Newfoundland and Labrador

For more information, please see the information sheet on Newfoundland and Labrador's child welfare system.

Overview

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development (CSSD) (previously known as the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (CYFS)) is responsible for providing child welfare and protection services to all children and youth living in Newfoundland and Labrador, including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis populations through 37 offices over the province. The Children, Youth, and Families Act (CYFA) (2018) governs child welfare, protection, and service delivery. The CYFA came into force on June 28, 2019, and replaced the previous Child and Youth Care and Protection Act (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2020). Service provision to children and youth in need of protection is also guided by the Protection and In Care Policy and Procedure Manual (Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, 2011). The Adoption Act (2013) and the Adoptions Policy and Procedures Manual (2014) guide adoption practices for children in the province. 

Statistics
Newfoundland and Labrador: Children and youth in out-of-home care in 20221
Children in careChild (0-15) populationRate per 1000
1,495106, 83613.99

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.

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