Representative for Children and Youth (RCY) Report – Room for Improvement
Last updated on October 4, 2023The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is committed to sharing with British Columbians the actions taken in response to recommendations provided by its oversight bodies, including the Representative for Children and Youth (RCY).
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Room for Improvement: Toward better education outcomes for children in care
The RCY released the report Room for Improvement in October 2017. The report examines education outcomes and supports for children and youth in care in B.C.
There are three recommendations involving the ministry, two of which are directed solely to MCFD, and one of which is shared with the Ministry of Education and Child Care. The recommendations relate to increasing collaboration and information sharing between MCFD and the Ministry of Education and school districts, addressing and providing supports for trauma-related needs of children and youth in care and increasing inclusion in school for children and youth in care. The ministry agreed to the intent of the three recommendations in the report and committed to ensuring the resources and cooperation are in place so that children grow up in a safe, caring environment and connected to their culture and community.
MCFD has provided the RCY with annual updates on the key actions taken to implement the recommendations for four years beginning in 2019.
The ministry welcomes and appreciates this report, as it offers valuable insights on strengthening supports and services for children and youth in care.
The ministry recognizes that young people who come into government care—often among our most vulnerable—may also face additional health complications and experiences of trauma that can affect their progress in school. There is strong evidence that completing high school is linked to future well-being. MCFD is working to ensure that children and youth in care receive trauma-informed care and are supported to complete high school by the time they turn 19, acquiring the education and life skills that will help them successfully transition to adulthood and adult services.
Ministry response
The ministry has taken the following steps in response to this report:
- Regardless of the type of living arrangement a child or youth is in, information sharing, and coordination is critical for ensuring a child or youth’s circle of support is strong and able to provide safe and quality care. MCFD and the Ministry of Education created and implemented a Partnership Agreement that identifies their respective roles and responsibilities regarding information sharing, coordination and advocacy. To meet the intent of this recommendation, the ministries also developed A Guide to Sharing Information about Children and Youth in Care, which outlines roles and responsibilities of MCFD/Indigenous Child and Family Service agencies social workers and caregivers and school personnel, and updated the cross-ministry guidelines Joint Educational Planning and Support for Children and Youth in Care-
- MCFD has created and fully implemented its Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) Guide as a foundational piece of work. The TIP approach is included in the ministry’s learning and development training for all staff to help ensure all children and youth receive trauma-informed care.
- To improve access to school activities for children and youth in care, MCFD gained approval from the Ministry of Finance to make a regulatory change to facilitate the authorization of caregivers to make decisions involving the participation of children and youth in care in age- and developmentally appropriate activities. This regulatory change led to updates being made to the Children and Youth in Care Polices, Standards for Foster Homes and Foster Family Handbook to reflect the change.
- Children and youth who come into government care often face additional experiences of trauma and related complications. The ministry’s Network of Care, which began implementation in December 2019, emphasizes keeping children and youth connected to their families, communities, and culture because we know that is key for reducing the impacts of trauma and promoting belonging.
- As part of the ministry’s commitment to creating a comprehensive Network of Care, in February 2023, the ministry implemented the Enhanced Out-of-Care policy to provide eligible children and youth and their care providers with enhanced supports in addition to the ones in the current Out-Of-Care policy. These additional supports are carefully designed to ensure eligible children and youth who have significant and complex functional support and mental health needs can be supported to live with extended family or community members in out-of-care arrangements when appropriate. These supports include:
- Training and workshops for care providers
- Clinical and diagnostic assessments
- Functional assessments and intervention plans
- Counselling and mental health supports
- Inclusive recreation
- Respite
- Cultural supports
- One of the ways the ministry is operationalizing the Network of Care is through the Specialized Homes and Support Services (SHSS) transformation. As part of this initiative, the ministry is changing and improving how contracted homes and support services are delivered to children, youth, and families. The new services place an important focus on trauma and trauma-informed care. Specific system improvements that support trauma-informed care include: consistent procurement and contracting approach, including trauma-informed competencies as a contract obligation for service providers; clear service expectations, with distinct responsibilities for care providers to be trained in, and to provide, trauma-informed care; collaborative and inclusive, trauma-informed care planning, enabled through an integrated information management system; and, expanding access to SHSS for all children and youth based on their needs, regardless of whether they are in care, in an out-of-care arrangement, or living at home with their parents.