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 out-of-home care	Child (0-15) population	Rate per 1000
1,495	106, 836	13.99

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.

References

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.

Publications

Title	Authors	Year
A tragedy waiting to happen	The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate Newfoundland and Labrador	2015
Annual Report 2013-2014	The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, Newfoundland and Labrador	2014
Program Statistics - Child Protection and In-care	The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, Newfoundland and Labrador	2014
Sixteen	Advocate for Children and Youth	2013
2011-2012 Annual Report: The Advocate for Children and Youth Newfoundland and Labrador	The Advocate for Children and Youth Newfoundland and Labrador	2012
Failures in Children’s Protection in Newfoundland and Labrador: From the Hughes (1991) to Markesteyn and Day (2006) Inquiries and Beyond	Devine, Mike Kimberley, Dennis	2012
Child, Youth and Family Services Annual Report 2010-2011	Child, Youth and Family Services	2011
Protection and In Care - Policy and Procedure Manual	The Department of Child, Youth and Family Services, Newfoundland and Labrador	2011
Annual Performance Report 2009-2010	Department of Health and Community Services	2010
Children and Youth Care and Protection Act	Government of Newfoundland and Labrador	2010

Legislation

Children, Youth and Families Act
Children and Youth Care and Protection Act
(replaced the Child Youth and Family Services Act)
Adoption Act

Links