Province introduces new guardianship program to help Manitoba children
A new guardianship program was announced on Thursday by the provincial government along with the General Child and Family Services (CFS) Authority.
Families Minister Rochelle Squires and Jay Rodgers, the CEO of General CFS Authority, made the announcement, with Squires saying this program will help "ensure that children grow up with their family members."
It is designed for those kids who are permanent wards or when a CFS agency is seeking a permanent order.
Squires said guardianship will be granted to family members who have been looking after the child for six months continuously or it can also be granted to another adult that the family and child view as family if they have been looking after the child for 24 continuous months.
She added that guardianship is approved by the child's culturally appropriate authority.
Rodgers said it is important that children grow up with family, as it has many benefits.
"This is good for kids," said Rodgers. "If kids grow up in a loving, stable, family home, they are more likely to have longer term positive health outcomes than if they don't grow up with family."
He added that research also shows that with guardianship programs, kids are less likely to go back into care and they are more likely to thrive as adults.
Rodgers said financial aid is available for those caregivers to make sure the needs of the kids are met and Squires noted the government is providing funding to each agency based on their specific needs.
The program is expected to take effect in the fall, with Rodgers noting training for staff needs to be done first, before the program goes live.
"We have been working very closely with our agencies on how best to implement this program. Agencies will likely be creating, at least initially, dedicated staff to implement the program. We can do that with the resources that we have. I don't think this is going to mean a substantial increase in workload."
The province said guardians are responsible for "ensuring a child's physical, social, emotional, spiritual and cultural needs are met at all times."
It added they are also in charge of making important decisions such as where to go to school, what recreational activities they participate in, medical treatments and day-to-day living.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.