Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Results

Overview

Ministry Service Plan Goals

This section presents the Ministry's four goals:

1. The identification and strengthening of effective services for children, youth, families and communities in B.C. within a strengths-based, developmental approach.
2. The Ministry supports Aboriginal people to design regional models and implement services for Aboriginal children, youth, families and communities.
3. A fully regionalized model of governance and delivery of services.
4. Transform the Ministry of Children and Family Development as an organization to support Goals 1, 2, and 3.

Engagement and consultation with the children, youth, families and communities of British Columbia is a key component in supporting the safety, health and well-being of children and youth. This will require meaningful involvement and greater authority for communities and families with regard to decision-making, resources and service delivery.

The Ministry continues to evaluate its performance measures to ensure they are meaningful, reflect the direction of the Ministry and focus on the desired outcomes for the individuals receiving services. This work includes a process with Aboriginal and community partners to refine and develop additional performance measures to be included in the 2008/09 – 2010/11 Service Plan.

The Ministry continues to collect, monitor and make available additional statistics and reports² on trends and outcomes associated with services provided to children, youth and families.

Linkage to the Five Great Goals

The Ministry supports government's Five Great Goals for a Golden Decade:

1. Make British Columbia the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent.
2. Lead the way in North America in healthy living and physical fitness.
3. Build the best system of support in Canada for persons with disabilities, those with special needs, children at risk, and seniors.
4. Lead the world in sustainable environmental management, with the best air and water quality, and the best fisheries management, bar none.
5. Create more jobs per capita than anywhere else in Canada.

These goals provide an overarching focus and direction for all provincial ministries and agencies. Over the next three years, the Ministry will:

• contribute to Great Goal 1 through early childhood development and child care programming;
• contribute to Great Goal 2 through ActNow BC and other initiatives designed to promote healthy living for children in child care centres and for youth through programs such as life skills training in community centres;
• support Great Goal 3 through:
• delivery of child welfare services;
• implementing the Child and Youth Mental Health plan;
• many cross ministry initiatives;
• implementing initiatives to assist youth at risk; and,
• support Great Goals 4 and 5 where possible, through its programs and initiatives.

Strategies for achieving ministry goals and objectives are discussed in the Performance Plan section of this Service Plan.

Cross Ministry Initiatives

The Ministry is involved in a number of major cross ministry partnerships which provide a coordinated, comprehensive approach to addressing key issues and/or supporting government's Five Great Goals. The Ministry's actions in these areas include:

StrongStart BC

The Ministry of Children and Family Development is leading the coordination of initiatives across a number of ministries to help improve outcomes for B.C.'s young children. StrongStart BC supports the healthy development and early learning of young children (birth to age six). The initiative's priorities are: early diagnosis for hearing, sight and dental problems; booster seat awareness; informing parents of the link between early childhood physical education and skill development; building 16 new StrongStart Centres for early childhood education; and, enhancing language and cultural opportunities for Aboriginal children.

ActNow BC

This initiative led by the Ministry of Tourism, Sport and the Arts combines cross government and community-based approaches to promote healthy living choices for British Columbians. Programs and initiatives champion healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and healthy choices during pregnancy. The Ministry supports this initiative by working with other ministries to prevent chronic disease and improve health and wellness, and by increasing educational resources for early childhood development to improve population health and chronic disease prevention.

Literacy

The Government of British Columbia has set a goal to make B.C. the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent. To be considered literate, a person has sufficient reading skills to understand and process printed information encountered in everyday activities. The Ministry of Education is leading the development and implementation of the Provincial Literacy Action Plan — ReadNow BC — to help British Columbians improve their reading skills. The Ministry's early childhood development and readiness to learn initiatives support literacy development for children.

Crystal Meth Strategy

The Government's Crystal Meth Strategy, led by the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General, counters the use and production of Crystal Meth through an integrated framework that strengthens partnerships among communities, service providers and law enforcement agencies. The Crystal Meth Secretariat was established in 2005 to support new and continuing initiatives based on prevention, treatment and enforcement. The Ministry is participating by distributing information and facilitating education about Crystal Meth and enhancing resources to support high-risk youth and the staff who support them.

