In Good Hands: Perinatal Community Care Project
In Good Hands: Perinatal Community Care Project is a harm reduction-focused, community-based wellness program in Nanaimo, BC—on the traditional territory of the Snuneymuxw people. Led by Community Grandparents, doulas, social workers, counselors, and outreach workers, the program supports people navigating perinatal and early parenting journeys that involve and/or have involved substance use. Rooted in compassion, cultural safety, and nonjudgmental care, In Good Hands walks alongside parents and caregivers through connection, advocacy, and community.
This initiative was born from conversations with families who have felt unseen, unsupported, or judged while navigating substance use, pregnancy, parenting, and the healthcare system at large. In Good Hands offers a warm, inclusive circle of support that welcomes all people—across cultures, backgrounds, identities, abilities, and family structures. It is a space especially attuned to the needs of those who have been marginalized, including Indigenous, newcomer, racialized, queer, trans, non-binary, and disabled parents.
Grounded in the wisdom of Elders, the practical, trauma-informed care of doulas, and the compassionate support of social workers, counselors, and outreach workers, our model reclaims parenting as a shared, intergenerational journey. It does not seek to replace clinical care, but to complement it—with care that is relational, community-rooted, and built on trust.
This program is not only a service—it is an act of reweaving what has been lost to colonization, migration, stigma, and fragmentation: the relationships and teachings that sustain parents through their most intimate, vulnerable, and powerful times.
In Good Hands: Perinatal Community Care Project
Vancouver Island Regional Library — Harbourfront Location
Fridays, 1:00-3:00
Snuneymuxw Territory, Nanaimo, BC
June 5th: Food Security + Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Parenting
June 12th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Pregnancy Teachings
June 19th: Babywearing, Safe Sleep, and Co-sleeping
June 26th: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore
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July 3rd: Knowing Your Rights As A Parent — Perinatal Substance Use
July 10th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Birth Teachings
July 17th: Navigating the System - Healthcare and Perinatal Substance Use
July 24th: Navigating the System — Housing and Perinatal Substance Use
July 31st: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore
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August 7th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Postpartum and Placenta Teachings
August 14th: Navigating the System: MCFD (Ministry of Children and Family Development) and DAA (Designated Aboriginal Agencies) and Perinatal Substance Use
August 21st: June 19th: Babywearing, Safe Sleep, and Co-sleeping
August 28th: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore
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September 4th: Food Security + Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Parenting
September 11th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Baby Teachings and Rite of Passage: Becoming a Parent
September 18th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Pregnancy Teachings (Orange Shirt Day Craft — T-shirt and Onesie Making)
September 25th: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore
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October 2nd: July 10th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Birth Teachings
October 9th: Knowing Your Rights As A Parent — Perinatal Substance Use
October 16th: Navigating the System - Healthcare and Perinatal Substance Use
October 23rd: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Postpartum and Placenta Teachings
October 30th: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore
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November 6th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle — Baby Teachings and Rite of Passage: Becoming a Parent
November 13th: Housing and Perinatal Substance Use
November 20th: Craft Drop-in and Elder’s Circle: Witnessing the Journey: Family Feast and Storytelling
November 27th: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore
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December 4th: Navigating the System: MCFD (Ministry of Children and Family Development) and DAA (Designated Aboriginal Agencies) and Perinatal Substance Use
December 11th: Elder’s Circle: Baby Welcoming Ceremony and Community Celebration
December 18th: Fairytales for All! Storytime and Family Freestore