Welcome
The Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth is one of 10 permanent committees of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Committee works to foster greater awareness and understanding among legislators and the public of the B.C. child and youth-serving system. The Committee also provides a public forum for discussion of reports by the Representative for Children and Youth and is required to undertake a review of the Representative for Children and Youth Act at least once every five years.
The Committee is currently undertaking its review of the Representative for Children and Youth Act. To inform its review, the Committee received briefings on April 22, accepted written submissions in summer 2022, and heard presentations on November 4. The Committee also invited British Columbians to fill out a survey in fall 2022.
The Committee will consider all input received and is expected to release its report in 2023.
Terms of Reference
On February 17, 2022, the Legislative Assembly agreed that the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth be empowered to foster greater awareness and understanding among legislators and the public of the BC child welfare system, including the specific needs of Indigenous children, youth, families and communities, and in particular to:
- Receive and review the annual service plan from the Representative for Children and Youth (the "Representative") that includes a statement of goals and identifies specific objectives and performance measures that will be required to exercise the powers and perform the functions and duties of the Representative during the fiscal year;
- Be the Committee to which the Representative reports, at least annually;
- Refer to the Representative for investigation the critical injury or death of a child;
- Receive and consider all reports and plans transmitted by the Representative to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly; and
- Undertake, pursuant to section 30(1) of the
Representative for Children and Youth Act, (S.B.C. 2006, c. 29), a comprehensive review of the Act or portions of the Act before April 1, 2022 to determine whether the functions of the Representative described in section 6 are still required to ensure that the needs of children and young adults as defined in that section are met.
That, in addition to the powers previously conferred upon Select Standing Committees of the House, the Select Standing Committee on Children and Youth be empowered to:
- appoint of its number one or more subcommittees and to refer to such subcommittees any of the matters referred to the Committee and to delegate to the subcommittees all or any of its powers except the power to report directly to the House;
- sit during a period in which the House is adjourned, during the recess after prorogation until the next following Session and during any sitting of the House;
- conduct consultations by any means the Committee considers appropriate;
- adjourn from place to place as may be convenient; and
- retain personnel as required to assist the Committee.
That the Committee report to the House as soon as possible; and that during a period of adjournment, the Committee deposit its reports with the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, and upon resumption of the sittings of the House, or in the next following Session, as the case may be, the Chair present all reports to the House.
Related Links
Committee Reports
Committee Documents
Advertisements
Meeting Documents
Follow Up Process
Upcoming Meetings
Past Meetings
