for the general public to get involved and support the Equitable Standards have been created via free public webinars and letter templates to MPs and MLAs.
The Equitable Standards and work associated with this project is being noticed across many disciplines, with citations in several reports to date and regular requests for consults from the project lead, Dr. Doucet.
Community-based organizations have requested to be involved and pursue discussion, with 9 organizations from across the country committing to the piloting of the Equitable Standards Evaluation Model.
Publications and Resources
Equitable Standards Letter Templates
Show your support for the Equitable Standards by sending a letter to your Member of
Parliament (Federal) and your member of the Provincial/Territorial Legislative Assembly!
View and download our letter templates here
Watch Our Video
Learn about the eight Equitable Standards and how they can be implemented at the practice and policy levels, brought to you by the National Council of Youth in Care Advocates.
Thank You To Our
Member Organizations
Generously Supported By
