British Columbia's children's representative says the province is at a "threshold moment" for fixing an underfunded and fragmented system of supports for children with disabilities that is almost impossible to navigate and has left a "staggering" number of families at a breaking point and struggling to get help.
The latest report from Jennifer Charlesworth's office says up to 83,000 young people with disabilities are not receiving adequate services in the province, and while spending has increased 190 per cent in the 18 years her office has been in place, most went to salaries and a narrow set of programs.
The document, published Wednesday, says the representative's office has produced a dozen reports making recommendations to fix the system, but the government has been slow to respond, often reacting to tragedies rather than making broader improvements.
Charlesworth said there have been years of good intentions to change the system that weren't sustained.
"If we turn away now when we see families that are truly coming apart at the seams and are contemplating placing their children in care in order to get the services that they need, if we don't step in and figure out how to move things forward and create more equity and create more access to the services … then that's on us. We have failed as a system," she said.
Charlesworth said B.C. needs a collective approach across ministries to ensure that critical progress actually happens.
She said the province needs to implement immediate funding increases, stronger mental health services, equitable access to education and supports and a cross-government data management system.
She told reporters it's important no one look away from the problems.
"I do believe that we are at a threshold moment. It's going to be really hard with the fiscal situation that we're in, with all of the distractions of what's happening south of the border and many people feeling under threat and under siege and overwhelmed, but I do feel like we have no choice."
Premier David Eby told Minister of Children and Family Development Jodie Wickens in a mandate letter earlier this month that she is to lead work with the Ministry of Health, Indigenous people and others “to realign and improve services for children and youth with support and mental health needs.”
Wickens said in an interview on Wednesday that she is proud of the work her ministry has accomplished, while also acknowledging there is more to be done.
Before entering politics, Wickens was executive director of the Autism Support Network and said her experience, which includes being an aunt to children with disabilities, means she has an understanding of the frustrations faced by families.
"Work has already started, and we've already responded to the asks of children and families and service providers in the province," she said.
"We've done a lot of things like increasing the number of specialists and therapists in communities. We've increased respite. We've increased mental health services."
In October 2021, the Ministry of Children and Family Development announced a plan to establish a new service system dubbed the Children and Youth with Support Needs Framework, through the implementation of 40 to 45 one-stop “family connection hubs.”
The plan was paused in 2022 after pushback from families over a lack of consultation and particular concern related to a proposed plan to phase out individualized funding for children diagnosed with autism
Since then, the government says it has conducted consultations, and Wickens said a final report on what they heard will be released “very soon.”
“We heard loud and clear from communities and families and service providers, they wanted less barriers, less silos, easier access to services. And so that work is already happening and will be the focus of the work we do moving forward," she said.
When asked about substantially increasing the budget for services to children with disabilities, Wickens said it has been a "challenging time" with unprecedented population growth.
“For years, we saw absolutely zero investment. And so now we are making investment, and it's taking some time to catch up. And so there is more work to be done, but we are doing things that I think are really making a difference.”
A survey done by Charlesworth's office found 83 per cent of families said services they receive have stayed the same or become worse over the past three years.
Only six per cent reported having hope that their children were going to get the supports they need.
Charlesworth said the revamped system should focus early attention on things like respite, access to therapies and mental health supports, while being open to embracing feedback.
She said its data gathering needed to improve to get a clear picture of what's making a difference. Multiple ministries have data collecting systems and the process is not consistent across health authorities, she said.
Charlesworth says in a statement that "prolonged under-resourcing is resulting in heartbreaking and frankly shocking situations that should be a wake-up call for us all."
"We listened to families tell us they would give up their kids to get the care they needed, there were others who were close to harming themselves and their children because they saw no other answers, and still others who have been waiting on wait-lists as they watch their kids lose their childhood.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2025.
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
