Throne speech preview: Amended legislation would help foster parents become guardians
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/11/2017 (2888 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Manitoba government plans to introduce legislation that will enable foster parents to seek guardianship of the children in their care without suffering financially.
The Progressive Conservatives led by Premier Brian Pallister will signal in today’s speech from the throne they intend to amend the Child and Family Services Act to remove disincentives to guardianship.
“Studies show that both the emotional and physical health of children are vastly improved when there is a permanence in the relationship between them and their caregivers,” a government source said Monday.
While a foster home is often temporary, the transition to guardianship gives permanence to the relationship between child and caregiver.
Some foster parents would like to become guardians, but are reluctant to do so because they can’t afford to give up the financial supports that come with foster care.
“Their heart is in the right place and they’d like to do it,” but they can’t afford it, the government source said. “This will make that easier.”
He said details of the plan — including the level of financial support to be maintained — will be announced after the public is consulted.
The idea is there should not be financial disincentives to guardianship, the source said, likening the proposed initiative to removing financial barriers for those on welfare to obtain paid work.
Today’s throne speech will be the third from the Tories since they took office in April 2016. The government is expected to continue to set out its agenda for “fixing the (province’s) finances, repairing services and rebuilding the economy,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Opposition NDP questioned why the government felt the need to hire a consultant in the run-up to the throne speech to advise it on the funding of future economic initiatives.
Deloitte LLP won a competition to do that work earlier this fall. Its first report to government was due Nov. 10.
“The delivery of a report like this right before a throne speech suggests that Pallister’s brought in a private consultant to do their work for them, and paid them $150,000 to do it,” NDP finance critic James Allum said Monday. “This government spends their time talking to backroom accountants and private consultants instead of the Manitobans that are relying on them.”
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca