Ministry Overview
Purpose of Ministry
The Ministry of Children and Family Development works to ensure that the province’s children and families have the strongest start possible to thrive and succeed. The ministry is responsible for regionally and provincially delivered services and programs.
Currently, the ministry is organized into the following five child and family development service delivery regions: Northern; Interior; Fraser; Vancouver Coastal; and Vancouver Island. The ministry’s responsibilities include: child protection; residential and foster care; adoption for children permanently in care; family development; community child and youth mental health; community youth justice services; programs to assist at-risk or sexually exploited youth; early childhood development; child care; and services for children and youth with special needs and their families. In addition, the ministry is responsible for specialized provincial services including managing the operations for youth custody centres, youth forensic psychiatric services, Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre, services for the deaf and hard of hearing, and migrant services.
The ministry directly delivers services, and also contracts with service providers to work in partnership to deliver the ministry’s complex array of services. Approximately 60 per cent of MCFD’s funding supports contracts with community-based service delivery agencies. The continued use of best practices by staff and service providers will help to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of services. The ministry’s service delivery partners include contracted community service providers, other ministries, family foster homes, Aboriginal communities, delegated Aboriginal child welfare agencies, school districts and health authorities. The ministry continues to refine the way business is done by strengthening and redefining relationships with the individuals served, families and service providers to create sustainable service delivery systems that are flexible, innovative and accountable.
The ministry’s legislative mandate includes the Child, Family and Community Service Act, the Adoption Act, the Youth Justice Act, the Child Care BC Act and the Child Care Subsidy Act.3
| 3 | For a complete list of the acts the ministry is responsible for please see: http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/PROCS/allacts/cfd.HTM. |
Vision, Mission and Values
Vision
The Ministry of Children and Family Development envisions a province where children are healthy, families are responsible and all live in safe, caring and inclusive communities.
Mission
To promote and develop the capacity of families and communities to care for and protect vulnerable children and youth, and to maximize the potential of every child in B.C. by supporting healthy child development.
Values
As an organization the Ministry of Children and Family Development values:
- Service Excellence: Providing and supporting the delivery of quality, effective, evidence-based services that strive for the optimal use of resources.
- Partnerships with Aboriginal Peoples: Transforming relationships to work with Aboriginal communities to develop, implement and deliver services for Aboriginal children and families.
- Dynamic Organizational Culture: Focusing on accountability, innovation and excellence.
The following values guide the planning and delivery of ministry services:
- Protection of Vulnerable Children and Youth: Ensuring the safety and well-being of vulnerable children and youth is the paramount consideration.
- Primacy of Family: Supporting the right and primary responsibility of families to protect and support the growth and development of children while providing the least intrusive measures to keep children safely within their families when possible.
- Integrity: Promoting relationships of mutual trust, confidence and respect.
- Participation: Involving children, youth, their families and communities in the planning and delivery of services.
- Fostering Community Capacity: Recognizing and supporting communities so they can enhance the resilience of children and families.
