Standards for Residential Facilities

The province reaffirmed its commitment to the care and protection of children today by introducing provincial standards for all residential facilities serving children in the government's care.

"These standards will improve the quality of care offered to troubled children and youth," said Community Services Minister Peter Christie. "Over the next year we will be making changes to our residential services so that children receive the best possible standard of care."

The 102 standards cover everything from staff qualifications, reporting child abuse allegations to staffing ratios. They establish a minimum standard that all must adhere to. Provincial service standards were developed to ensure consistency and quality in services across the province. They focus on the positive outcomes that services will be expected to achieve for children in government care.

The provincial standards were prepared in collaboration with service providers, government staff and others, and will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Orientation sessions for service providers will take place this fall with the expectation the standards will be fully implemented by April 2001.

"The Department of Community Services has shown good leadership in their development of these standards," said Charlie Coleman, director of the Boys and Girls Residential Centre in Cape Breton. "It will mean that facilities will have clear responsibilities to follow in providing the best level of care for children placed in government care. I welcome working with the department on these matters. "

There are 31 facilities with 221 beds around the province for children in provincial care. These are children with behavioral and emotional problems that need some type of treatment in an out-of-home placement. While the majority of these children are from 12 to 16-years-old, some are as young as six-years-old.