Province advances systemic changes to integrate social services, prevent crises

July 15, 2025

VICTORIA – On the one-year anniversary of the release of the representative for children and youth’s (RCY) Don’t Look Away report, the Province is providing an update on its co-ordinated cross-government work across several ministries to better integrate social services and move to a more prevention-based model of support for children and youth.

The report called for systemic transformation across government to better support vulnerable children and families in B.C. by detailing the devastating story of a child’s abuse and death. In response, the Province made eight key commitments and launched a cross-government deputy-minister project board to ensure a co-ordinated response to improving child and youth well-being in B.C. As part of this work, government is collaborating with Indigenous people and all partners to develop a child and youth well-being action plan and outcomes framework.

This plan will serve as the cornerstone of the Province’s strategy to better aligning services across government, setting standards for child and youth well-being, preventing crises by prioritizing the most vulnerable and measuring the effectiveness of government programs in meeting core needs.

“Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of Don’t Look Away, and we continue to hold the sacred stories of Colby and the other children in this report in our hearts and minds,” said Jodie Wickens, Minister of Children and Family Development. “Every child in our province deserves safety, belonging and love, and we must do better. We are working with all our partners toward a renewed model of child well-being that focuses on prevention, care and supporting families before they find themselves in crisis.”

While the plan and framework are being developed, the Province has made improvements to the way it serves children, youth and families. The Ministry of Children and Family Development has added tools for oversight and tracking that make sure child or youth visits occur at least once every 90 days and has increased its workforce by almost 20% in the last two years. The ministry is also improving resources for kinship care providers and providing updated information about supports available.

B.C. is leading the country with First Nations as they reclaim jurisdiction over their children, youth and families. With a unique context of 204 First Nations, the Province has already signed 12 agreements with Nations that have determined their paths forward, with dozens more to come. A major step forward on the path of lasting reconciliation, this work will improve outcomes for children and youth and reduce the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in care, and the Province is committed to consulting with Indigenous partners on its child and youth well-being action plan.

“We hear these calls to action and are committed to continue advancing self-determination so that Indigenous children in B.C. are not only safe, supported and loved, but remain connected to their communities, families, culture and language,” said Christine Boyle, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

Across government, several initiatives are underway to support the objectives of the plan, create strong foundations for families, and protect and uplift the most vulnerable. The stories in Don’t Look Away show that early supports are critical, and that is why government has taken action to provide more early intervention and mental-health and addiction programs for young people.

“Young people in British Columbia need access to age-appropriate mental-health and substance-use services that meet their unique needs,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “That’s why we’re focused on expanding prevention and early-intervention services, like Foundry Centres and Integrated Child and Youth Teams, to communities across the province. These services are vital to help young people get back on their feet, while our government continues to build a full continuum of mental-health and addictions care for everyone.”

As recommended by the RCY, the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has introduced an exemption to lift up people with disabilities and their families and to help reduce financial hardship for people with disabilities. That exemption ensures individuals and families receiving income, disability or hardship assistance can keep the full amount of the new federal Canada Disability Benefit without any reduction to their provincial benefits.

“We want people with disabilities and their families to have access to the supports they need,” said Sheila Malcolmson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “That’s why this exemption allows people receiving provincial assistance to retain the entire amount of their federal Canada Disability Benefit, further helping them to support their children.”

The recommendations in Don’t Look Away address systemic issues that are directed at all of government. The RCY has acknowledged that the Province has taken action on 65% of the recommendations it is tracking from recent RCY reports, including Don’t Look Away.

“The representative has recognized the steps we’ve taken so far and that the systemic changes we are making will take time,” Wickens said. “But we also hear the clear message that this work must continue, and it must expand. We are proud of the progress to date, but we know this is just the start and there is much more to do. Our government is determined to continue this work alongside the RCY and our Indigenous partners to change the way we work.”

Government is committed to fundamentally rethinking how it supports children and families through improved accountability, increased oversight, enhanced safety and better co-ordination of services.

Quick Facts:

• Ministries involved in the development of a child and youth well-being action plan and outcomes framework include the Attorney General, Education and Child Care, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Health, Public Safety and Solicitor General, and Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
• Since 2017, the Ministry of Children and Family Development has received year-over-year budget increases to significantly improve the supports and services provided to B.C.’s children, youth and families.
• The ministry’s 2025-26 budget increased by $321.6 million to more than $2.4 billion, more than 81% of which goes directly to programs and services.

Learn More:

To learn more about RCY investigation and review, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024CFD0009-001124

A backgrounder follows.

Contact:
Corinna Filion
Media Relations
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Corinna.Filion@gov.bc.ca
250 882-0918

BACKGROUNDER

What to know about progress on recommendations from Don’t Look Away report

In the representative for children and youth’s (RCY) Don’t Look Away report, the RCY called for systemic change, making several recommendations that significantly shift the way services are provided in several ministries.

The recommendations address systemic issues that are directed at all of government and the Province is making progress on addressing these recommendations.

The Province focused on eight key commitments made in response to the recommendations, and work is underway on all eight.

