British Columbia

For more information, see the information sheet British Columbia's child welfare system.

Overview

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. 

Statistics
British Columbia: Children and youth in out-of-home care in 20221
Children in out-of-home careChild (0-18) populationRate per 10001
10, 462926,02711.30

Statistics Links

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 service, differences in the length of time a child can receive out-of-home care and the definition of out-of-home care.

Reference List

1 Pollock, N., Ouédraogo, A., Trocmé, N., Hovdestad, W., Miskie, A., Crompton, L., Campeau, A., Tanaka, M., Zhang, C., Laprise, C., Tonmyr, L. (2024). Original quantitative research – 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.

Reports
Title Year
Fragile Lives, Fragmented Systems: Strengthening Supports for Vulnerable Infants
Growing Up in B.C.
Kids, Crime and Care – Health and Well-Being of Children in Care: Youth Justice Experiences and Outcomes
A Review of Child and Youth Mental Health Services in BC
A Review of Child and Youth Mental Health Services in British Columbia
Amanda, Savannah, Rowen and Serena: From Loss to Learning
Management of Aboriginal Child Protection Services
Recognition and Reconciliation Protocol on First Nations Children, Youth and Families
Educational Experiences of Children Under a Continuing Custody Order
Health and well-being of children in care in British Columbia: Educational Experience and Outcomes
BC children and youth review: An independent review of BC’s child protection system
BC's Children in Care: Improving Data and Outcomes Reporting
Health and well-being of children in care in British Columbia: Report 1 on health services utilization and mortality
Child and Family Development Service Standards
Children and youth in care in British Columbia: An epidemiological review of mortality
Legislation
Links