Highlights of the Year

The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) would like to highlight the following key accomplishments in building stronger families and communities throughout British Columbia.

New and Expanded Services

• New and enhanced child care subsidies were provided through a $33 million boost to the child care system in 2004/05. This funding initiative allowed about ten thousand more children to be eligible for subsidy and increased existing subsidies for thousands of B.C. families.
• 18 "Success by 6" initiatives were established working with community partners United Way and B.C. credit unions. Reaching 110 communities, these initiatives increase awareness of early childhood development and engage communities in the planning of services.
• Expanded the use of out-of-care options, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and other community resources. Throughout the 2004/05 year the number of children in care remained stable. The number of children in care has dropped from a high of 10,775 reached in June 2001. In March 2005, there were 9,071 children in care.
• The "FRIENDS" pilot program was implemented to educate Grade 4 and 5 students about anxiety disorders, in partnership with the Ministry of Education and 35 B.C. school districts. Providing education about early intervention and prevention, the pilot program reached over 22,000 students. "FRIENDS" will be available in all Grade 4 and 5 classrooms in B.C. in 2005/06.
• To inform British Columbians about child and youth mental disorders, we partnered with the Knowledge Network to produce a series of three documentaries and a website. Through the personal stories of young people, and interviews with parents and experts, these compelling documentaries outline the early signs, symptoms and treatment for child and youth depression, adolescent anxiety and early onset psychosis.
• To help young adults with intellectual disabilities participate in post-secondary education the ministry partnered with STEPS Forward, an inclusive post-secondary society, on an initiative that helps build diverse and inclusive communities throughout B.C.

Increased Flexibility in Service Delivery

• The ministry provided funding for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) intervention services for over 3,000 British Columbia children. This initiative permits families to choose from a range of interventions and supports that best meet the needs of their individual children. This individualized approach maximizes positive outcomes for these children.
• The province passed legislation to create Community Living British Columbia (CLBC). CLBC's vision and mandate are to create and deliver personalized, community-based and cost-effective services for individuals with disabilities. This is done by ensuring family, friends and community are involved in developing individualized plans and supports.
• We expanded our innovative 'differential response' program in Vancouver by placing ministry social workers in community agencies.

Improved Service Quality and Accountability

• In 2004/05, we continued our emphasis on providing permanent homes for children in care by placing over 300 children in permanent homes.
• We assisted B.C.'s licensed non-profit child care providers through a wide range of supports. These supports included: replacing playground equipment to meet safety standards; replacing other equipment and furnishings; upgrading or repairing existing facilities; creating new group child care spaces; and replacing equipment used in equipment-lending libraries.
• We funded training for child care providers on bullying awareness and prevention.
• In 2004/05, the ministry conducted a financial management review, resulting in stronger spending controls to ensure that every available tax dollar goes toward the children and adults who need services. We identified and implemented ways to improve procedures for contracting, spending and financial reporting.
• Developed a common audit tool for delegated Aboriginal agencies, in partnership with the federal government and Aboriginal agency directors.
• MCFD increased the number of accredited agencies by 44 in 2004/05 to a total of 94 accredited agencies, out of a total of 232 agencies requiring accreditation. Accreditation helps improve the quality of services delivered by an organization.
• All the long-term residents of the Provincial Assessment Centre (formerly Willow Clinic) have been successfully moved to the community. The moves are consistent with community living philosophy of supporting individuals in the least restrictive environment.

More Culturally-Appropriate Services

• Improved access to Aboriginal ECD programs and services by increasing the number of Aboriginal initiatives from 37 to 41. These initiatives help Aboriginal children grow up healthier in more resilient, effective families and supportive communities.
• The ministry provided information about child care services to families who may face language, cultural or other barriers. We did this by developing culturally-sensitive child care resources for Aboriginal and multicultural communities and by communicating culturally-relevant information in languages other than English.
• We completed the service redesign of family development and youth services which resulted in reinvestment of $5.5 million in services delivered by Aboriginal agencies.
• We developed, renewed and expanded delegation agreements with Aboriginal child welfare agencies, increasing the capacity of Aboriginal communities to deliver services and making the service delivery system more responsive to Aboriginal cultural needs.
• We have developed new and innovative ways to deliver services collaboratively with delegated Aboriginal agencies. For example, we have a partnership with Ktunaxa Kinbasket Child and Family Services to deliver child welfare services to Aboriginal people in the Cranbrook area.