Regulatory Reform

British Columbia continues to make regulatory reform a priority across government, making it easier for businesses to operate and succeed in B.C., while still preserving regulations that protect public health, safety and the environment. The Ministry supports government's Regulatory Reform Initiative and has implemented the Regulatory Reform Policy — targeting a zero net increase in regulatory requirements through 2007/08. The Ministry is committed to controlling the regulatory burden and improving regulatory quality by:

• analyzing adoption services processes to assess how and where time may be saved for children, youth and parents;
• identifying existing policies and regulatory requirements that may be streamlined or reduced once the adoption process analysis nears completion; and,
• monitoring all new ministry legislation, regulations and policies.

Citizen-Centred Service Delivery Initiative

Citizen-centred service delivery is a government-wide initiative to coordinate information, programs and services so that they can be presented to citizens in a way that takes their needs into account. The Ministry is committed to citizen-centred service delivery and uses the opinions and interests of the people served to define expectations, set priorities and establish service standards. The Ministry will continue to evaluate and improve programs and services to be more efficient, culturally relevant and effective based on international and local best practices. For example, Aboriginal people will play a central role in determining the delivery of services to Aboriginal children and families.

Performance Plan

The primary responsibility for the healthy development of children and youth remains with the family. Stable, life-long attachments keep children and youth healthy, safe and respected in their communities. Families and their networks of support are best positioned to provide such attachment. Ministry services focus on enhancing the capacity of communities, individuals and families — recognizing and building on their inherent strengths — to help ensure that all children and youth are safe and respected; supported by healthy families and inclusive communities; physically, mentally and emotionally healthy; and, able to learn effectively.

There are times that children, youth and families require additional supports. The Ministry plays a key role in providing services and supports to meet these needs, including child protection services. The Ministry may provide or arrange support services for the family, supervise the child's care in the parents' home, or protect the child through removal from the family and placement with relatives, a foster family or specialized residential resources. There are many reasons why children and youth³ come into the care of the Ministry; it may be due to neglect⁴ or abuse, or the child may require medical or other special care. The most common reason is that parents are unable to care for their child.

The Ministry, through its continuum of services, will play a vital role in supporting the diverse needs of children, youth and their families. Research has clearly shown that preventative and early childhood development and support services contribute to better outcomes for children and reduce the need for later intervention in families' lives. The Ministry is working in partnership with other ministries to plan and strengthen early childhood development and services for children and youth with special needs in B.C., to provide parents with information and to increase service choice and flexibility. The Ministry works in partnership with Community Living British Columbia to support services for children with special needs and their families.

The Ministry is committed to ensuring communities have access to quality and sustainable child care and preschool experiences. Child care programs are based on a family-centered approach that supports parents with as much choice as possible. Child care subsidies assist low and moderate income families with the cost of child care so they may pursue employment, education or other community activities such as volunteering, while providing quality early learning experiences for children. Supported child development services assist families with children with special needs to participate in community child care settings.

Families and communities increasingly participate in decisions about the care of children and youth, through such approaches as family group conferencing, mediation, kinship agreements and independent living arrangements for youth. In recent years, the Ministry has developed a range of options to protect and care for at-risk children and youth in their families and communities, rather than in foster care. The Ministry will use participatory evaluations to ensure that these options meet the needs of children, youth, families and communities.

Key strategies include:

• assisting in the development of a provincial early childhood development evaluation framework that can be used throughout B.C.;
• enhancing community-based family support programs to increase the number of families that are strengthened and better able to support their children and youth;
• working in partnership with the Ministry of Children's Services in Alberta, through the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement, to establish a seamless transition between the two provinces for early childhood educators; and,
• providing additional support and educational planning through schools and caregivers to help socio-economically disadvantaged children succeed at school.

The Per cent of children who enter kindergarten "ready to learn" measure relates to government and ministry priorities for early childhood development services that support children's readiness to learn. It is measured using the Early Development Instrument, coordinated by the Human Early Learning Partnership.⁵ The Early Development Instrument is administered by kindergarten teachers and assesses children's individual development in areas such as physical well-being, emotional health, social knowledge, language skills and general knowledge. The Early Development Instrument also highlights differences in children's development across neighbourhoods and helps communities to identify gaps and opportunities so they can plan for future investments. This measure is in the Province of B.C. Strategic Plan with a long-term target to reach 85 per cent by 2015/16.

