["Child Abuse Review, Volume 35, Issue 3, May/June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis article highlights how Indigenous foster parents are reimagining child placement in child welfare systems. Drawing on qualitative research involving 40 foster families from First Nations and Inuit communities in Québec, and using an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), we explore how these families' culturally rooted practices challenge colonial models of care and offer transformative approaches grounded in kinship, relational accountability and community belonging. The findings reveal that Indigenous foster families place strong emphasis on preserving the child's cultural identity, nurturing meaningful relationships with the child and their parents and honouring the child's preferences. They also develop innovative practices such as shared caregiving across households, flexible forms of cohabitation with biological parents and continued support beyond placement. These relational and culturally grounded practices not only respond to the best interests of Indigenous children but also offer a model for decolonial and sustainable child protection systems. By centring Indigenous knowledge and lived experiences, this article contributes to the development of more just and effective child welfare policies and practices. It calls for greater recognition of Indigenous‐led models that affirm the right of Indigenous peoples to care for their children in ways that reflect their values, culture and future aspirations.\n"]