Province moves to cut ties with for-profit foster care agency By: Katie May Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Aug. 21, 2020

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This article was published 20/08/2020 (1491 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Months after a review pointed to problems with documentation, communication and cultural training for foster parents at for-profit homes run by B & L Resources for Children, Youth and Families, the province says it will end its relationship with the agency.

On Thursday, the Manitoba government notified B & L it will stop paying for its foster care services, and intends to transfer foster parents that currently work through B & L, so they will instead work directly with child-welfare authorities.

“This approach will create a more direct connection between the authority, the foster care provider and the children. It also helps ensure culturally-appropriate oversight of children in care, which supports the province’s plan for overall transformation of the CFS system, as well as recent recommendations from the Office of the Auditor General,” a families department spokeswoman wrote in a statement.

“The well-being and stability of children in care is our priority. Foster care providers are an essential part of our child-welfare system, and their work is incredibly valued and appreciated. We will be reaching out to them soon to answer any questions they may have about this transition and to support them as we move forward.”

More than 260 children in care in Manitoba are currently living in B & L foster homes, and more than 100 foster homes in Manitoba are managed by B & L.

The for-profit agency was caught up in sexual-abuse allegations that prompted a review of its private foster homes, which the province announced was complete in November 2019.

Around the same time, Manitoba’s auditor general released the results of its investigation into foster homes licensed or managed by the province, finding a lack of oversight and inadequate funding systems.

“The well-being and stability of children in care is our priority.”
– Statement from a families department spokeswoman

The province’s review came after CBC News reported in 2018 that B & L allowed children to remain in one of its foster homes, after they alleged they had been sexually abused by a fellow resident (also a minor). Subsequent CBC reports indicated the province didn’t have a valid contract with B & L at the time.

The province is giving B & L four-months’ notice — the notice period begins Sept. 1 — and plans to stop paying the agency by next year, according to a letter obtained by the Free Press, in which the province informed other Child and Family Services agencies of the change. The letter outlined the province’s plans to give each of the four CFS Authorities an additional $100,000 for support work needed during the transition, and reinvest $400,000 in provincial savings.

A representative of B & L Resources couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.

In a statement, NDP MLA Bernadette Smith (Point Douglas) said Manitoba has a responsibility to keep children safe.

“They should admit that not only is profiting off Indigenous children in care is wrong, but that they failed to be open and transparent with Manitobans about their contract with B & L and their initial investigation into the allegations,” Smith said.

“The premier and his (families) minister must do everything possible to ensure these children have a safe place to go where they will be nurtured, protected and supported. Now is the time to invest in child welfare, so that families can stay together and kids can get the services they need.”

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay

Katie May
Reporter

Katie May is a general-assignment reporter for the Free Press.

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