WHEREAS the Provinces effort to balance the provincial budget has resulted in province-wide budget cuts to social services; AND WHEREAS community and social services are the responsibility of the Province of British Columbia and the Government of Canada and should remain so, especially since senior governments collect income tax for the express purpose of funding social services: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Province of BC be petitioned to maintain its funding for social services, since it continues to raise taxation for that purpose and, especially, be petitioned to maintain those services in full in northern and isolated communities, which do not have access to other private non-profit agencies or services that are usually existent in larger communities, nor the financial resources to provide locally-funded services.
MINISTRY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY DEVELOPMENT The Ministry of Children and Family Development MCFD will spend 1.381 billion in 200405 to protect the health and well-being of the children, families and vulnerable adults it serves. Over the past three years, MCFD has reduced duplication and its administrative overhead in order to focus the ministrys resources on services that work for the most vulnerable, in all parts of the province. In terms of practice, the use of Out of Care options, alternate dispute resolution and family group conferencing are achieving better outcomes and keeping children safe. As a result, since 2001, the number of children taken into care has dropped by more than 1500, while in 200304, the number of adoptions has reached its highest level since the early 1980s 338 in 200304. These initiatives, including the move to regional service delivery hubs, are increasing the ministrys ability to serve rural parts of the province and, at the same time, are reducing costs.