Evolving social and economic factors have led to increasing child poverty rates across Canada; from 15.2% in 2020 to 17.8% in 2021. Additionally, as Canada’s population continues to climb there are a growing number of children and families with increasingly complex, intersectional needs, such as food and housing insecurity.
Currently, most child and family services (CFS) models across Canada are reactive rather than proactive. This approach sees the majority of resources focused on statutory and out-of-home care systems, with intervention only occurring after significant issues such as abuse and neglect have escalated into crisis situations.
As the demands on and the complexities of CFS systems across Canada increase, there is an opportunity for organizations to rethink how they operate and develop a new approach; one that focuses on supporting children, youth and families early and building their capacity to thrive.
Benefits of a prevention-based approach for child and family services
There is strong evidence that providing healthy environments and positive experiences in early childhood has lasting benefits as children grow into adulthood. A prevention-focused child and family services model prioritizes efforts on supporting the safety, permanency, and well-being of children. It is designed to support families and prevent harm, with intervention seen as a last resort. By focusing on prevention-based services that are delivered in community settings, and bringing families and communities together, it is possible to reduce the need for temporary and/or permanent out of home care and supports for child and youth.
The added benefit is that a prevention-based approach is also less costly. In fact, in Child First Canada’s report, The Social Return on Investment in Children’s Health and Wellbeing, it noted that a 10 per cent reduction in adverse childhood experiences could result in as much as $56 billion in social cost savings in North America.
Source: Children First Canada n. d. Pedianomics: The Social Return on Investment in Children’s Health and Wellbeing, Raising Canada 2023.
Transforming child and family services
KPMG has worked with organizations, agencies and governments in Canada as well as globally for over 15 years to help support and strengthening child and family services systems. We’ve experienced the community, family and organizational benefits that a preventative model offers firsthand.
We work to create meaningful impact by supporting organizations (both public and private) across the child and family services ecosystem to enable the right conditions that provide opportunity to all.
To achieve this, we take a holistic approach to child and family services transformation. This means looking at the entire CFS ecosystem and ensuring that legislation, policies, service delivery models and the services themselves are aligned to create the best possible experience and outcomes for the children, families and communities that need them.
How we help our clients
Strategy, outcomes, and leadership – support leadership in defining organizational strategy and desired outcomes based on the needs and expectations of the children, youth, families and communities they serve and building a transformation roadmap to support this vision.
Child, youth, and family experience and journey mapping – assessment of how children, youth and families are engaged by the organization currently, as well as understand their needs, expectations, and motivations in order to design processes and service delivery that supports an enhanced journey and improved outcomes.
System design – development of a future state organizational system design that places required services and desired outcome at the core of the transformation journey and provides clarity on the roles and relationships of a child and family service organization with its delivery partners.
Service design – review and assessment of services, individually and as a portfolio, based on their fit with community needs and their ability to keep pace with the changing environment, with the goal of strategically aligning the organization’s direction and position in the child and family service ecosystem. This includes innovative and evidence-based services to deliver measurable outcomes.
Organizational design and workforce supports – design and implementation of a structure and processes that enable the child and family service organizations to align their work and culture with client needs.
Corporate service transformation – streamlining of enablement and corporate service functions of the organization and gaining process efficiencies that support improved outcomes.
Technology, data, and information management – design, selection and implementation of required technologies and systems to assist child and family service organizations in improving data management to unlock key service and client insights, improving internal systems to empower employees to better serve clients, as well as creating seamless, tech-enabled client experiences.
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