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). The Child, Family, and Community Service Act (1996) was amended in 2018 to improve child welfare service delivery and intervention for Indigenous children and families, with the goal of reducing the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth within the province’s child welfare system. Child protection services in British Columbia are provided through 429 ministry offices in 13 regions and 24 delegated Aboriginal agencies, which have varying levels of delegated responsibility according to the resources and capacity of each agency (Government of British Columbia, 2021). The Federal government is responsible for funding services to First Nations children and families living on-reserve. 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. For more information, see the information sheet British Columbia's child welfare system.

Title Authors Year of Publication
Information Sheet
British Columbia Child Welfare Services Information Sheet

Sarah Tremblett
Nico Trocmé
Ashleigh Delaye

Report
Annual Report 2018/19 and Service Plan 2019/20 to 2021/22

British Columbia Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Caught in the Middle

British Columbia Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Alone and Afraid: Lessons learned from the ordeal of a child with special needs and his family

British Columbia Representative for Children and Youth

Report
B.C. Adoption and Permanency Options Update

Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Broken Promises: Alex’s Story

Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Critical Injuries and Deaths: Reviews and Investigations (2016-17)

Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Delegated Aboriginal Agencies: How Resourcing Affects Service Delivery

Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Missing Peices: Joshua's story

Representative for Children and Youth

Report
Room for Improvement: Toward Better Education Outcomes for Children in Care

Representative for Children and Youth