A review into how Manitoba’s child welfare system is funded is expected to begin by the end of the year, Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine says, as some Indigenous leaders say the current model is failing youth.
The independent review to examine the system’s “fiscal health and pressures” could take a year to complete and will be done by an external consulting firm yet to be selected, Fontaine said at a news conference Tuesday.
In 2019, Manitoba’s then Progressive Conservative government announced it would move away from per child payments to a “single envelope” funding model, with the province’s Child and Family Services authorities getting block funding.
Under that model, the province has provided “overall policy direction and funding, while the four CFS agencies oversee and manage” their agencies, Fontaine said.
But there hasn’t been a “comprehensive, external review” of the funding model, despite calls from Indigenous leaders for one, Fontaine said.
“As the child welfare system continues to evolve, the review will help provide a clearer understanding of what the current funding and governance model is, and what is needed to better support children, families, agencies and Indigenous nations,” she said.
It will also examine financial management and oversight practices, as well as the system’s governance structures in terms of funding and accountability, the province said in a news release.