• Commitment 1: Developing a child and youth action plan applying to all of government that focuses on child and youth well-being.
  • The Province launched a cross-government deputy-minister project board to develop a comprehensive child and youth well-being action plan. This plan will serve as the cornerstone of the Province’s approach to the recommendations in Don’t Look Away, to align services across government and prevent crises by prioritizing the most vulnerable children and families.
  • Other ministries involved include Attorney General, Children and Family Development, Education and Child Care, Finance (Gender Equity Office), Health, Housing and Municipal Affairs, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Health, Public Safety and Solicitor General, and Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
  • The plan will be developed in close consultation with Indigenous people and the RCY.
• Commitment 2: Developing an outcomes-based framework for measurement and accountability to make sure that actions taken are working to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families.
  • The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is leading the work on an outcomes-based framework for measurement and accountability to ensure all actions taken are to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families.
  • The outcomes framework will:
    • define well-being in a holistic and measurable way by establishing a set of well-being outcomes and corresponding indicators;
    • create a shared understanding of the factors that influence child and youth well-being; and
    • allow MCFD and partner ministries to align programs, planning, service delivery and evaluation.
  • The plan will be developed in close consultation with Indigenous people and the RCY.
• Commitment 3: Strengthening information-sharing between ministries and service providers so that when children and youth are struggling, they are connected to the supports they need.
  • MCFD is investing $12 million over three years toward centralized tools so teachers, counsellors, police and social workers can share information more effectively, leading to a better and quicker response to issues when they arise by:
    • putting the child first by flagging and sharing items for others involved in their life, care and well-being; and
    • providing social workers with access to centralized and consolidated information.
  • This will give social workers more time to directly serve and support kids and families by minimizing time filling out paperwork.
  • MCFD is developing interim resources to better inform prospective kinship care providers about support and services available to them.
• Commitment 4: Requiring that government policy decisions consider the implications for children and youth.
  • The Province has established a strong and effective governance structure to ensure cross-government consideration of child and youth well-being in decision-making.
    • MCFD’s minister chairs the cabinet committee on social initiatives, which includes representation from across government, and focused on improving the social well-being of residents and addressing key social challenges in the province.
    • MCFD’s deputy minister chairs a cross-government project board established to ensure a co-ordinated response to improving child and youth well-being in B.C.
    • A Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth, which includes MLAs, representation from ministries and the RCY, works to foster greater awareness and understanding among legislators and the public of the B.C. child and youth-serving system.
  • All cabinet submissions must apply the gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) tool, which is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies and programs, and includes the consideration of impact on vulnerable children and youth.
  • MCFD is leading the work on an outcomes-based framework for measurement and accountability to ensure all actions taken are to improve the lives of the most vulnerable children and families, with a focus on prevention, early intervention and proactive supports.
• Commitment 5: Working across ministries to address the causes and ongoing impacts of family and gender-based violence, especially for Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit people and children.
  • The Province continues to implement government’s three-year Safe and Supported: B.C.’s gender-based violence action plan, led by the Gender Equity Office, as part of the response to addressing the ongoing issues of intimate and family violence.
  • The plan will increase safety and support for survivors, lift Indigenous-led approaches and break cycles of violence through prevention, healing and accountability.
  • It includes support for First Nations’ cultural practices and coming-of-age ceremonies through the First Peoples’ Cultural Council to rebuild Indigenous ways of knowing and help reduce the risk of violence, and support to Métis Nation BC to develop new gender-based violence programming for Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and for men who use violence.
  • MCFD has established an ongoing forum for team leaders to share best practices, new research and further discussion around decision-making and supervision specific to intimate-partner violence and family violence.
  • Guidelines and training were updated for child-welfare workers working with families experiencing intimate-partner violence and/or family violence, including working with the victim in child-safety planning.
  • MCFD is updating online gender-based violence resources for youth transitioning out of government care.
  • In 2024, the Ministry of Attorney General appointed Dr. Kim Stanton to conduct a systemic review of the province’s treatment of victims and survivors of sexual and intimate-partner violence in the legal system.
    • Recommendations in the Stanton report align with those within Don’t Look Away report, and include a focus on prevention, early response and supports.
    • In fall 2025, the ministry will announce its plans to address those recommendations.
• Commitment 6: Examining what functions of family supports and child protection can be separated to provide a more co-ordinated approach that focuses on the well-being of children with their families.
  • MCFD is developing a strong process to monitor family engagement in planning for children and youth.
  • MCFD is developing new provincial documentation guidelines for social workers delivering child safety and guardianship services.
• Commitment 7: Exploring the reconfiguration of child and family services across ministries, including for children and youth with support needs and Child and Youth Mental Health.
  • MCFD is working with the Ministry of Health, Indigenous people, key stakeholders and people with lived experience to realign and improve services for children and youth with support and mental-health needs.
• Commitment 8: Exploring the establishment of a body for the purpose of supporting Indigenous governing bodies with the resumption of jurisdiction.
  • MCFD appointed Jeremy Y’in Neduklhchulh Williams as an Indigenous child-welfare director to advance meaningful reconciliation, including a focus on the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in care.
  • This is the first position of its kind in the country and represents a significant step in the work to reform the child-welfare system.
    • This role reflects MCFD’s commitment to addressing the fundamental changes that are needed to ensure that all Indigenous children are safe, connected and thriving within their families and Nations.
    • The position is responsible for providing leadership and advice on child-welfare practice, supporting Indigenous jurisdiction and ensuring services align with Indigenous laws and rights.
  • B.C. is also the first province in Canada to enact legislation that expressly recognizes that Indigenous Peoples have an inherent right of self-government, including self-determination of child and family services.

The child and youth well-being action plan is a commitment to transform the way the Province offers programs and services and to better align the system across ministries and agencies to strengthen supports for children, youth and families, and offer early help to prevent crisis.

The focus is on more consistent practice, more effective operations, heightened safety and improved services. MCFD is also working with the Ministry of Health to realign and improve mental-health and other services for children and youth with support needs, in order to create a platform for better information-sharing, more streamlined access to more integrated services and overall improved care. MCFD recently finalized a Strategic Workforce Plan to address recruitment and retention of staff to enable and deliver on the vision of the plan.

All this means better services for the most vulnerable and for the children and youth of British Columbia.

Contact:
Corinna Filion
Media Relations
Ministry of Children and Family Development
Corinna.Filion@gov.bc.ca
250 882-0918

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