Delegated Child & Family Service Agencies

The ministry has a variety of initiatives underway to address the number of Aboriginal children in care. This includes the development of agreements between the province and First Nations communities to return historic responsibilities for child protection and family support to Aboriginal communities. These agreements are known as delegation agreements.

Through delegation agreements, the Provincial Director of Child Protection (the Director) gives authority to Aboriginal agencies, and their employees, to undertake administration of all or parts of the Child, Family and Community Service Act (CFCSA). The amount of responsibility undertaken by each agency is the result of negotiations between the ministry and the Aboriginal community served by the agency, and the level of delegation provided by the Director.

To date, 156 of the approximately 198 First Nation bands in BC are represented by agencies that either have, or are actively planning toward, delegation agreements to manage their own child and family services. The ministry is working with Aboriginal communities to develop their capacity to carry out these responsibilities.

Currently, there are 24 delegated agencies with various levels of delegation: three are in start up phase; four can provide voluntary services and recruit and approve foster homes; ten have the additional delegation necessary to provide guardianship services for children in continuing care; and seven have the delegation required to provide, in addition to the above, full child protection, including the authority to investigate reports and remove children.

In this section, you can find a listing of all delegated agencies and their contact information, as well as information on the delegation process itself.

For more information, contact Julie Dawson, Director, Aboriginal Regional Support Services at 250 387-7073.