Expanded and New Research Initiatives

• Government, university and community partners focused on early childhood development through the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) which conducted ground-breaking research to assess the readiness-to-learn of 95 per cent of kindergarten children in the province, making British Columbia the only province in Canada to complete a baseline of school-readiness.
• Based on this study, Community Asset Maps¹ were created showing children's development, community resources and areas of vulnerability or need to assess how well communities throughout B.C. are supporting young children and families.
• The Canada Northwest Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Partnership launched the FASD Research Network to address high-priority questions and develop better prevention and support strategies for FASD.
• The ministry partnered with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome and the Children's and Women's Hospital of B.C. on a multi-year Shaken Baby Syndrome Research Project that emphasizes prevention and early intervention.
• MCFD co-hosted a Research Roundtable on Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation. This inter-ministry and inter-sectoral forum was held to share research and best practices information, and to conduct coordinated inter-sectoral planning.

Other accomplishments of the Ministry of Children and Family Development in 2004/05, along with specific objectives and performance measures, are detailed in this Annual Service Plan Report.

2004/05 Performance-at-a-Glance by Service Plan Goal

This table provides a summary of the ministry's progress made in reaching performance measure targets as stated in the MCFD 2004/05 – 2006/07 Service Plan. Information regarding progress in relation to the goals, and related objectives and measures can be found in the Report on Performance section of this report and in Appendix 1.

Goal 1: Adults with developmental disabilities and children and youth with special needs achieve their full potential, participate in, and contribute to, their communities
Performance Measure	2004/05 Target	2004/05 Actual	Target Met?	Reference pages
Satisfaction of individuals with services received.	Baseline TBD by March 2004	The planned satisfaction survey was not completed.	N/A	33, 76
Number of adults and families of children with special needs who receive direct or individualized funding.	4,200	5,425		34, 77
Percentage of children (aged 4 – 6) and youth (aged 17 – 19) with special needs that have completed Transition Plans.	50%	The planned survey was not completed.	N/A	36, 78
Percentage of individuals served in family model homes.	40%	36.0%		38, 78
Goal 2: Children and youth are healthy and safe in their families and communities
Performance Measure	2004/05 Target	2004/05 Actual	Target Met?	Reference pages
Number of new public/private partnerships to raise awareness of and commitment to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) prevention.	1	4		41, 79
Percentage (number) of children to age six served on the wait list for supported child development (formerly supported child care).	70% of the 2003/04 baseline (613) or 429 children on the waitlist	618 children on the waitlist		42, 80
Number of community-based initiatives to prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).	4	5		43, 81
Number of Aboriginal communities with early childhood development (ECD) initiatives.	35	41		43, 81
Number of out-of-care placements.	600	668		46, 82
Percentage (number) of child welfare interventions resolved through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) processes.	30% increase over baseline or 546	657		47, 83
Number of service delivery sites where collaborative service approaches are in place.	100	407		48, 84
Percentage of Aboriginal children in care served by delegated Aboriginal agencies.	40%	30.7%		50, 84
Percentage of Aboriginal children in care of the ministry who are being cared for by Aboriginal families.	20%	14.8%		51, 85
Rate of youth in custody based on a proportion of all 12– 17 year olds (per 10,000).	7.0 per 10,000	4.9 per 10,000		53, 86
Goal 3: A community-based service delivery system that is effectively supported and monitored
Performance Measure	2004/05 Target	2004/05 Actual	Target Met?	Reference pages
Number of authorities established.	Permanent authority for Community Living Services established, based on readiness	Not established		56, 87
Reduce the ministry's regulatory burden by 40 per cent.	40% reduction from baseline by June 30, 2004	53%		58, 87
Ministry rating of Enterprise-wide Risk Management implementation (based on government endorsed Risk Maturity ratings scale).	2 rating	2		59, 88
Goal 4: The child care system is sustainable and meets the needs of British Columbia families
Performance Measure	2004/05 Target	2004/05 Actual	Target Met?	Reference pages
Number of funded child care facilities.	3,700	3,870		61, 88
Number of licensed child care spaces available for families in B.C.	76,500	N/A — data not available	N/A	62, 89
Per cent of licensed child care family facilities that are funded.	80%	N/A — data not available	N/A	63, 89
Per cent of eligible child care centre-based facilities that are funded.	65%	N/A — data not available	N/A	64, 90
Number of child care subsidies for children of eligible parents.	30,600	25,082		66, 90
Implement new child care funding based on allocation of federal funding.	Implement and assess	Implemented and assessed		67, 90
Child care subsidy forecasting model developed.	Complete	Completed		68, 91
Evaluate the following programs: Child care operating, capital projects, Resource and Referral Centre, and child care subsidy (formerly parent subsidy).	No 2004/05 target	Evaluation frameworks completed for all four programs	N/A — no 2004/05 target	68, 91

	: Target exceeded; : Target met; : Target missed; N/A: Not applicable.