ManitobaAdvocates say a new provincial policy to address overuse of emergency placements in Manitoba’s child welfare system by charging hefty daily fees for kids left there longer than they’re supposed to be will further strain agencies whose resources are already spread thin. New policy started Dec. 1 for Winnipeg CFS, will kick in Jan. 1 for rest of province’s agencies: letterCaitlyn Gowriluk · CBC News · Posted: Dec 09, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 7 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Emergency placements are supposed to be stopgap measures in Manitoba’s child welfare system. But the province’s families minister says in practice, some stays go ‘well beyond’ the intended 30-day cap. (Costea Andrea M/Shutterstock)Advocates say a new provincial policy to address overuse of emergency placements in Manitoba’s child welfare system by charging hefty daily fees for kids left there longer than they’re supposed to be will further strain agencies whose resources are already spread thin. The new policy applies to Child and Family Services agencies with kids who have been staying in what are known as emergency placement resources for more than 30 days, according to a letter sent from Manitoba’s families department to child welfare authorities in late October.That letter, recently obtained by CBC News through a freedom-of-information request, says the policy was set to start for Winnipeg Child and Family Services on Dec. 1 and for all the province’s other agencies on Jan. 1. As of those dates, agencies will be charged $128.85 a day for each kid in their care who has been in an emergency placement over 30 days — and up to $386.55 a day for each child in those placements 90 days or longer.Emergency placements are supposed to be stopgap measures in Manitoba’s child welfare system — a last resort used for a short period of time in certain situations, like when a child is first apprehended or because social workers need time to find a placement with specialized support.But Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said in practice, “what we’ve seen is that some stays go well beyond” the intended 30-day cap — which is why the province introduced the new policy.Number of youth in care ‘unacceptably high,’ advocate says as Manitoba posts 1st increase in yearsAllegation of ‘abominable abuse’ of 6-year-old girl by foster parents under investigation: families ministerHowever, that change has raised concerns for three of Manitoba’s four child welfare authorities.Mona Buors, minister of child and family services for the Manitoba Métis Federation, the Indigenous governing body of the Métis Child and Family Services Authority, said they have three kids staying in emergency placements long-term — not because agencies aren’t trying to find more suitable placements, but because the kinds of specialized resources those kids need don’t exist.“We are doing the best we can with what we have,” Buors said.Jennifer Hedges, an assistant professor in the University of Manitoba’s faculty of social work, said while it’s not ideal for kids to spend long periods of time in emergency placements, she wonders what kind of outcomes the “one and done” policy the province is enacting will achieve without examining the root issues that lead to kids ending up in those placements long-term.“It can create chaos and confusion, which seems to be what’s happening already,” Hedges said.“It just is trying to make numbers look better — but I don’t see where that actually equals better outcomes for youth and children.”Kinship pathways give agencies options: ministerFamilies Minister Fontaine pointed to changes made last year to Manitoba’s child welfare system to let agencies put kids with extended family or people in their home community as a pathway that could give agencies somewhere else to put kids who have been staying in emergency shelters.“It’s one thing to make … changes to the [emergency placement] system and not offer anything for agencies to be able to say, ‘Oh, you know, we’ve got to get children out of … an [emergency placement] on a shorter time period,’” Fontaine said.Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine says the province made changes last year to the child welfare system which supports kinship-based placements. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)“We’ve got now infrastructure in Manitoba to allow those kinship and customary care agreements.”But Métis federation minister Buors said despite the good intentions of allowing kinship placements, that’s not always an option. Sometimes, families aren’t able to handle a child’s complex medical needs — and other times, even extended families are not safe places for children, she said.Lack of foster homes, specialized supports: letterRepresentatives for two of Manitoba’s other child welfare authorities — the Southern First Nations Network of Care and the First Nations of Northern Manitoba Child and Family Services Authority — have also raised concerns about the new policy, and called on the province to delay implementing it.Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, an advocacy group for northern Manitoba First Nations and the appointing body for the northern CFS authority, said in a statement to CBC News that it “strongly opposes” the new policy, which it says will put “disproportionate financial pressures” on its agencies.The southern authority also expressed “significant concern” about the policy in a letter sent to the families minister last month, which was recently obtained by CBC. Flaws found in Manitoba child-abuse investigations: government documentsManitoba CFS agencies now have option of placing kids with extended family, communityThat letter pointed to a number of systemic issues making it difficult to move some kids from emergency placements sooner, including shortages in appropriate placements like foster homes and a rising number of children who need special help that agencies don’t have the resources for.Meanwhile, Jay Rodgers, the CEO of the General Child and Family Services Authority — which manages Winnipeg Child and Family Services, the only agency where the new policy has already taken effect — said in an emailed statement that authority has not communicated “any concerns about this change to the province.”‘A double-edged sword’For longtime foster mom Jamie Pfau, the new emergency placement policy is a short-sighted approach that she fears could lead to kids being put in worse placements because agencies have no other options and can’t afford to pay the new rates.“This is a symptom of a much bigger issue. The symptom is that children are growing up in [emergency placements],” said Pfau, who’s also president of the Manitoba Foster Parent Association.Jamie Pfau is a longtime foster mom and the president of the Manitoba Foster Parent Association. (Jeff Stapleton/CBC)“The issue is that this system has been underfunded for many decades across many governments, and we are seeing the results of that.”But Joshua Nepinak, who was in care as a teen and was put in emergency placements several times, said he’s glad to see the province doing something about overuse of those shelters — and hopes as a result to see agencies work harder to find other placements for kids in their care.While he said he understands concerns that the policy could lead to kids being put in potentially less suitable placements, he said emergency placements don’t “sound that much better than” that alternative. Joshua Nepinak who was in care as a teen and was put in emergency placements several times. (Tyson Koschik/CBC)“It’s a double-edged sword, and we can’t be negligent,” he said. “When it comes to working with youth, it always starts with connection. And if that’s looking out for the best interest in terms of providing that kinship [placement] rather than monitoring [in emergency placements], I think that’s the better alternative.”ABOUT THE AUTHORCaitlyn Gowriluk has been writing for CBC Manitoba since 2019. Her work has also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, and in 2021 she was part of an award-winning team recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association for its breaking news coverage of COVID-19 vaccines. Get in touch with her at caitlyn.gowriluk@cbc.ca.Follow Caitlyn Gowriluk on X
Manitobas new policy to charge CFS agencies for long emergency stays creating chaos and confusion: expert
