British Columbia

In British Columbia, the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) provides child welfare services under the mandate of the Child, Family and Community Service Act (1996). Child protection services in British Columbia are provided through 429 ministry offices in five regions and 22 delegated Aboriginal agencies (MCFD, 2011). The Adoption Act (1996), Infants Act (1996), and the Representative for Children and Youth Act (2006), are other legal acts that relate to the well-being and protection of children in British Columbia. There are 22 Aboriginal child welfare agencies that provide child welfare services and an additional eight agencies that are in start up or planning stages. Of the total 30 Aboriginal child welfare agencies, 23 are First Nations agencies, four are Métis agencies, and three are urban Aboriginal agencies. The Federal government is responsibility for funding services to First Nations children and families living on-reserve. For more information, see the information sheet British Columbia's child welfare system.

British Columbia - Statistics

External Statistics Links


Ministry of Children and Family Development Reporting Portal

British Columbia: Children and youth in out-of-home care in 2017

Children in care	Child (0-18) population	Rate per 1000*
6,950	895,180	7.7

*The rate per 1000 is calculated using the population of children covered under the age of protection in British Columbia (under 19 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
Standards for Staffed Children's Residential Services Provided Under the Child, Family and Community Service Act 1998	Standards for Staffed Children's Residential Services Committee: Federation of Child and Family Services of British Columbia Child and Youth Care Association of British Columbia Federation of British Columbia Youth In Care Networks British Columbia Federation of Foster Parent Associations Provincial Association of Residential Community Alternatives	1998	Report
Supporting young people's transition from government care research project	Rutman, Deborah Barlow, April Hubberstey, Carol Alusik, Daniela Brown, Erinn	2001	Report
Health status of children and youth in care in British Columbia: What do the mortality data show?	Office of the Provincial Health Officer	2001	Report
Children and youth in care in British Columbia: An epidemiological review of mortality	Office of the Provincial Health Officer	2001	Report
Child and Family Development Service Standards	Ministry of Children and Family Development	2003	Report
Kinship care	Gough, Pamela	2006	Information sheet
Health and well-being of children in care in British Columbia: Report 1 on health services utilization and mortality	Child and Youth Officer for British Columbia	2006	Report
BC children and youth review: An independent review of BC’s child protection system	Hugues, Ted	2006	Report
BC's Children in Care: Improving Data and Outcomes Reporting	McKinnon, Ian	2006	Report
British Columbia's child welfare system	Gough, Pamela	2007	Information sheet

British Columbia - Legislation

British Columbia legislation
Child, Family and Community Service Act
Adoption Act

British Columbia - Links


Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD)
MCFD Reporting and Monitoring for Child or Family Services
Representative for Children and Youth
Child and Family Service Standards
Society for Children and Youth of BC
BC Federation of Foster Parent Associations
BC Aboriginal Child Care Society
Data, Monitoring & Quality Assurance for Child or Family Services
Family Support Institute
Adoptive Families Association of BC
First Nations Summit
Urban Native Youth Association
BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition
Federation of Community Social Services of BC
Federation of BC Youth in Care Networks
BC Association of Family Resource Programs
Indigenous Caregivers of BC
Indigenous Perspectives Society
Indigenous Child Well-being Research Network

Last Name	First Name	Organization	Province/Territory
Brown	Leslie	University of Victoria	British Columbia
Charles	Grant	University of British Columbia	British Columbia
Gillespie	Judy	University of British Columbia – Okanagan	British Columbia
Marcellus	Lenora	University of Victoria	British Columbia
Moosa-Mitha	Mehmoona	University of Victoria	British Columbia
Rutman	Deborah	University of Victoria	British Columbia
Schmidt	Glen	University of Northern British Columbia	British Columbia
Sookraj	Dixon	University of British Columbia – Okanagan	British Columbia
Carriere	Jeannine	University of Victoria	British Columbia
De Finney	Sandrina	University of Victoria	British Columbia
Strega	Susan	University of Victoria	British Columbia
Wells	Susan	University of British Columbia – Okanagan	British Columbia
Saewyc	Elizabeth	University of British Columbia	British Columbia
Sullivan	Richard	University of British Columbia	British Columbia
Bryson	Stephanie	University of British Columbia	British Columbia
Lee	Laura M.	International Institute for Child Rights and Development	British Columbia