Alberta
In Alberta, the Ministry of Human Services oversees the delivery of child intervention services provided by 8 regional Child and Family Service Authorities (CFSAs), one of which is a Métis Authority, under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (CYFEA). Seventeen Delegated First Nations Authorities (DFNAs) also provide services under CYFEA through agreements between the First Nations, the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta. The Child and Family Services Authorities Act (2000), regulated in 2004, was the result of a series of policy initiatives designed to increase services to families before they reach crisis, establish permanent homes more quickly for children in government care and strengthen the involvement of First Nation, Métis and other Aboriginal communities in planning for their children. A key feature of the reform was the implementation of the Alberta Response Model (ARM), a differential response system with two legislated streams of activity: family enhancement services and protection services. For more information, please see the information sheet on Alberta's child welfare system.
Alberta - Statistics
Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2003* and 2008**
| 2003 | 2008 | |
|---|---|---|
| Child population | 752,005 | 775,175 |
| Number of child maltreatment investigations | 32,453 | 27,147 |
| Incidence of child maltreatment investigations per 1000 children | 43.16 | 35.02 |
Type of Child Maltreatment Investigation in Alberta, 2008**
| Number | Rate per 1,000 children | Percent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maltreatment Investigation | 22,761 | 35.02 | 84% |
| Risk Investigation | 4,386 | 5.66 | 16% |
Categories of Substantiated Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2008**
| Category of Maltreatment | Number | Rate per 1,000 children | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Abuse | 1,933 | 2.49 | 13% |
| Sexual Abuse | 285 | 0.37 | 2% |
| Neglect | 5,328 | 6.87 | 37% |
| Emotional Maltreatment | 1,974 | 2.55 | 14% |
| Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence | 4,883 | 6.30 | 34% |
Placement in Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alberta, 2003 and 2008**
| 2003 Number | 2003 Rate | 2008 Number | 2008 Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Placement | 28,294 | 37.62 | 23,625 | 30.48 |
| Informal Kinship Care | 1,923 | 2.56 | 1,139 | 1.47 |
| Formal Placement | 2,230 | 2.97 | 2,383 | 3.08 |
Children and youth in out-of-home care in 2018
| Children in care | Child (0-17) population | Rate per 1000*** |
|---|---|---|
| 7,329 | 923,175 | 7.9 |
* 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
***The rate per 1000 is calculated using the population of children covered under the age of protection in Alberta (under 18 years old).
§ 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.
| Title | Authors |
Year |
Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mental health service use among post-secondary students in Alberta |
Navjot Lamba and Xinjie Cui |
2017 | Report |
| A profile of income support learners clients |
Navjot Lamba and Xinjie Cui |
2017 | Report |
| A profile of child support services dependents in Alberta |
Ruiting Jia, Leslie Twilley, and Xinjie Cui |
2017 | Report |
| A profile of children and youth whose families received family support for children with disabilities services |
Ruiting Jia, Ozlem Cankaya, Leslie Twilley, and Xinjie Cui |
2017 | Report |
| CYDL Data Byte: An insight on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and educational achievement |
Piatt, Carley |
2017 | Report |
| A profile of young Albertans with Cerebral Palsy |
Daniel O’Brien, Christine Werk, Carley Piatt, Hitesh Bhatt, and Xinjie Cui |
2017 | Report |
| A profile of young Albertans with Autism Spectrum Disorder |
Ruiting Jia and Xinjie Cui |
2017 | Report |
| Voices for Change: Aboriginal Child Welfare in Alberta |
Office of the Child and Youth Advocate Alberta |
2016 | Report |
| Report of the Auditor General of Alberta: Human Services - Systems to Deliver Child and Family Services to Indigenous Children in Alberta |
Auditor General of Alberta |
2016 | Report |
| Provincial/Territorial Protocol On Children, Youth and Families Moving Between Provinces and Territories |
Government of British Columbia |
2016 | Report |
Alberta - Links
Last Name |
First Name | Organization | Province/Territory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutty | Leslie M. | University of Calgary | Alberta |
| Urichuk | Liana | University of Alberta | Alberta |
| Walsh | Christine A. | University of Calgary | Alberta |
