Frequently Asked Questions

In November 2003, the Child and Family Services Authorities Act was proclaimed into law. This law created four new organizational entities known as child and family services authorities, which cover various regions and territories in Manitoba. Each authority governs different child and family services agencies. The four authorities in Manitoba are:

• First Nations of Northern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority
• Southern First Nations Network of Care
• Metis Child and Family Services Authority
• General Child and Family Services Authority

• There is not one single law that actually sets out all the rights and duties that parents have. Some of the different laws (Acts) that spell out parents’ rights and responsibilities are:

  • The Child and Family Services Act says that parents have the responsibility for their child’s care, maintenance, education and well-being. If these needs are not properly met, the law says that the child may be in need of protection and a child may be taken away (apprehended) by a child and family services agency. A child in this Act is a person who is under 12 years old. A young person is between 12 and 17 years of age.
  • The Family Maintenance Act of Manitoba and the Divorce Act of Canada include laws that require parents to give financial support to their children while they are under the age of 18 or even older if they can’t support themselves.
  • The Public Schools Act requires parents to make sure their children (under age of 18) go to school. There are some exceptions: if the child is being homeschooled, is sick, or is age 16 or older and enrolled in an adult learning centre.
  • The Parental Responsibility Act says parents can be required to pay for damage that their children cause to other people’s property.
  • United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is a treaty that sets out the basic human rights of every child, approved by world leaders. The convention guarantees children the following rights: to survival and full development of their potential; the right to protection; and the right to participate in decision making.

  Laws do not cover everything parents face when raising children. Many times, the child’s maturity and their interests are considered. It is easy for parents to be confused as they try to understand all the laws about what children can and cannot do.

  The law clearly states that parents have the responsibility to protect and care for their children.

  The law recognizes that as children grow older, they are able to make some decisions by themselves. The age when a child can make their own decisions depends on their maturity and the importance of the decision.

• What happens if Child and Family Services (CFS) becomes involved with your family.

  CFS’s first concern, based on Manitoba law, is to ensure that children are safe. CFS, whenever possible, tries very hard to help parents find ways to keep their children safe and supported at home.

  • There are a number of ways that CFS can support families:
    Connect families with family support workers who provide families with a break and/or who can teach parents about parenting strategies and budgeting.
  • Facilitate support/access to emergency assistance such as food, housing and transportation.
  • Connect (or refer) families to counselling, services and parenting education programs.
  • Provide voluntary expectant parent services for parents under 18 years of age.
  • Advocate for housing or other basic needs.
  • CFS agencies will initiate a process of asking the family about formal and informal networks and family/community who can become members of an expanded safety network that help enhance safety for children.

  What happens if your child comes into the care of the child and family services system?

  Keeping children safe is the main goal of Child and Family Services (CFS) in Manitoba. CFS offers supports to families and children to help keep the family together. In most cases when CFS becomes involved with families, children do not go into care. Placing children in care occurs only when a child is in immediate danger and there is no other way to ensure that a child can be kept safe.

  If this happens, it is important that you know and understand your rights and responsibilities as a parent while your child is in CFS care. It is also important to know that CFS will encourage collaborative planning with the agency to locate kinship or extended family care for children, if they are taken into care.

  What can I do if I am unhappy with the service my family is receiving?

  If there’s a problem, CFS will do their best to resolve it. Talk to your CFS worker if you have any concerns or questions. If you and your CFS worker can’t sort it out, ask to speak to the CFS supervisor. It has been our experience that most matters are usually resolved at this point. However, if you, your CFS worker, and the supervisor can’t resolve the problem, and you are still not satisfied that the issue has been dealt with, you may contact the manager that oversees the supervisor involved. The final step within the agency structure would be to contact the agency director. If you have used all avenues within the agency structure, you may then contact the General Authority agencies and service regions listed on this site or call the General Authority toll free at 1-866-803-2814. You may also contact the General Authority by email at generalauthority@gov.mb.ca.

To apply for adoption you may contact your local child and family services agency or a private adoption agency. To adopt a permanent ward, you must go through a child and family services agency. A permanent ward is a child who has become eligible for adoption through child and family services either because birth parents have consented to an adoption plan, or because the court has determined that the parents are unable to care for the child. Where possible, workers involve birth parents and the child, if they are old enough, in the adoption planning.

The next step will be to attend an adoption education and orientation session where you will be provided with information to help you with your adoption decision.

Once a child has been placed with you for adoption, there is a six-to-12 month adjustment period during which you will be provided support by an adoption worker, before the adoption is legalized in court.

If you are interested in adoption, please contact your local child and family services agency and a worker will be pleased to go over the process in detail with you.

It varies depending on the age of the children, whether the child is part of a sibling group, or other factors.

Please Note: If a child is not placed within a year of your homestudy being approved, an annual homestudy is required, which includes updated checks and medical references.

See our adoption information page or the Manitoba government’s adoption page for more information.

Financial assistance may be available for families who adopt a child who is a permanent ward and who has special needs that require special services, or for families who are adopting more than one child from the same family.

There are three types of financial assistance. Please see our adoptive rights and support section for more information.

Do adoptive parents have the right to financial assistance?
Financial assistance may be available for families who adopt a child with special needs or a sibling group. There are three types of financial assistance that families may be eligible for:

One-time start-up assistance towards extraordinary, non-recurring costs necessary to permit the placement.
Special services assistance towards equipment or therapy recommended by a duly qualified practitioner.
Ongoing assistance as a contribution to costs relating to the care of the child or children. Eligibility is based on family income.

What are applicants’ rights if they go through the adoption process but are not approved?
If applicants are not approved, they have a right to appeal the decision to the CEO of the General Authority.

If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, you can begin with a phone call to your local General Authority agency. A foster care worker will explain the application process to you and discuss whether this would be the right move for you.

The General Authority provides training opportunities for social workers, foster parents and others on a regular basis. Please contact us for more information on training.

Youth and children have many rights under the law. If you are currently in foster care, it is important to know your rights and responsibilities.

Children and youth have many rights under the law, including the right to be safe, to be treated with affection, to be educated, to have medical care and to be protected against cruelty and abuse.
When in the care of a CFS agency, children and youth have other important rights including:

• Knowing who your social worker is and how to contact them
• Meeting or speaking with your social worker on a regular basis
• Being able to participate in decisions being made about you

To learn more about your rights while in the care of a CFS agency, please see the role of the Manitoba Advocate and the Manitoba Advocate's Know Your Rights page, along with the General Authority’s youth and children’s rights and responsibilities page.