Core Business Areas

The ministry is undergoing a transition from an organization that is centrally governed to a community-based governance model. As such, the Core Business Areas for this Service Plan reflect an organization that supports the current needs of the ministry during this transition. Over the next three years, the ministry's organizational structure will be evolving to reflect future support needs as the transition unfolds. Three of the four Core Business areas of the ministry have remained consistent from the 2003/04 – 2005/06 Service Plan. These are Community Living Services, Child and Family Development, and Provincial Services. However, the ministry has reorganized some internal resources at headquarters as a result of the mid-term Service Plan review in July 2003. The Executive and Support Services area has been reconfigured and now includes:

• Transition Services Division, whose primary role will be to enable the ministry to meet the challenges of transforming service delivery and moving to new governance approaches, while ensuring the budget targets are met; in order to effect a safe, well planned and well managed change process;
• Executive Operations Division, which has brought together several elements of Corporate and Client Relations; and
• Management Services, which will provide infrastructure and support services.

1. Community Living Services (includes selected services for children with special needs and their families):

The Ministry of Children and Family Development, through Community Living Services, assists individuals with developmental disabilities to live as fully and independently as possible in the community. Services include:

• residential programs including Willow Clinic which is a provincial tertiary resource for mentally disabled dually diagnosed individuals who may present challenging psychiatric, medical, psychological and/or behaviour problems that significantly interfere and/or is problematic in day-to-day functioning and care;
• training and support programs; and
• professional support.

Community Living Services also provides services for children with intellectual impairments, children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and children who are dependent in activities of daily living. These services include:

• respite care, parent support;
• child and youth care workers;
• the At Home Program;
• the At Home Respite;
• Nursing Support program;
• home maker/home support;
• early intensive intervention for children with ASD;
• professional and behavioural support services; and
• guardianship services for children in care with special needs.

2. Child and Family Development:

The child and family development area covers a range of services provided for children, youth, and their families including:

• child protection services;
• residential and foster care;
• adoption for children permanently in care;
• family development;
• community child and youth mental health, including services such as outpatient assessment and treatment, day programs, child sexual abuse counselling, eating disorders clinics and suicide prevention and counselling;
• community youth justice supervision services by youth probation officers including community-based alternatives to youth custody such as residential or day programs, intensive supervision, alternative measures and community service work;
• youth services such as safe houses, outreach services, services to assist at-risk, high-risk and sexually-exploited youth;
• At Home Medical Benefits;
• Early Childhood Development programs;
• Early Intervention programs;
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) prevention and support services;
• infant development services; and
• supported child care services.

Provision of services for this area are provided through regional ministry offices, delegated Aboriginal child welfare agencies and contracted service providers.

3. Provincial Services:

This area is primarily responsible for administration of specialized provincial services for children and youth. These services complement the delivery of regionally based community services. This includes:

• youth custody services;
• the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre;
• Provincial Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing;
• youth forensic psychiatric services; and
• migrant services.

This area is also responsible for the CommunityLINK (Learning Includes Nutrition and Knowledge) program. An objective of this program is to ensure that funding provided to School Districts is targeted for improving educational achievement and social functioning of vulnerable students. This area is also responsible for the Child and Youth Mental Health Plan and for overseeing implementation of the new federal youth justice legislation.

4. Executive and Support Services:

This area provides overall direction, development, and support for ministry programs, including:

• litigation, legislation and deregulation;
• intergovernmental relations;
• external issues management;
• the customer service centre;
• support and advice to the Minister;
• strategic human resource services, including staff development and education;
• service planning;
• accountability and performance management;
• transition services;
• governance planning;
• project management and reporting;
• capital and administrative services;
• finance;
• information systems;
• procurement reform and economic analysis; and
• Freedom of Information requests and records.