The Number of children whose families receive a child care subsidy measure counts the monthly average number of child care subsidies provided by the Ministry. The number of subsidies in any given year depends on the number of families that apply. All eligible families who apply for child care subsidies receive funding. The child care subsidy targets reflect the expected uptake of the subsidy program (i.e., increased applications).

The Per cent of socio-economically disadvantaged children whose grade level is as prescribed for their age measure is determined through enrolment data from the Ministry of Education reported early in the school year. It measures how well socio-economically disadvantaged children are progressing in school and is a good measure of whether the system of support for disadvantaged children is generating desired outcomes. Targets for the measure reflect the government's 10-year commitment to reduce the gap between socio-economically disadvantaged children and other children with respect to grade level and children's age. This measure is in the Province of B.C. Strategic Plan with a long-term target to reach 95 per cent by 2015/16.

The Rate of recurrence of child neglect and/or abuse by family measure describes the proportion of families who neglect and/or abuse their children within 12 months of a previously confirmed incident of neglect and/or abuse. Recurrence within a set period of time may indicate an ongoing problem, which may signal the need for increased intervention services. Trends and the focus on reducing the neglect and abuse of children and youth have been factored into establishing targets for this measure.

The Ministry is committed to investing in community-based initiatives throughout the province that improve the integration of services and support a holistic service delivery system. Initiatives such as Success by 6^® and Children First⁶ promote healthy pregnancy, birth and infancy; improve parenting and family supports; promote resiliency; strengthen community supports; and, build capacity across the province. The Ministry is also committed to supporting the development of neighbourhood hubs — centres where early child development, child care and family services are co-located to meet family and community needs.

Research has shown that even where children and youth are at high risk for neglect or abuse, they can be very resilient when they have a close bond with an emotionally stable adult, enabling them to receive sufficient nurturing and establish a sense of trust.⁷ The Ministry strives to place children in care with people they know who will maintain a life-long relationship with them and their families, whether the placement is permanent (adoption), or temporary.

The Ministry is working to provide better services for specific child and youth populations, such as: youth in conflict with the law; children and youth at risk of, or suffering from, mental disorders; and, high-risk children and youth, such as those who are sexually exploited or homeless.

Key strategies include:

• supporting children and families involved in the adoption process in order to facilitate placements of children in care for adoption;
• supporting recruitment and educational events for families to support and strengthen their ability to care for adoptive children;
• implementing year 5 of the Child and Youth Mental Health Plan for B.C., in cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Education;
• developing, in partnership with stakeholders, a strategy to improve access to services for children, youth and families in rural and remote areas of the province;
• participating on the Premier's Task Force on Homelessness, Mental Illness and Addictions to increase transitional housing in the province;
• continuing to increase the effectiveness of community-based alternatives to youth custody through innovative, non-custodial approaches;
• continuing to work with Aboriginal communities and justice system partners to reduce the over-representation of Aboriginal youth in custody; and,
• working with the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to address issues related to the sexual exploitation of youth, including human trafficking.

The measure Per cent of children with adoption plans who have been placed indicates the number of children who are placed for adoption within a fiscal year as a percentage of all the children in care who are legally available for adoption and have a plan for adoption. The targets were set with consideration to other strategies, initiatives and consultations with the Ministry's regions. With fewer children in care over the past five years, there are smaller numbers of children each year for whom adoption will be an option.

The Rate of youth in custody based on a proportion of all 12-17 year olds (per 10,000) is the annual average of the daily population of youth (aged 12-17 years) in custody per 10,000 youth as a proportion of all 12-17 year olds in B.C. and is a standard measure used across Canada. The measure gauges the degree to which the youth correctional system relies on incarceration and indicates the effectiveness of community-based alternatives to custody. The targets are based on historical and demographic trends in B.C. Although the overall number of youth in custody has declined, diverting youth with low needs and those who commit minor offences to community justice programs has left a greater concentration of youth in custody with high needs (e.g., Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and mental illness), and more serious offence histories.

Research and experience confirm that maintaining and improving the safety and well-being of children and youth is best achieved in the context of healthy families and inclusive communities. Strengthening and enhancing culturally appropriate services to B.C.'s diverse population of vulnerable children, youth and families is a Ministry priority.

