The Manitoba government is revising funding for Child and Family Services (CFS) agencies to expand supports for families with the goal of keeping children at home and in their own communities rather than taking them into care.
“We’re shifting our emphasis from protection to prevention. Prevention is the best protection,” said Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross.
The shift comes in response to the Hughes inquiry, which examined how CFS dealt with five-year-old Phoenix Sinclair before she was murdered by her mother and stepfather a decade ago.
The province began implementing 31 of the 62 recommendations from the Hughes inquiry after receiving its report in January 2014. A consulting firm was then contracted to meet with front-line service providers, families, elders, community agencies and organizations to develop options for action on the final 31 recommendations.
The province received that report this month.
Affordable housing
The Saskatchewan government says more people in need will have access to housing due to a decision to transition the Affordable Housing Program into the Social Housing Program in the province’s largest centres.
Beginning March 1, 2015, anyone who applies for government-owned rental housing in urban centres will only be eligible for the Social Housing Rental Program, where rent is based on 30 per cent of income.
“It is our intent to ensure that Saskatchewan people with the greatest housing need, such as persons with disabilities and families with low-incomes, have better access to safe, quality housing,” said Social Services Minister and Minister responsible for the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation Donna Harpauer. “At the same time, we also need to ensure that our government housing remains truly affordable for those who live in it, and that is why this transition is so important.”
Keith Hanson, board chairman of the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, said the transition will mean “significant reductions in monthly rents for hundreds of Saskatchewan seniors, families and individuals and will convert 2,700 housing units for people who need them the most.”
Homegrown docs
Saskatchewan is making progress keeping more locally trained family medicine graduates in the province.
The retention rate of family medicine graduates trained at the University of Saskatchewan has jumped by 11 per cent over the past year, from 58 per cent to 69 per cent.
“Physicians that are newly trained in Saskatchewan play a key role in the health care system,” said Rural and Remote Health Minister Greg Ottenbreit. “We want patients right here in Saskatchewan to benefit from their expert training and homegrown leadership.”
The province has seen increased U of S medical training seats and medical residency positions.
As well, more post-graduate medical education opportunities are now available outside Saskatoon – in Regina, Prince Albert, Swift Current, La Ronge, North Battleford and Moose Jaw. Plans are being made for additional communities.
The number of physicians in Saskatchewan rose 24.3 per cent (by 423 physicians) for the seven years ending in March 2014.
