British Columbia is in the midst of a child welfare crisis.
One out of every five children in the province lives below the poverty line.
Over 9,271 children are living in foster care, more than half of whom are Aboriginal.
For generations the system has consistently failed children and their families in spite of legislative reform, internal reorganization and changing governments.
In 1996 the Child Family and Community Services Act (“CFCSA”) came into force, promising a new direction for child welfare in British Columbia. This forward thinking legislation promised a different style of service provision dedicated to supporting families to care for children in the home, improving services for Aboriginal families, using apprehension only as a last resort, and reunifying children as quickly as possible when temporary placement is necessary.
This report examines whether child protection practices are living up to the principles set out in the CFCSA – the foundation of B.C.’s child protection system. Our conclusion is that current child protection practices in B.C. violate the guiding and service delivery principles that are set out in law. We find that the system, despite legislative reform, internal reorganization and changing governments, is failing to follow its own mandate and keep its promise to keep B.C.’s children safe.
This report looks at the child welfare system from a number of perspectives, including those of service providers, social workers, and lawyers representing parents in child protection cases. However, the major focus of this report is the experiences of parents whose children are or have been involved with the child protection system.
These voices have often been silenced in the debate surrounding child welfare reform. This report highlights the important and unique insights that these parents have into the strengths and weaknesses of B.C.’s current system. Their participation in this project is a testament to their commitment to helping improve the system for families.
As a whole, this report argues that the system continues to fail to address the systemic factors impacting children’s well being, such as poverty, the legacy of colonialism and the lack of social supports for single mothers. We conclude that as long as those systemic factors are ignored, B.C.’s government is not in a position to claim that it is genuinely acting in the best interest of children.
Supporting families to care for children in the home
Physical abuse and sexual abuse are not the primary reasons that children are removed from their parents. In fact, physical harm by a parent was only cited as a ground for removal in ten percent of child protection cases in the Lower Mainland. Sexual abuse or exploitation by a parent was cited as a reason for removal in less than one percent of cases.
Apprehensions are generally the result of a parent’s struggle with poverty, addiction, mental health issues or family violence. The government’s lack of commitment to providing publicly funded services has severely undermined the ability of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (“Ministry”) to take a preventative approach to child protection issues.
• Poverty: Inadequate income assistance rates, the lack of safe and affordable housing, costly public transit and inaccessible childcare all negatively impact the ability of poor women to care for their children.
• Mental health: People with mental health diagnoses and/or learning disabilities face discrimination as parents. Additional supports would assist them in caring for their children.
• Domestic violence: Women survivors of violence are poorly supported and, at times, re-victimized by the child protection system which sees them as making poor choices and failing to protect their children.
• Drug and alcohol use: There is an urgent need for enhanced treatment and harm reduction options for mothers struggling with addiction.
Broken Promises Parents speak about B.C.'s Child Welfare System 
