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The provincial government is faltering in its efforts to find permanent homes for the children and youth in its care, particularly for Indigenous children and youth according to Bernard Richard, B.C.'s child, and youth representative.

Richard says in a report that he is disappointed that adoption rates have declined this year, especially for Indigenous children and youth. “These statistics are very disappointing,” said Representative Bernard Richard, “because they are not just numbers. These are children and youth, waiting for a family to nurture them and provide them with a sense of belonging. Three years ago, an RCY report noted that there were more than 1,000 B.C. children and youth in care waiting to be adopted. This remains the case today and it’s simply not good enough when we’re talking about young peoples’ lives.”

The decline in adoption placements this fiscal year follows a period of marked improvement for the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) in the two years immediately following RCY’s initial report.

Only 84 B.C. children and youth in care were adopted during the first six months of this fiscal year, well behind the pace of the previous two years, according to the B.C. Adoption and Permanency Options Update.

“Government must keep its commitment to B.C.’s most vulnerable children,” Richard said. “It must do a better job of finding them families – whether it’s through adoption, transfer of custody, or custom adoption for Indigenous children. This must be a priority.”