British Columbia's children's representative says the province is at a "threshold moment" for fixing the underfunded and fragmented system of supports for children with disabilities that has left thousands of families struggling to get help.
The latest report from Jennifer Charlesworth's office says up to 83,000 young people with disabilities are not receiving adequate services in the province, and while spending increased by 190 per cent in the 18 years her office has been in place, the majority of that went to salaries and a narrow set of programs.
The document, published Wednesday, says the representative's office has produced a dozen reports making recommendations to fix the system, but the government has been slow to respond, often reacting to tragedies rather than making broader improvements.
Charlesworth said there have been years of good intentions to change the system that weren't sustained.
"If we turn away now when we see families that are truly coming apart at the seams and are contemplating placing their children in care in order to get the services that they need, if we don't step in and figure out how to move things forward and create more equity and create more access to the services ... then that's on us. We have failed as a system," she said.
Charlesworth said B.C. needs a collective approach across ministries to ensure that critical progress actually happens.
She said the province needs to implement immediate funding increases, stronger mental health services, equitable access to education and supports and a cross-government data management system.
She told reporters it's important no one look away from the problems.
"I do believe that we are at a threshold moment. It's going to be really hard with the fiscal situation that we're in, with all of the distractions of what's happening south of the border and many people feeling under threat and under siege and overwhelmed, but I do feel like we have no choice."
Jodie Wickens, minister of children and family development, said in an interview on Wednesday that she is proud of the work her ministry has accomplished, while also acknowledging that there is more work to be done.
Before entering politics, Wickens was executive director of the Autism Support Network and said her experience, which includes being an aunt to children with disabilities, means she has an understanding of the frustrations faced by families.
Wickens said her ministry has increased respite for families and improved mental health supports.
“There is more work to be done, but we are doing things that I think are really making a difference,” she said.
The representative's calls to action come ahead of a final report expected this year on a revamp of the provincial framework of services provided to children and youth with disabilities that was paused in 2022 after significant pushback from families.
A statement from Charlesworth says a "staggering" number of families are at their breaking point amid the underfunded system that is almost impossible to navigate.
“This prolonged under-resourcing is resulting in heartbreaking and frankly shocking situations that should be a wake-up call for us all," she said.
"We listened to families tell us they would give up their kids to get the care they needed, there were others who were close to harming themselves and their children because they saw no other answers, and still others who have been waiting on wait-lists as they watch their kids lose their childhood.”
