Performance Reporting

Goal 2: To improve family and community capacity to protect and support children and youth¹

Children can experience a healthy and joyful life through the nurturing support of their families and the care of their communities. Especially important is that children have the care and stimulation to meet their developmental needs during the first six years of life. Some children, however, do not receive the care they need, and instead experience neglect and abuse. In 2003/04 the ministry implemented several new programs to strengthen families and communities, for example, a "Family Development" approach. A Family Development approach can be used where there is a community complaint about a child being at risk but where the family may need only some assistance with improving parenting skills, coping with specific challenges, or linking with necessary community services. A Family Development approach can include counselling for the parents, substance misuse treatment, or respite services and involves the development of a plan to provide timely preventative services based on a comprehensive assessment of family needs and strengths.

Another important initiative is the ministry's continued investment in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes, such as mediation and family group conferencing, to resolve child welfare disputes prior to seeking to take the matter to court. The ADR process has resulted in better outcomes for children and families, reduced court time and cost to the service delivery system, and fewer children being taken into the care of the ministry. The ministry also increased the use of "kith and other agreements" in 2003/04, which provided alternate care arrangements with extended family or close friends when a child needs protection, including children who are at-risk and/or requiring rehabilitative resources.

Core Business Area: Child and Family Development (Includes Early Childhood Development and Children and Youth with Special Needs)

Objective 2.1: To promote early childhood development as a key strategic investment.

Nurturing early development of children under the age of six results in life-long benefits that include improved school and vocational performance and emotional well-being.

Progress on This Objective

• Continued investment in Aboriginal ECD programs in 37 communities, focusing on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevention; family health, parenting and family support; healthy pregnancy, birth and infancy; and community assistance to enhance early childhood development for Aboriginal children under six and their families.
• Established a formal Success By 6 early childhood development partnership with the United Way and Credit Union Central of BC to enhance support for parents, and improve early learning for young children.
• Invested $3.3 million from federal Early Learning and Childcare Funding, to expand and support the numbers of children under the age of six receiving supported childcare through the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2001/02 Baseline	2002/03	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Number of public/private/ community partnerships to promote early childhood development initiatives	1	2	4	4	0
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We have met our target. • The most recent public/private partnership — between MCFD, United Way, and Credit Unions of BC — is the most broad reaching to date. This partnership will see key strategic investments in community capacity building in communities throughout BC.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• In the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan the measure is revised as Number of new public/private partnerships to raise awareness and commitment to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder prevention. This demonstrates the ministry's increased focus on the prevention of FASD.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2001/02 Baseline	2002/03	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Number of Aboriginal communities with early childhood development programs	25 communities	29	30	37	+7
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We exceeded the target by seven communities. • To date, MCFD regions fund 37 projects. All regions experienced growth as capacity developed and as additional resources in Aboriginal communities became available.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• In the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan, the measure is changed to Number of Aboriginal communities with early childhood development initiatives. This allows for the recognition of a broad range of approaches to early childhood development.

Objective 2.2: To target evidence-based, individualized services to those children with special needs and their families who most require them.

With limited resources and increasing demand, the ministry is directing funding to services that have been demonstrated to be effective and that can be tailored to meet individual needs.

Progress on This Objective

• Initiated projects to improve service integration and transition planning for children and youth with special needs and their families
• Increased service choices by providing individualized funding to another approximately 1,400 families of children with special needs, bringing the total to approximately 3,100.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2002/03 Base	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Percentage of children with special needs receiving ministry-funded services that are receiving direct or individualized funding	N/A New measure for 2003/04	Establish baseline	27% (baseline)	See Performance Analysis below
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed; N/A: Not applicable
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We have established the baseline for 2003/04 fiscal year and performance in 2004/05 will be measured against this. • There has been a significant increase in new programming for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder over age six, which is funded through the IF/DF initiative.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• In the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan, Percentage of children with special needs receiving ministry-funded services that are receiving direct or individualized funding is merged with the related measure for adults with developmental disabilities to form a new measure: Number of adults and families of children with special needs who receive direct or individualized funding. The two measures were combined for administrative ease of reporting.

Objective 2.3: To promote the capacity of families to care for their children.

The ministry believes that a culturally-appropriate family setting provides the best care for children. The ministry provides resources and services to build the capacity of families and communities to care for their children.

