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.