Back to Elite PsychologyJordan’s Principle
Jordan should have been able to go home.
He never got the chance.
Jordan River Anderson was a child from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba.
He was born in 1999 with serious medical needs. He spent the first years of his life in a hospital.
When Jordan was two, his doctors said he could leave. He could live in a family home with the right care and support.
But two governments argued over who should pay.
While they argued, Jordan waited.
He remained in the hospital for more than two years after doctors said he could leave. Jordan died in 2005, at five years old. He never had the chance to live in a family home.
A child-first promise
His name became a promise.
Jordan’s family allowed his name to be used so that other First Nations children would not face the same injustice.
That promise became known as Jordan’s Principle.
The idea is simple: A child should receive the help they need first. Governments can decide who will pay afterward.
In 2007, the House of Commons adopted Jordan’s Principle. In 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Canada’s treatment of First Nations children was unfair and discriminatory.
Jordan’s Principle is now a child-first human rights principle. It helps protect First Nations children from gaps, delays, and denials in services.
Support for children
What help can a child receive?
Jordan’s Principle may help pay for health, education, social, cultural, and other supports.
This can include a psychological or educational assessment when one is needed to:
- Understand a child’s strengths and needs
- Identify learning, attention, emotional, or developmental concerns
- Plan the right support at school or at home
- Help a child access services and programs
Every request is reviewed on its own. Jordan’s Principle decides whether funding is approved.
We are here to help
Let’s take the next step together.
Tell us about your child and the help they need. We will explain the assessment process and help you prepare the assessment-related parts of the request.
Start a Jordan’s Principle assessment requestFunding is decided by Jordan’s Principle. Elite Psychology cannot promise that a request will be approved. Written approval should be received before paying for an assessment.