B.C. announces coordinated child well-being plan after two-year delay

British Columbia released a formal Child and Youth Well-Being Action Plan Tuesday, more than two years after the province's watchdog called for coordinated action following the death of a child in foster care.

Children and Family Development Minister Jodie Wickens announced the plan alongside Attorney General Niki Sharma, Representative for Children and Youth Dr. Jennifer Charlesworth, and Alex Turpin, a former child in care and youth advisory committee member.

Charlesworth's office first called for a formalized plan in July 2024 after releasing a report titled "Don't Look Away," which detailed the death of an 11-year-old Indigenous boy—given the pseudonym 'Colby'—while in foster care, plus stories of 14 other children subjected to harm in the child welfare system.

Asked how she felt seeing the plan come to fruition, Charlesworth acknowledged the delay with mixed emotions.

"There's a part of me that thinks, 'God, why did it take two years?'" she said. "However, these things do take time, because it's not just about putting things on paper. It's about shifting the mindset and the mental models that we have."

The plan aims to give "a whole-system view that was missing" by bringing ministries together around a coordinated, cross-government approach. It will track whether results are being achieved across government.

"Ultimately, this is about organizing government around people's needs rather than expecting people to organize their needs around government," Wickens said.

Some changes are already underway. The province is partnering with Connected Services BC to improve information sharing across government so families can access support without repeating their stories to multiple ministries. Sharma highlighted better coordination between justice, health, education, and social supports with "a shared focus on outcomes that matter in people's lives."