Lisa Dempster, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, provided details of Bill 14, An Act Respecting Children, Youth and Families in St. John's today.
The act would replace the current Children and Youth Care and Protection Act, which came into effect in 2011.
There are six main areas where changes are being put into place, the government said:
- Improving information sharing to better protect children and youth.
- Enhancing the focus on preserving the family unit.
- Expanding permanent options for children and youth in foster care.
- Strengthening service delivery for Indigenous youth and children, and their families.
- Identifying and supporting youth needing protection.
- Developing a licencing regime for out-of-home care placements.
Some of the changes that Bill 14 would bring in include removing restrictions so all youth under a youth services agreement can receive services until they turn 21, and removing the option for youth in the continuous custody of a manager to leave care before they turn 18.
Focus on Indigenous needs
There are also several changes included aimed at Indigenous children, including who is defined as Indigenous, relative to the act.
Those changes include requiring a cultural connection plan to be filed with the courts when an Indigenous child is put into care, allowing Indigenous representatives to be heard in court, requiring specific placements for Indigenous children in the care or custody of a manager, and requiring that notice be served to Indigenous representatives when a hearing is upcoming for an Indigenous child.
The act also aims to improve information sharing with Indigenous governments and organizations, with the goal of having children cared for at home with their families, and in their own community and culture where possible.
The previous legislation had no specific provisions for Indigenous children and youth, and their families.
Overall, the act places a major focus on keeping families together and offering support to families early on in order to prevent a child from ultimately being removed from the home.
It also extends the government's connections to older youth, who can end up homeless or in poverty when they age out of the system, in its care.