Nova Scotia

For more information, please see the information sheet on Nova Scotia's child welfare system.

Overview

In Nova Scotia, the provincial Department of Community Services (DCS) provides child welfare services under the mandate of the Children and Family Services Act (CFSA) (1990). Services are provided by 21 local child welfare offices located in each county across the province. Mi’kmaw Family and Children’s Services (MFCS) provides child welfare and protection services to all 13 First Nations Reservations (Government of Nova Scotia, 2013). The Children and Family Services Regulations (2018) further describe specific policies and procedures for child welfare service delivery in Nova Scotia. The regulations also include all relevant government forms and applications for child welfare services within the province.

Statistics

Nova Scotia: Children and youth in out-of-home care in 2022 ¹
Children in out-of-home care	Child (0-18) population	Rate per 1000
1, 180	197, 359	5.98

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
Nova Scotia Child Welfare Services Information Sheet	Tremblett, Sarah Trocmé, Nico Delaye, Ashleigh	2021
Accountability Report 201-20: Department of Community Services	Department of Community Services Nova Scotia	2020
2017 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia	Frank, Lesley Saulnier Christine	2017
Provincial/Territorial Protocol On Children, Youth and Families Moving Between Provinces and Territories	Government of British Columbia Government of Alberta Government of Manitoba Government of Saskatchewan Government of New Brunswick Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Government of Nova Scotia Government of Prince Edward Island Government of Northwest Territories Government of Nunavut Government of Yukon Government of Ontario	2016
Our Kids Are Worth It: Our Fifth Year-- Strategy for Children and Youth	Nova Scotia Department of Community Services	2013
Case Processing Times in Nova Scotia Youth Court	Policy, Planning and Research Nova Scotia Department of Justice	2012
First Nations Child Welfare in Nova Scotia	Kozlowski, Anna Sinha, Vandna Glode, Joan MacDonald, Nancy	2012
Child & Youth Strategy 2nd Annual Provincial Symposium: Summary Report	Nova Scotia Department of Community Services	2011
Nova Scotia Early Childhood Development Report 2008–2010 & Child Well-Being Report 2009	Nova Scotia Department of Community Services	2011
Our Kids Are Worth It: Our Fourth Year-- Strategy for Children and Youth	Nova Scotia Department of Community Services	2011

Legislation

Links