Child intervention action plan

Overview

A Stronger, Safer Tomorrow provides a pathway to a stronger, safer child intervention system that better protects children and youth, and supports families.

This action plan is the Government of Alberta’s response to all of the final recommendations made by the Ministerial Panel on Child Intervention.

It outlines 39 actions that we are taking to improve services for Indigenous families, increase supports for children, youth and all caregivers, and address the funding gap on-reserve.

The action plan was developed with Indigenous leaders and communities, as well as community partners across Alberta. Children’s Services is now working with Indigenous partners and others to implement these important actions and improve the lives of children, youth and families.

Implementation

To address urgent needs, 16 of the 39 actions are being implemented immediately. These include a number of key deliverables to improve supports for children and families, including:

• An Act For Strong Families Building Stronger Communities
• A first of its kind agreement to fully implement Jordan’s Principle
• An Indigenous Cultural Understanding Framework
• Building Strength, Inspiring Hope: A Provincial Action Plan for Youth Suicide Prevention 2019-2024

Some actions need more collaboration with our partners or require legislative, regulatory or policy changes. All 39 actions will be completed by 2022.

• 16 immediate actions – on track to be completed by April 2019
• 9 short-term actions – to be completed by 2020
• 14 long-term actions – to be completed by 2022

Specific measures for each action are outlined in the action plan. Progress on these actions will be shared through annual reporting and other public reports.

Important legislative changes

An Act for Strong Families Building Stronger Communities was passed by the Alberta legislature on December 5, 2018 to improve supports for children in and out of care.

This legislation expanded court access for First Nations and closed a loophole that allows private guardianships without home studies and cultural plans. It also expanded financial supports for permanency, among other changes.

• Fact sheet (PDF, 136 KB)
• Overview of key shifts (PDF, 130 KB)
• Child safety and well-being: Guiding principles (PDF, 140 KB)
• Child safety and well-being: Matters to be considered (PDF, 124 KB)

This legislation was the first in a three-phase review of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act (CYFEA).

Actions we are taking

The following are high-level actions we are also taking to improve the child intervention system.

Embedding an Indigenous world view in legislation, policy and programs

The following actions are helping create stronger, safer and more supportive legislation, policy and programs.

Building capacity of children, youth and families

The following actions are assisting and empowering youth and families.

Supporting and empowering our youth

The following actions are helping assist young people across Alberta.

Reducing the number of Indigenous children in care

The following actions are working towards strengthening and healing Indigenous children, youth and families.

Improving our Child Intervention System

The following actions are helping improve the cultural competency of the system and the health and well-being of children and youth receiving services.

Strengthening the child intervention workforce

The following actions are helping service-delivery staff better meet the needs of children, youth and families.

Next steps

We are working with Indigenous peoples to put this plan into action and to develop solutions that meet the needs specific to their communities. All 16 immediate actions are on track to be completed by April 2019.

An advisory body of Indigenous advisors, including Indigenous caregivers, is helping guide implementation and ensure the public action plan improves the safety and well-being of children and families, including those in First Nation, Inuit and Métis communities.