The NWT Child and Family Services Act (the Act) mandates the provision of protective and supportive services for children and families. The Department of Health and Social Services and the regional Health and Social Services Authorities are jointly responsible to fulfill the obligations under the Act.
Note: This manual is a living document that will be re-issued April 1st of each year.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Section 1: Reporting and Investigating
- Section 2: Voluntary Support Services Agreements
- Section 3: Plan of Care Committees
- Section 4: Apprehension
- Section 5: Court Procedures
- Section 6: Case Management
- Section 7: Placement Services
- Section 8: Adoption Planning
- Section 9: Permanency Planning
- Section 10: Administration
Introduction
Section 1: Reporting and Investigating
- Standard 1.1: Receiving a Report of Suspected Abuse or Neglect
- Standard 1.2: Creating an Investigation Plan
- Standard 1.3: Initiating an Investigation
- Standard 1.4: Conducting an Investigation
- Standard 1.6: Completing an Investigation
- Standard 1.7: Notification to a Person with Lawful Custody and to a Child who has Attained the Age of 12 years
Forms and Tools
Section 2: Voluntary Support Services Agreements
Voluntary Services Agreements
Support Services Agreements
Support Services and Agreements Beyond the Age of Majority
Forms and Tools
Voluntary Services Agreements
Support Services Agreements
Support Services and Agreements Beyond the Age of Majority
Section 3: Plan of Care Committees
- Standard 3.1: Establishing a Plan of Care Committee
- Standard 3.2: Membership of a Plan of Care Committee
- Standard 3.3: Plan of Care Agreement
- Standard 3.4: Plan of Care Committee and Court Hearing Options
- Standard 3.5: Plan of Care Committee Meeting Procedures
- Standard 3.6: Rights of the Child Turning 12 Years Old
- Standard 3.7: Role of Support Persons
- Standard 3.8: Termination of a Plan of Care Committee
Forms and Tools
Section 4: Apprehension
- Standard 4.1: Apprehending a Child
- Standard 4.2: Return of Apprehended Child
- Standard 4.3: Preparing for Apprehension Hearing
- Standard 4.4: Preparing the Apprehension Order
Court Documents
Forms and Tools
Section 5: Court Procedures
- Standard 5.1: Advising Parents of their Rights to Seek Legal Counsel
- Standard 5.2: Apprehension Where Medical Care or Treatment is Refused
- Standard 5.3: Case Plan Report
- Standard 5.4: Consent Orders
- Standard 5.5: Disclosure to Legal Counsel
- Standard 5.6: Process for Obtaining Legal Counsel in Child Protection Matters
- Standard 5.7: Obtaining Legal Counsel for Children
- Standard 5.8: Preparing for Court
- Standard 5.9: Supervision Orders
- Standard 5.10: Temporary Custody Orders
- Standard 5.11: Permanent Custody Orders
- Standard 5.12: Service of Documents
- Standard 5.13: Timelines for Serving
- Standard 5.14: Return of Children
- Standard 5.15: Removal Orders
- Standard 5.16: Served with a Search Warrant
- Standard 5.17: Served with a Subpoena
- Standard 5.18: Youth Protection Order
Court Documents
Forms and Tools
Section 6: Case Management
- Standard 6.1: Case Documentation
- Standard 6.2: Completing the Case Plan
- Standard 6.3: Confidentiality
- Standard 6.4: Disclosure of Personal Information with Informed Consent
- Standard 6.5: Disclosure of Personal Information for Integrated Care
- Standard 6.6: Minimum Contact Guidelines
- Standard 6.7: Access Plan
- Standard 6.8: Supervision of Casework
- Standard 6.10: Life Book
- Standard 6.11: Medical and Dental Examination
- Standard 6.12: Case Review
- Standard 6.13: File Closure
- Standard 6.14: File Transfer Within the NWT
- Standard 6.15: Placement Outside the NWT
- Standard 6.16: Serious Incidents
- Standard 6.17: Travel Authorization
- Standard 6.18: Passports for Children in Care
