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The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is a ministry of the government of British Columbia in Canada. The MCFD is responsible for the child protection service across the province and is provided through 429 ministry offices in 5 regions and a number of delegated Indigenous agencies. The child protection staff are supported by the provincial office of the Child Protection Division.[1]
| Provincial ministry overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | June 5, 2001 |
| Type | child protection service |
| Jurisdiction | province of British Columbia |
| Headquarters | Victoria, British Columbia |
| Annual budget | $1.3 Billion Canadian dollar 2014-15 |
| Ministers responsible | |
| Deputy Minister responsible |
|
| Website | mcf |
| Map | |
 | |
Minister
editSince January 15, 2024, the minister of children and family development has been Grace Lore. Her predecessor, Mitzi Dean, succeeded her as minister of state for child care.[2]
List of ministers
edit| Minister | Term start | Term end | Political party | Ministry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordie Hogg | June 5, 2001 | January 23, 2004 | Liberal | Campbell | |
| Christy Clark | January 23, 2004 | September 20, 2004 | Liberal | ||
| Stan Hagen | September 20, 2004 | August 15, 2006 | Liberal | ||
| Tom Christensen | August 15, 2006 | June 10, 2009 | Liberal | ||
| Mary Polak | June 10, 2009 | March 14, 2011 | Liberal | ||
| Mary McNeil | March 14, 2011 | September 5, 2012 | Liberal | C. Clark | |
| Stephanie Cadieux | September 5, 2012 | July 18, 2017 | Liberal | ||
| Katrine Conroy | July 18, 2017 | November 26, 2020 | New Democratic | Horgan | |
| Mitzi Dean | November 26, 2020 | January 15, 2024 | New Democratic | Horgan Eby | |
| Grace Lore | January 15, 2024 | Incumbent | New Democratic | Eby | |
Foster care
editIn British Columbia foster care is one option for providing homes for children who can't live safely with their own parents or caregivers. Foster parents provide the day-to-day care for a child on behalf of MCFD.
Types of care homes
editAny child or youth placed in foster care must be placed in a MCFD approved facility. There are two main types of foster care arrangements, family care homes and specialized residential services. These services are both directly funded by MCFD.[citation needed]
Family care homes
editA family care home is a home that provides a family like atmosphere to children who cannot be cared for in their own home. The families in these homes provide the most parent like care to children in their care while still providing the child support with their parents and other extended family members when possible.[original research?]
There are five different levels of family care homes which include: regular family care, restricted family care, and specialized family care, Levels 1, 2, and 3.[citation needed]
Restricted foster homes
editA restricted foster home placement is that in which a child is placed in the home of a relative or someone who knows them already. The home needs to be approved by MCFD prior to placing a child in it.
Regular family foster home
editA regular family foster placement is that in which a child is placed in a home approved by MCFD to provide care for the child. These placements provide care for children of various ages and abilities. They are different from restricted foster homes in the sense that these families don’t usually know the child before they are placed in their care.
Specialized family homes
editA specialized family care home placement is that in which the child who requires the care has moderate to extreme behaviour, developmental delays, or health problems. The three levels of specialized care all require the caregiver to have specialized experience and training. There is also a specific approval process in place to be able to care for these types of children. Levels 2 and 3 may sometimes[weasel words] provide specialized intervention and assessment services.
Specialized residential services
editSpecialized residential services include services such as group homes, intensive child care resources, and treatment foster home programs. These services may be operated by an individual, a nonprofit organization or a private organization.
Funding for foster homes
editThe amount of funding a family receives for a child in their care varies according to the type of care being provided as well as the age of the child. As of April 2009 a regular or restricted foster home receives $803.82 for a child aged 0–11 and $909.95 for a child aged 12–19. Specialized family homes receive more funding depending on what level of care they provide.
Rights of children and youth in care
editIn December 2008, the Federation of BC Youth in Care Network released a handbook, titled Your Life – Your Rights, that explains the rights of youth in care in a youth-friendly manner.[3]
Criticism of MCFD for failure to protect children
editTed Hughes authored a report critical of MCFD and issued recommendations to prevent further deaths of children involved with MCFD.[4] MCFD has been repeatedly been criticized for failing to implement recommendations of the Hughes Report.[5]
Further reading
editReferences
edit- ^ "Ministry of Children and Family Development". Retrieved March 4, 2011.
- ^ "Mitzi Dean removed as B.C. Minister of Children and Family Development in cabinet shuffle". Vancouver Is Awesome. 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-03-03.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20160304122021/http://fbcyicn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/know-rights-online.pdf Your Life - Your Rights at archive.org]
- ^ BC Children and Youth Review Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Final Progress Report on the Implementation of the Recommendations of the BC Children and Youth Review "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
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