Kate Feeney, Sandra Pronteau, Heather Spence, Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson, Amy Zhou and Cheyenne Stonechild

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Supporting Safety Together for Survivors and their Children Navigating Child Welfare

This Webinar was presented and recorded on July 14, 2026.

This webinar guided participants through the findings and calls to action of West Coast LEAF’s Safety Together: Addressing gender-based violence and the family policing system report. Participants were also introduced to new public legal education materials on knowing your rights during a child welfare investigation in British Columbia (BC), which includes a toolkit for lawyers and parents' guide.

Webinar Recording


CLICK HERE FOR SLIDES

click here for related resources

Learning Objectives

By the end of this presentation, participants will: 

  • Enhance their understanding of the main sites and intersections of gender-based violence and the family policing/child welfare system and how this impacts survivors and their children through a family policing framework
  • Gain an understanding of the calls to action for how we can better support survivors and their children from a community member, service provider and institutional level
  • Learn about the new public legal education materials for navigating investigations in BC

Speakers

Kate Feeney Kate Feeney (she/her) is the Director of Litigation at West Coast LEAF, a gender equality organization based on the homelands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Throughout her legal career, she has used a variety of legal strategies to help advance human rights, substantive equality, and child and family well-being.

 

 

Sandra Pronteau

Sandra Pronteau is an award-winning Cree-Metis, disabled, mother of 4 and a Kokum (grandmother). She sits on boards for multiple social justice organizations, is a keynote speaker and is an active member for DAWN (Disabled Action Women's Network) Canada. She’s an artist, performer and intersectional feminist advocate and was on the steering committee for Safety Together.

 

 

Heather Spence

Heather Spence (she/her) is the Program Manager of Ray of Hope Healing Lodge, founder of KANDU (Knowledging All Nations & Developing Unity), and an Indigenous advocate, mother, and grandmother. She also serves as a leader within PACK and helped facilitate community engagement sessions for the Safety Together initiative, bringing lived experience and community-driven perspectives to the work.

 

 

Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson (she/her) is the former Manager of Community Outreach with West Coast LEAF who led community engagement for the Safety Together research report. She is a founding member of Families and Allies in Resistance (FAIR) Support Cooperative.

 

 

 

Amy Zhou Amy Zhou is the Project Coordinator of Program Innovations at Mothers Matter Canada. Amy leads the Men Like Me (MLM) program, a bilingual (French and English) initiative designed to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and was on the steering committee for Safety Together.

 

 

 

Cheyenne Stonechild Cheyenne Stonechild is Cree (Nehiyaw) and Irish and a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation in Saskatchewan. Cheyenne has been an advocate for Indigenous children involved with the Ministry of Child and Family Development since 2012 and was on the steering committee for Safety Together.

En sécurité, ensemble : soutenir les personnes survivantes et leurs enfants dans leur parcours au sein du système de protection de l’enfance

Ce webinaire a été présenté et enregistré le 14 juillet 2026.

Ce webinaire a présenté aux participant·e·s les constats et les appels à l’action du rapport de West Coast LEAF, intitulé Safety Together : Addressing gender-based violence and the family policing system [Safety Together : Aborder la violence fondée sur le sexe et le système de surveillance et de contrôle des familles]. Les participant·e·s ont également découvert de nouveaux documents d’éducation juridique publique portant sur la connaissance de ses droits lors d’une enquête en protection de l’enfance en Colombie-Britannique (C.-B.), dont une trousse d’outils destinée aux avocat·e·s et un guide à l’intention des parents.

Enregistrement du webinaire


CLIQUEZ ICI POUR LES DIAPOSITIVES

CLIQUEZ ICI POUR LES RESSOURCES CONNEXES

Objectifs d'apprentissage

À la fin de cette présentation, les participants vont :

  • Approfondir sa compréhension des principaux espaces et points d’intersection entre la violence fondée sur le sexe et le système de surveillance et de contrôle des familles / système de protection de l’enfance, et de la façon dont cela touche les survivantes et leurs enfants dans une perspective de surveillance et de contrôle des familles
  • Comprendre les appels à l’action visant à mieux soutenir les survivantes et leurs enfants, à l’échelle des membres de la communauté, des prestataires de services et des institutions
  • Découvrir les nouveaux documents d’éducation juridique publique permettant de s’orienter dans les enquêtes en C.-B.

Speakers

Kate Feeney Kate Feeney (elle) est directrice du contentieux auprès de West Coast LEAF, un organisme voué à l’égalité des genres établi sur les territoires ancestraux des nations xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) et səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh). Tout au long de sa carrière juridique, elle a eu recours à diverses stratégies juridiques pour faire progresser les droits de la personne, l’égalité réelle et le bien-être de l’enfant et de la famille.