- Standard 6.19: Child and Family Services File Management
- Standard 6.20: Foster Care Resource File Management
- Standard 6.21: Foster Care Report
Forms and Tools
Section 7: Placement Services
Foster Care Services
- Standard 7.1: Foster Care Placement Priorities
- Standard 7.2: Approval of Extended Family and Provisional Foster Homes
- Standard 7.3: Approval of Regular Foster Homes
- Standard 7.4: Foster Home Criminal Record Check
- Standard 7.5: Quality of Care Review
- Standard 7.6: Annual Foster Home Reviews
- Standard 7.7: Foster Home Investigations
- Standard 7.8: Involuntary Foster Home Closure
- Standard 7.9: Voluntary Foster Home Closure
- Standard 7.11: Use of Hotels for Child/Youth Placement
- Standard 7.12: Foster Home Capacity for Infants Under One Year of Age
- Standard 7.13: Temporary Accommodation of the Child
- Standard 7.14: Foster Parent Training
- Standard 7.15: Child and Youth Placement Information
Group Home and Northern Residential Treatment Services
Interprovincial Services and Out of Territory Treatment Services
- Standard 7.19: Out of Territory Specialized Services Process
- Standard 7.20: Children, Youth, and Families Moving to Another Province or Territory
- Standard 7.21: Children, Youth, and Families Moving From Another Province or Territory to the NWT
- Standard 7.22: Interprovincial Information Requests
- Standard 7.23: Child Protection Alerts
Forms and Tools
Foster Care Services
Support Services and Agreements Beyond the Age of Majority
Section 8: Adoption Planning
- Standard 8.1: Providing Information and Support Services to Birth Parents
- Standard 8.2: Refusal of Consent for the Purposes of Adoption
- Standard 8.3: Working with Birth Parents if their Decision is Adoption
- Standard 8.4: Involving the Birth Father
- Standard 8.5: Timelines for Parental Consent
- Standard 8.6: Court Process
- Standard 8.7: Interprovincial Surrender
Court Voluntary Surrender
Forms and Tools
Section 9: Permanency Planning
Concurrent Planning
- Standard 9.1: Concurrent Planning
- Standard 9.2: Transition Planning
- Standard 9.3: Custom Adoption for a Child or Youth in the Care of the Director
- Standard 9.4: Departmental Adoption as an Alternative Permanency Plan
Children in Permanent Custody
- Standard 9.5: Permanency Planning for Child and Youth
- Standard 9.6: Child Assessment For Adoption Placement
- Standard 9.7: Adoption Planning For Children with Needs
- Standard 9.8: Collecting the Birth Family Medical and Social History
- Standard 9.9: Planning with Access Provisions in Place
- Standard 9.10: Referrals to the Director of Child and Family Services
- Standard 9.11: Preparing the Child for Adoption Placement
- Standard 9.12: Waiving, Reducing and/or Extending Adoption Probation
- Standard 9.13: Monitoring the Adoption Probation Period
- Standard 9.14: Guardianship Agreements or Guardianship Orders
Forms and Tools
Concurrent Planning
Children in Permanent Custody
Section 10: Administration
- Standard 10.1: Compliance with the Standards and Procedures
- Standard 10.2: Statutory Appointments of Child Protection Workers
- Standard 10.3: Child Protection Worker Identification
- Standard 10.4: Child Protection Worker Safety
- Standard 10.6: Annual Audit of Child and Family Services Files
- Standard 10.8: Membership on a Plan of Care Committee
- Standard 10.9: Request for Information in a Child and Family Services File
- Standard 10.10: Children’s Special Allowance Application
- Standard 10.11: Children’s Special Allowance Cancellation
- Standard 10.12: Referrals Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act
- Standard 10.14: Foster Home Recruitment
- Standard 10.15: Commitment to Indigenous children, youth, and families
- Standard 10.16: Requirement to provide notice before taking a significant measure in relation to an Indigenous child or youth