Alberta

For more information, please see the information sheet on Alberta's child welfare system.

Overview

The Ministry of Children’s Services is responsible for child welfare in Alberta. The Child, Youth, and Family Enhancement Act governs child protection and intervention services, which are provided in five regions, and through 19 delegated First Nations Agencies (Government of Alberta, 2021). Delegated First Nations Agencies (DFNAs) have authority to provide Child Intervention services to First Nations children living on-reserve. Children living off-reserve, as well as children living on a reserve that does not have a DFNA are protected by provincial Child Intervention services in their region (Government of Alberta, 2022).

The Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act, the Drug-Endangered Children Act, and the Protection Against Family Violence Act also guide child welfare practice in Alberta, allowing caseworkers and social workers to intervene in a broad range of issues related to harm or risk of harm to children (Government of Alberta, 2021).

Statistics

Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2003* and 2008**

 20032008
Child population752,005775,175
Number of child maltreatment investigations32,45327,147
Incidence of child maltreatment investigations per 1000 children43.1635.02

Type of Child Maltreatment Investigation in Alberta, 2008**

 NumberRate per 1,000 childrenPercent
Maltreatment Investigation22,76135.0284%
Risk Investigation4,3865.6616%

Categories of Substantiated Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2008**

Category of MaltreatmentNumberRate per 1,000 childrenPercent
Physical Abuse1,9332.4913%
Sexual Abuse2850.372%
Neglect5,3286.8737%
Emotional Maltreatment1,9742.5514%
Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence4,8836.3034%

Placement in Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2003 and 2008**

 2003 Number2003 Rate2008 Number2008 Rate
No Placement28,29437.6223,62530.48
Informal Kinship Care1,9232.561,1391.47
Formal Placement2,2302.972,3833.08

Children and youth in out-of-home care in 2022***

Children in care Child (0-17) populationRate per 1000
8, 164 973, 7258.38

* MacLaurin, B., Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., McCormack, M., Pitman, L., Forest, N., Banks, J., Shangreaux, C., & Perrault, E. (2005) Alberta Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (AIS-2003): Major Findings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/884

** MacLaurin, B., Trocmé, N., Fallon, B., Sinha, V., Feehan, R., Enns, R., Gail, J., Kitt, O., Thomas‑Prokop, S., Zelt, C., Daoust, G., Hutcheon, E., & Budgell, D. (2013). Alberta Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect-2008 (AIS-2008): Major Findings. Calgary, AB: University of Calgary. Retrieved from http://cwrp.ca/publications/2758

Government of Alberta. (2022, February 10). Child Intervention Information and Statistics Summary Child Intervention Information and Statistics – 2021-22 Third Quarter (December) Update. alberta.ca/child-intervention-statistics.aspx  

***Pollock, N., Ouédraogo, A., Trocmé, N., Hovdestad, W., Miskie, A., Crompton, L., Campeau, A., Tanaka, M., Zhang, C., Laprise, C., Tonmyr, L. (2024) Rates of out-of-home care among children in Canada: an analysis of national administrative child welfare data. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada (44)4. https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.44.4.02

Government of Alberta. (n.d.). Child Intervention Information and Statistics Summary 2018/19 Fourth Quarter (March) Update. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/de167286-500d-4cf8-bf01-0d08224eeadc/resource/b8142559-cb87- 49b7-bd30-d0a3d2f113bc/download/child-intervention-quarterly-stats-2018-19-q4.pdf
 

§ Child welfare services fall under the jurisdiction of provincial and territorial authorities, making it difficult to compile statistics at the national level. The most notable variations between provinces include mandate variation by jurisdiction with respect to the age to which children are eligible for services, differences in the length of time a child can receive out-of-home care and the definition of out-of-home care.