Progress on This Objective

• Began a comprehensive review of all non-Aboriginal children in care (by age and legal status) to explore possible out-of-care and/or educational options, and to prepare them for the transition to adulthood.
• Appointed the province's first Aboriginal Infant Development Program Advisor. Infant development programs provide home-based services to families of children up to age three who have or are at-risk of a developmental disability or delay. Aboriginal infant development programs also include traditional and contemporary parenting skills, training, education and awareness of the importance of early childhood development.
• Continued investment in Aboriginal ECD programs in communities throughout the province, focusing on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevention and other health and parenting support to enhance early childhood development for Aboriginal children under six and their families.
• Introduced the use of a Family Development approach with community complaints about a child being at risk but where the family may need only some assistance with improving parenting skills, coping with specific challenges, or linking with necessary community services. A Family Development approach can include counselling for the parents, substance misuse treatment, or respite services.
• Completed 199 family group conferences, almost reaching the target of 200. The ministry anticipates that the use of family group conferencing will increase due to its demonstrated success.
• Completed 211 family mediations, exceeding the target of 150.
• Increased the use of "Kith and Other agreements" (arrangements for a child at risk to stay with extended family or friends) from 63 active agreements at the end of March 2003 to 150 active agreements at the end of March 2004.
• Maintained funding for school-based services through the new CommunityLINK (Learning Includes Nutrition and Knowledge) program. School districts use the funds to provide services aimed at improving the educational performance (academic achievement and social functioning) of vulnerable students. For the first time all 60 school districts received funding.
• Reviewed the admissions of youth ages 17 and 18 admitted into ministry care in the previous fiscal year (2002/03), to assist with out-of-care service planning and options for older youth.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2000/01 Base	2002/03 Target	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Rate of children in care (per 1,000 children under 19 years of age)	11 per 1,000	10 per 1,000	9.5 per 1,000	9.9 per 1,000	–0.4 per 1,000 or 4% below the target
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We did not meet the target. Based on the Mid-term Service Plan Review, this target was revised to reduce the number of children in care to 600 over the two-year period of 2003/04 and 2004/05. • We are satisfied with the work done to reduce the numbers of children in care during the last fiscal year; there are now 517 fewer children in care than at the same time last year (from end of fiscal year to end of next fiscal year). • While the children in care rate for Canada had gone up to 9.4 per 1,000 in March 2003, the rate for BC had declined to 10.5 in March 2003 and 9.9 per 1,000 in March 2004. • The Ministry will continue using the national rate as its target (approximately 9 per 1,000), with a particular focus on reducing the number of Aboriginal children in care, while continuing to ensure quality services are delivered.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• In the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan, this measure has been replaced with a new measure: Number of out-of-care placements. "Out-of-care placements" refers to children found to be at risk who are placed with relatives or friends, rather than being placed in the temporary care of the ministry. The new measure, based on MCFD's Service Transformation initiative, better reflects the ministry's focus on respecting children's need to feel the security of family and community relationships, and recognition of the importance of building on family strengths to improve the ability of families to care for their children. This contributes to better outcomes for children, youth, and families. • MCFD will continue to monitor this measure internally.

Objective 2.4: To improve the safety and well-being of children and youth receiving guardianship services.

Some children are not able to live with their own families and must remain in the care of the ministry. For these children, a permanent, safe, and nurturing home is the preferred long-term plan.

Progress on This Objective

• Placed 330 children for adoption.
• Strengthened permanency planning and adoption promotion and awareness initiatives.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2001/02 Base	2002/03	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Number of children in care adopted per fiscal year	162 (2000/01)	250	250	330	+ 80 or 32%
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We exceeded the target by 32 per cent. • Adoption placements require long term planning. The result of the recruitment campaign in 2000/01 and ongoing awareness efforts has resulted in more adoptive families being available and placements have increased. • There continues to be both regional and provincial awareness and promotion initiatives to increase the number of available adoptive families.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• This measure is not included in the 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan but the ministry will continue to monitor it internally.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2001/02 Base	2002/03	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Percentage of Aboriginal children in care served by delegated Aboriginal agencies	N/A	20%	46%	29%	–17%
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed; N/A: Not applicable
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We did not meet the intended target. • Major reasons include: • Key agencies poised to receive responsibilities to care for children underwent operational reviews and/or restructuring, which affected their readiness to deliver child welfare services. • The readiness of some Aboriginal agencies to assume delegation responsibility was over-estimated. • The ministry will pursue the following strategies and initiatives in the 2004/05 fiscal year to address the variance: • Develop a more standardized approach to preparing for delegating authority to carry out child welfare responsibilities to Aboriginal agencies. • Continue to implement the Child's Roots Are Forever project to reconnect more Aboriginal children in care with their families and communities. • Direct more ministry resources to building capacity in Aboriginal agencies.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• This measure has been retained.

