B.C. Adoption Update

April 2015

April 17, 2015

The Honourable Linda ReidSpeaker of the Legislative AssemblySuite 207, Parliament BuildingsVictoria, B.C. V8V 1X4

Dear Ms. Speaker,I have the honour of submitting the report B.C. Adoption Update, April 2015, a follow-up to Finding Forever Families: A Review of the Provincial Adoption System, to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. This report is prepared in accordance with Section 6(b) of theRepresentative for Children and Youth Act.

Sincerely,Mary Ellen Turpel-LafondRepresentative for Children and Youth

pc: Ms. Jane Thornthwaite Chair, Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth

Cc: Mr. Craig James Clerk of the Legislative Assembly

B.C. Adoption UpdateIntroduction

In June of 2014, the Representative for Children and Youth issued a report entitled Finding Forever Families: A Review of the Provincial Adoption System. The report showed that, at any given time, more than 1,000 British Columbia children and youth in the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) were waiting to be adopted.

During the release of the report, a joint event between Representative Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and Minister Stephanie Cadieux, the Representative committed to issuing periodic updates on the status of B.C.’s waiting children. The first of those updates was released on Nov. 18, 2014.

This is the second B.C. Adoption Update. It shows that, during the fiscal year 2014/15, a total of 265 children and youth in care of the B.C. government were placed for adoption. This total falls below the ministry’s stated goal of 300 adoptions for 2014/15. However, the Representative acknowledges that progress has been made on several fronts as a result of MCFD’s renewed focus on permanency and adoption.

Thirty-eight more children in government care were adopted and 60 more adoptive homes were approved in B.C. this past fiscal year than in 2013/14. The number of children and youth in care waiting for adoption fell to 941 – 33 fewer than in 2013/14. And even though the total number of children in permanent care in B.C. decreased, the number of children in care with adoption plans grew by 46 to a total of 1,290.

As Aboriginal children are vastly over-represented in government care in B.C., a special focus has been placed on collecting adoption and permanency statistics for that cohort. A total of 99 Aboriginal children and youth in care of the B.C. government were placed for adoption in 2014/15, compared to 75 in the previous year. The number of Aboriginal children in care with adoption plans grew by seven to 670. The number of available Aboriginal adoptive homes in B.C. grew by 10 to 43 and the number of Aboriginal children placed for adoption in Aboriginal homes rose from 43 to 53.

The Representative would like to thank families who have come forward to adopt children and youth in government care while acknowledging that much work is still to be done to find permanency for B.C.’s waiting children.

Included in the B.C. Adoption Update are key adoption and permanency statistics for this past fiscal year – as well as for the previous two fiscal years. The Representative’s Office will continue to monitor and report out on these statistics going forward and the Representative remains committed to working with MCFD on the important task of finding permanence for B.C.’s children and youth in care.

The Representative continues to call on government to fully implement all recommendations from Finding Forever Families in order to ensure the systemic change required. In particular, the Representative urges government to move forward with amendments to the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCS Act) to require an annual external review of permanency plans for all children in care. This will ensure better accountability, that work is completed to a higher standard, and help prevent children from drifting through foster care.

2014/15

941419

522

566375

2014 (Nov 2014 data)

4090

26131477

2014/15

2014/15

284

284

241

43

265

99

16699

Aboriginal

NUMBER OF CHILDRENWAITING FOR ADOPTION

Non-AboriginalUnder 12 yr

12 and Over

Waiting Children

After Care Plans

B.C. Adoption Update - April 2015

Adoption Placements

NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN PERMANENT CARE

Adoptive Families

Aboriginal

NUMBER OF AVAILABLEADOPTIVE HOMES

NUMBER OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH PLACED FOR ADOPTION

NUMBER OF ABORIGINAL CHILDREN AND YOUTH PLACED

NUMBER OF NEWLY APPROVED ADOPTIVE HOMES

Non-Aboriginal

Aboriginal

438

2012/13

1023

614

2811

2012/13

4424

41

2012/13

2012/13

212

276

137

76

213

2013/14

974468506

599375

2013/14

4214

(Nov 2014 data)

1290

(Nov 2014 data)

2800

13191244

27191495

2013/14

2013/14

224

7675

257

224

33

227

15275

46 5322

5432 43

Non-Aboriginal

In Aboriginal HomesIn Non-Aboriginal Homes

1613

670620

681663581 638

31052970

1943857

21302056914 975

0

300

600

900

1200

1023 974941

201220132014/15

2012201320140

500

1000

1500

Target

235 0

100

200

300

201220132014/15

276257284

0

100

200

300

201220132014/15

213227265

300

0

50

75

100

201220132014/15

767599

585

409

AboriginalNon-Aboriginal

WITH ADOPTION PLANS AboriginalNon-Aboriginal

WITH NON-ADOPTION AFTER CARE PLANS

AboriginalNon-Aboriginal

131912441290

2012201320140

1000

2000

3000

310529702800

2012201320140

1500

3000

4500

442442144090

All data as of March 31, 2015, except as marked.

0

100

200

300

201220132014/15

212224284