It is my privilege to present the plan of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) to serve the people of British Columbia for the next three fiscal years, from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2007. This plan outlines the direction this ministry will continue to take in meeting the commitments that our government made upon taking office.

The highest priority of this ministry continues to be the health, safety, and well being of the thousands of British Columbians who depend on us to provide quality services each year.

The ministry must transform its service delivery system, stabilize its budget and proceed to new forms of community governance. There are some variations from the original three-year plan in these three areas.

Service transformation means changing the way actual services are delivered for individuals and their families. Better services can be built if they are based on our knowledge of what has been effective, careful measurement of what is working now, and a quick response to changing needs in this province.

We are making strategic investments in programs and services based on leading edge research and best practices from around the world, investing in those services that have been demonstrated to achieve the most positive outcomes for vulnerable children, adults with developmental disabilities, their families, and the communities in which they live.

Current research tells us that the success of our children in school and as adults depends largely on the quality of nurturing they receive in the earliest months and years of their lives. That is why BC is focusing on programs and services for children under the age of six years. At the local level, problems must be identified and addressed early — before they become crises for the children, their families and their communities.

It became apparent in mid-April of 2003, that a number of the assumptions upon which the first Service Plan was based were flawed. Premier Campbell called for a mid-term review of that plan and the results were announced in June at a meeting of Open Cabinet. They included a $122 million restatement upward of the 2004/05 budget target, and direction to move to a more performance-based system of management.

The mid-term review confirmed the goals and priorities of the ministry. Our ministry will first stabilize its budget and demonstrate progress on service transformation prior to moving to new governance structures in the areas of community living and child and family services.

Early in 2003, the ministry consulted with thousands of British Columbians on the best way to serve individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. They agreed that services delivered at a local level would be more likely to respond to their needs. The ministry remains committed to community-based governance and its potential to improve the lives of thousands of vulnerable people and their families.

Our emphasis on working collaboratively with Aboriginal communities will continue. We are working with Aboriginal leaders across the province to embrace traditional Aboriginal approaches to protecting children and youth within extended family, their community, and their culture.

The September 2002 Memorandum of Understanding on Aboriginal Children in Care represents the first time in Canada that government and all levels of the Aboriginal community have come to consensus on this critical issue. In his address to those who signed the memorandum, Premier Campbell said that "no nation can survive without its children." Our government's commitment is to ensure that our public services can help them thrive.

Services designed by local communities will build on individual and community strengths, honour innovation and flexibility, and increase the range of service choices. Informal community support networks are being integrated into co-ordinated systems of service delivery. These systems will provide the most effective, least intrusive support possible to children with special needs, adults with developmental disabilities, and their families. And because these systems are designed in and with communities, they will better reflect the needs of the people who depend upon them.

In February of 2003, the British Columbia government introduced Canada's first comprehensive mental health plan for children and youth. This ambitious plan will be implemented over the next five years to bring about more, and better, mental health services such as risk reduction, treatment and support services that build on the strengths of families and communities to reduce the effects of mental health disorders in British Columbia's young people.

Our vision is a province of healthy children and responsible families living in safe, caring and inclusive communities. This Service Plan sets out the strategies to help make that vision a reality.

Honourable Christy Clark
Minister of Children and Family Development

January 30, 2004