Key strategies include:

• supporting new community-based Aboriginal service systems to better reflect Aboriginal cultures, traditions and languages;
• utilizing an Elders' advisory council to ensure that the voice of Aboriginal people is heard in the design and delivery of services and working with Aboriginal Planning Tables to ensure inclusive planning and appropriate services for Aboriginal children, youth and families;
• working with Early Intervention Therapy stakeholders and Aboriginal community representatives to develop practice guidelines that foster multi-disciplinary teams and assessment strategies for children and youth requiring intervention support services;
• continuing to provide information to support the service and cultural needs of children who are deaf or hard of hearing and their parents, through the Deaf Access Office and a consultative social worker who provides advice to all social workers throughout the province;
• supporting the involvement of ethno-cultural committees in ministry planning to reflect the cultures, traditions and languages of all ethnicities in British Columbia; and,
• providing information resources for parents and families that are accessible to more cultures, including translated print resources.

One of the key elements of the child welfare system is placing children with people who know them and will maintain a life-long relationship with them and their families when they return to their parents. The Number of children safely placed with extended family or in community as an alternative to coming into care reflects the importance of maintaining the continuity of family and community relationships for vulnerable children. The measure captures the use of a variety of options for keeping children and youth out of care and for children and youth leaving care (through placements with kin or a person with significant ties to the child). The targets for this measure are set based on historical trends.

Historically, Aboriginal people viewed B.C.'s child welfare system with distrust. During the 1960s and 70s, many Aboriginal children and youth were placed with non-Aboriginal families, and child welfare workers were generally seen by Aboriginal people as a threat to their families and communities. During the 1980s, Aboriginal communities began to raise awareness around the need for an Aboriginal service delivery system. By the early 1990s, attitudes — and the child welfare system — had changed dramatically. The Child, Family and Community Service Act supported Aboriginal communities to establish their own child and family service agencies with delegated child welfare authority from the Ministry, explicitly recognizing the vital importance of culture and heritage and the need to preserve ties to family and community.

Aboriginal people, in collaboration with the Ministry, will lead the planning, development and delivery of services in their communities and continue to develop a network of partnerships with Aboriginal organizations. Aboriginal families and communities are actively engaged in making decisions that affect them and ministry services in general have become much more culturally responsive. The Ministry supports the development and expansion of delegated Aboriginal agencies in order to provide Aboriginal children and families with services that are more consistent with their culture.

Aboriginal people will lead the design and implementation of child and family development services for Aboriginal children, youth, families and communities delivered by Aboriginal people. The Ministry will learn from and respond to its partners in order to support Aboriginal leaders and their communities to identify needs and develop solutions for their own communities.

Delegated Aboriginal agencies provide essentially the same services as ministry child welfare workers, with delegated authority under the Child, Family and Community Service Act. In consultation with Aboriginal leaders, the Ministry is working to increase the scope of services delivered by Aboriginal agencies and communities in order to increase the central role of B.C.'s Aboriginal people in the service delivery system.

Key strategies include:

• supporting Aboriginal planning processes to enable development of regional models;
• identifying, documenting and showcasing Aboriginal best practices with children, youth and families;
• continuing to support new delegated Aboriginal agencies and expanding the scope of existing Aboriginal agencies in order to support the safe transfer of children in care to the care of delegated Aboriginal agencies; and,
• reviewing employment criteria and strengthening curriculum and training for First Nations and Métis child and family service practitioners to bring more Aboriginal people into the service delivery system.

The Per cent of Aboriginal children in care who are served by delegated Aboriginal agencies is a measure of the proportion of Aboriginal children in care who are receiving services delivered by and for Aboriginal people. Targets are based on the continuation of strategies to safely transfer responsibility for children in care of the Ministry to delegated Aboriginal agencies.

The Ministry recognizes the value of people participating directly in decisions that affect them. A community has firsthand knowledge of the challenges it faces and is better positioned to inform and enable the best local service delivery system. Moving the governance and delivery of services to a regionalized model will enhance the capacity of regions to make decisions and deliver programs and services that better meet the needs of their children, youth, families and communities. Best practices at the community level will guide service delivery and the Ministry will support communities to develop the services that best meet their unique needs. The Ministry is developing performance measures to support this goal and related objectives in consultation with its stakeholders.

