Child and Youth Well-Being Action Plan
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Overview
Who: The Ministry of Children and Family Development
What: An Action Plan and Outcomes Framework to guide how government services work together to support children, youth, and families in B.C.
Where: Province-wide
Why: To learn about how people experience B.C.’s support systems in order to improve them
How: Online
Engagement summary
The B.C. government is working together to improve outcomes for children and youth across the province through the Child and Youth Well-Being Action Plan and Outcomes Framework.
- The Action Plan (PDF, 8MB) is a 5-year plan that brings together work across government to improve how children, youth, and families are supported – especially through prevention, early support, and better coordination between services.
- The Outcomes Framework (PDF, 3.5MB) helps government know if those actions are making a difference. It sets the shared results government is working toward and how progress will be tracked and reported. It describes what well-being looks like, how we measure it, and what shapes it—so government can focus on what matters most.
We invite families, caregivers, service providers, and people with lived or frontline experience to learn about the Action Plan and Outcomes Framework, and to share their experiences with child and family services to help government understand what is working and what needs improvement.
Engagement will open soon. You will be able to share your voice on this important topic through online surveys, online discussion forums, and written submissions. For now, please read the Action Plan and Outcomes Framework so you’ll be prepared to participate.
Action Plan
The Action Plan includes 5 priority areas that bring together related actions and priorities to guide how we improve outcomes for children, youth, and families.
- Safe, Strong, and Healthy Foundation for Families: Ensuring families have access to the basics they need to thrive – like food, housing, income stability, child care, and early supports – so children can grow up safe and supported
- Preventing and Responding to Intimate Partner, Gender-Based, and Family Violence: Creating safety and support for those impacted by violence, while also working to prevent violence before it begins
- Integrated Services and Crisis Response: Improving how services work together across systems so that children, youth, and families experience coordinated, connected support – especially during times of crisis
- Advancing Indigenous Self-Determination and Jurisdiction: Supporting Indigenous communities to lead and deliver services grounded in their own knowledge, cultures, and governance.
- Protecting and Uplifting the Most Vulnerable: Ensuring that children and youth who are most at risk – including those in care or involved with multiple systems – are safe, supported, and connected to opportunities.
Outcomes Framework
Outcomes Framework is a long-term effort by all of government to create the conditions for children and youth in B.C. to grow up with good health and a strong sense of well-being. While people understand well-being in different ways, this plan focuses on four connected areas:
- Material well-being – Having reliable access to basic needs like food, clothing, and safe housing.
- Physical health – Having good overall health and development.
- Social, emotional, and cultural well-being – Feeling a sense of belonging and connection to family, community, culture, language, and land; and having good mental and emotional health.
- Cognitive development and life preparedness – Developing the skills needed for learning and life.
The Outcomes Framework turns these broad areas into shared outcomes and measures to track progress over time. It helps government focus on what matters most and where efforts can make the biggest difference. Together, the Action Plan and the Outcomes Framework are designed to put us on a path toward improving outcomes for all, while focusing our attention and resources on children, youth, and families facing the greatest barriers.
More information on the Action Plan and the Outcomes Framework, as well as ways to participate, is available on the engage site.
How your contribution makes a difference
Your input will support the Action Plan and Outcomes Framework by:
- Helping build a shared understanding of how services supporting child and youth well-being work in B.C.
- Helping guide how the plan is put into action
- Helping to identify what could be looked at first and what could come later
- Highlighting challenges that people experience
- Helping identify areas government may want to look at more closely over time
Related engagements
