Input Sought on Structure of Child Welfare Services

COMMUNITY SERVICES--Input Sought on Structure of Child Welfare Services

Nova Scotians are being invited to provide their thoughts on the administrative structure of child welfare services in the province.

Currently, child welfare services are provided through 14 private agencies and six government offices. Today, June 23, the Department of Community Services released a consultant's report that reviews that system and suggests changes.

Because all child welfare services are governed by the Children and Family Services Act, the actual services will not be directly affected by changes to administrative structure.

"Today in Nova Scotia we have very high quality child welfare services, provided by dedicated staff in the department and agencies, supported by committed volunteer boards," said Community Services Minister David Morse. "We need to ensure the administrative structure supports these vital services for children and families, while maintaining a strong connection to the community."

The need for change was identified by a joint working group from Children's Aid societies and Community Services. The group recognized the challenges posed by the current structure and recommended action to address these issues. The current fragmented approach does not easily support collaboration and may impact the ability of programs to change to meet new best practices and to ensure that services are provided consistently.

The consultant narrowed the options for further consideration to:
having all services delivered by a single non-profit agency; having all agency sites become government offices; and creating a new non-profit authority. While the consultant's recommended option is to have all agency sites become government offices, further consultations must take place before any decisions are made.

The consultant began work in the fall of 2003. During development of the report, Children's Aid Society board representatives and staff, as well as department staff were consulted. People who were interviewed will now have an opportunity to provide feedback on the recommendations.

"We have received the report from the minister and a presentation by the consultant," said Ray Cowper, president of the Children's Aid Societies Board Co-Chairs group. "We will now take this information back to our staff, boards and communities, and will ensure that their perspectives are heard during the consultation process."

Members of the public are also being encouraged to review the report and provide their comments.

"It is important that we hear from interested Nova Scotians before any decisions are made about the structure of child welfare services in the province," said Mr. Morse. "Staff and service sites will not be reduced if the consultant's report is adopted, and every effort will be made to retain a strong community connection."

The report is available on the website at www.gov.ns.ca/coms/ , or by calling 902-424-3202.