Children, youth, families and communities are in the best position to identify their strengths, priorities and challenges. In partnership with families and communities, the Ministry will move to assessment and decision-making strategies that identify unique strengths, needs, and risks of communities and those they serve in order to develop governance models based on a continuum of services.

The Ministry is committed to investing in community-based initiatives that reflect integration of services at the community level. The Ministry will continue to build on good practices and research through initiatives such as piloting innovative projects. Reviewing alternatives to foster care, supporting early childhood development and expanding community service hubs are examples of the Ministry's commitment to ensuring regional services are integrated and reflect local solutions.

Key strategies include:

• decentralizing decision-making, resources and services to the regional and community levels;
• supporting the development of community and regional plans based on a continuum of services;
• providing collaborative planning options and processes to engage families and community members. Examples include family group conferences to bring children, youth, families, extended families and professionals together to plan for keeping a child safe and the use of traditional cultural practices for planning and resolving disagreements;
• providing leadership with ministry partners to establish or expand five community hubs to support early child development and learning that offer integrated services for families;
• supporting extended family and community members to care for vulnerable children and youth through kinship care agreements and other alternatives to foster care;
• enhancing community-based family support programs such as Family Resource Programs that provide parent education, support and opportunities for families to learn parenting skills and enhance their resiliency; and,
• developing in partnership with stakeholders, a strategy to improve access to services for children, youth and families in rural and remote areas of the province.

The Ministry is accountable for the quality and availability of its services, including those delivered by its contracted service providers. The Ministry continues to implement performance-based contracts with agencies and community organizations to improve service quality and ensure available resources reach the people who need them most.

The Ministry is evaluating the way it does business and strengthening its processes and practices in order to achieve the Ministry's goals and objectives more effectively. The process includes building and strengthening new and existing relationships to help ensure that children and youth are healthy and safe in their families and communities. It also includes providing an environment where staff are fully engaged, healthy and contributing to the Ministry's goals, within a dynamic organizational culture that focuses on continuous learning, respect, accountability and leadership excellence.

The Ministry is developing performance measures to support this goal in consultation with its stakeholders.

The Ministry will continue to build on successful partnerships with service providers, school districts, community agencies, Aboriginal communities, municipalities, the federal government, other provincial ministries, families, children and youth — developing tools and leveraging opportunities to increase collaboration in service design and implementation. The Ministry will use the tools of accountability, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation and performance-based contracting to ensure service excellence. In addition, accreditation of agencies ensures that service providers operate within a set of internationally-recognized quality assurance standards and best practices.

Key strategies include:

• supporting organizations to achieve and maintain accreditation;
• working with the government's Chief Information Officer on a case management project to improve service delivery and planning;
• encouraging youth participation in a youth advisory council to ensure their perspectives are included in the design and delivery of services; and,
• reviewing and implementing effective complaint resolution procedures which are based on problem-solving and restorative practices.

The Per cent of agencies required to be accredited, that achieve accreditation assesses the proportion of agencies who achieve accreditation out of those who are required to be accredited. All agencies receiving more than $500,000 annually from the Ministry are required to be accredited.

The Ministry's greatest strength is its staff — the dedicated, talented individuals who choose to serve the province's most vulnerable children, youth and families. To support them, the Ministry is promoting innovation, emphasizing continuous learning, encouraging dynamic leadership and recognizing strengths in an environment that upholds the principles of respect, integrity, fairness, transparency, consistency and equity. A confident, competent, valued and empowered staff will lead to increased empowerment of the whole service delivery system — ensuring that every child, family or community served has opportunities to use and build support networks and to act on their own choices and sense of responsibility.

Key strategies include:

• providing professional development opportunities to staff with an emphasis on front-line staff, community service managers, practice analysts and leaders to build the specific skills and experience they need to develop fulfilling, rewarding career paths;
• emphasizing respect, trust, innovation, well-being and teamwork in all of the Ministry's activities to ensure that all staff can participate as fully as possible in decision-making regarding the Ministry's service delivery and the work environment; and,
• incorporating recruitment and retention activities consistent with government's Corporate Human Resources Plan to ensure sufficient human resources, including recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff within the Ministry's provincial and regional offices.