 

 

Sandra Pronteau

Sandra Pronteau est une femme crie-métisse primée, en situation de handicap, mère de quatre enfants et kokum (grand-mère). Elle siège aux conseils d’administration de plusieurs organismes œuvrant pour la justice sociale, est conférencière principale et membre active de DAWN-RAFH (Réseau d’action des femmes handicapées) Canada. Elle est artiste, interprète et militante féministe intersectionnelle, et a siégé au comité directeur de Safety Together.

 

 

Heather Spence

Heather Spence (elle) est gestionnaire de programme au Ray of Hope Healing Lodge, fondatrice de KANDU (Knowledging All Nations & Developing Unity) et défenseure des droits, mère et grand-mère autochtone. Elle agit aussi comme leader au sein de PACK et a contribué à animer des séances de mobilisation communautaire pour l’initiative Safety Together, en y apportant son expérience vécue et des perspectives ancrées dans la communauté.

 

 

Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson (elle) est l’ancienne gestionnaire de la sensibilisation communautaire à West Coast LEAF, où elle a dirigé la mobilisation communautaire pour le rapport de recherche Safety Together. Elle est membre fondatrice de Families and Allies in Resistance (FAIR) Support Cooperative.

 

 

 

Amy Zhou Amy Zhou est coordonnatrice de projet en innovations de programme auprès de l’organisme Les mères comptent Canada. Amy dirige le programme Hommes comme moi, une initiative bilingue (en français et en anglais) conçue pour prévenir la violence fondée sur le sexe (VFS); elle a aussi siégé au comité directeur de Safety Together.

 

 

 

Cheyenne Stonechild Cheyenne Stonechild est Crie (Nehiyaw) et Irlandaise, et membre de la nation Muscowpetung Saulteaux en Saskatchewan. Cheyenne est intervenante autochtone auprès d’enfants autochtones ayant affaire au Ministry of Children and Family Development [ministère du Développement de l’enfance et de la famille] depuis 2012 et a siégé au comité directeur de Safety Together.

Supporting Safety Together for Survivors and their Children Navigating Child Welfare

This Webinar was presented and recorded on July 14, 2026.

This webinar guided participants through the findings and calls to action of West Coast LEAF’s Safety Together: Addressing gender-based violence and the family policing system report. Participants were also introduced to new public legal education materials on knowing your rights during a child welfare investigation in British Columbia (BC), which includes a toolkit for lawyers and parents' guide.

Webinar Recording


CLICK HERE FOR SLIDES

click here for related resources

Learning Objectives

By the end of this presentation, participants will: 

  • Enhance their understanding of the main sites and intersections of gender-based violence and the family policing/child welfare system and how this impacts survivors and their children through a family policing framework
  • Gain an understanding of the calls to action for how we can better support survivors and their children from a community member, service provider and institutional level
  • Learn about the new public legal education materials for navigating investigations in BC

Speakers

Kate Feeney Kate Feeney (she/her) is the Director of Litigation at West Coast LEAF, a gender equality organization based on the homelands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Throughout her legal career, she has used a variety of legal strategies to help advance human rights, substantive equality, and child and family well-being.

 

 

Sandra Pronteau

Sandra Pronteau is an award-winning Cree-Metis, disabled, mother of 4 and a Kokum (grandmother). She sits on boards for multiple social justice organizations, is a keynote speaker and is an active member for DAWN (Disabled Action Women's Network) Canada. She’s an artist, performer and intersectional feminist advocate and was on the steering committee for Safety Together.

 

 

Heather Spence

Heather Spence (she/her) is the Program Manager of Ray of Hope Healing Lodge, founder of KANDU (Knowledging All Nations & Developing Unity), and an Indigenous advocate, mother, and grandmother. She also serves as a leader within PACK and helped facilitate community engagement sessions for the Safety Together initiative, bringing lived experience and community-driven perspectives to the work.

 

 

Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson Sharnelle Jenkins-Thompson (she/her) is the former Manager of Community Outreach with West Coast LEAF who led community engagement for the Safety Together research report. She is a founding member of Families and Allies in Resistance (FAIR) Support Cooperative.

 

 

 

Amy Zhou Amy Zhou is the Project Coordinator of Program Innovations at Mothers Matter Canada. Amy leads the Men Like Me (MLM) program, a bilingual (French and English) initiative designed to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and was on the steering committee for Safety Together.

 

 

 

Cheyenne Stonechild Cheyenne Stonechild is Cree (Nehiyaw) and Irish and a member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation in Saskatchewan. Cheyenne has been an advocate for Indigenous children involved with the Ministry of Child and Family Development since 2012 and was on the steering committee for Safety Together.

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