Objective 2.5: To facilitate the community-based rehabilitation of youth in the justice system.

Providing non-custody alternatives has been found to be more effective than custody for improving long-term functioning in the community and reducing recidivism for youth who have committed non-violent crimes.

Progress on This Objective

• Maintained the lowest reported per capita rates of youth in custody and of youth on probation in Canada.
• Maintained and expanded the youth custody Intensive Support and Supervision Program to assist in the re-integration of youth to the community.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2000/01 Base	2002/03	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Rate of youth in custody based on a proportion of all 12-17 year olds (per 10,000)	9.0 per 10,000	Maintain 9.0 per 10,000	Maintain 9.0 per 10,000	Estimated at 5.0 per 10,000	4.0 per 10,000
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We exceeded our target. • The positive variance may be attributed to: the implementation of the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act; an increase in community-based alternatives to custody; the use of integrated case management practices by ministry staff and community partners; and decreases in the youth crime rate. The new federal legislation had a greater impact than anticipated. • In response to the unexpected drop in the rate of youth in custody the ministry closed two custody centres and reduced operational capacity in two other custody centres during (2002/03). As a result of reduced need for custody capacity, for 2004/05 the target has been reduced to seven youth per 10,000 population.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• The measure has been retained.

Objective 2.6: To improve the functioning of high-risk youth in the community.

High-risk youth are typically sexually exploited, have alcohol and drug and/or mental health issues, and are currently not living at home. They have many service needs and require specialized programs.

Progress on This Objective

• Increased the number of active Youth Agreements from 161 at the end of March 2003 to 253 at the end of March 2004. These agreements are an alternative to bringing 16-18 year old high-risk youth into the care of the ministry. The purpose of the agreement is to assist the youth in addressing their risk factors and to help them gain independence, return to school, and/or gain work experience and life skills.

Objective 2.7: To establish co-ordinated, community-based mental health services for children and youth.

Providing seamless and responsive service delivery for children and youth with mental health disorders requires a shared approach with other ministries and government bodies.

Progress on This Objective

• Began implementation of Phase 1 of the Child and Youth Mental Health Plan for British Columbia with a focus on evidence-based practice, enhancing information management and improving inter-jurisdictional and regional planning.
• Established a Children's Mental Health Network with high-level representation from all the jurisdictional areas related to child and youth mental health, including the Ministries of Children and Family Development, Health Services and Education, the Child and Youth Officer, Health Authorities and other partners.
• Developed formal protocols, in collaboration with the Health Authorities and the Ministry of Health Services, to ensure seamless transitions between youth and adult mental health services, and between hospital and community.

Performance Measures and Targets

Measure	2002/03 Base	2003/04 Target	2003/04 Actual	Variance	Target Met?
Number of children and youth receiving community child and youth mental health services	Approximately 11,100 children and youth (2001/02)	12,000	11,100 approximately	–900
: target exceeded; : target met; : target missed
What you need to know about this measure
Performance Analysis	• We did not meet the target. • The capacity increase planned for child and youth mental health services in 2003/04 did not materialize; therefore there were no increases in the number of children served. • The ministry refocused child and youth mental health services on early identification and intervention, and expanded service to children and youth with only short-term service needs. However, the database, the Client/Patient Information System (CIPM), does not have the capacity to collect data on all children and youth receiving community child and youth mental health services, particularly those served on a short-term basis. A new information system is under development.
Changes to this measure in the 2004/05 Service Plan	• Due to the limitations of this measure (e.g. that it only represents some 50 per cent of MCFD's child and youth mental health services budget and excludes clients served by contracted agencies), the ministry will no longer be using this measure for public reporting. • MCFD will continue to monitor this measure internally.