Children and Youth Services will invest $1.2 billion to ensure children, youth, families, and communities have the supports and services necessary to reach their full potential. This is a operating expense increase of $39 million, or an increase of 3.4 per cent from 2010-11 forecast.

$861 million of this funding will go to the10 regional child and family services authorities that directly deliver programs and services to Albertans.

Highlights include:

Protecting children and youth and supporting at-risk families …

Providing supports to help ensure the safety and well-being of abused and neglected children and youth, and supporting at-risk families in overcoming the challenges they face so they can remain together, continue to be the top priorities of the Ministry.

• $607 million for child intervention, which includes child protection, family enhancement, supports for permanency, early intervention, early childhood development and foster care support - an increase of $17 million from 2010-11.
• This includes an increase of $6 million to support more adoptive families who provide permanent and loving homes for vulnerable children and youth.

Supporting families in caring for a child living with a disability …

• $129 million for supports such as counseling and aides, respite services, and specialized services for children with severe disabilities.

Supporting quality, accessible, and affordable child care …

The Ministry will invest $229 million to help maintain the more than 90,000 child care spaces that exist across the province including:

• Subsidies and supports for more than 20,000 lower-income families to assist with the cost of quality child care - $146 million; and
• Child care accreditation funding for more child care programs to ensure safe, quality care for children and wage enhancements for child care staff - $83 million.

Helping youth transition to adulthood…

• $8.8 million to support at-risk youth. This includes funding for the Advancing Futures bursary, which assists youth who have been in government care with the costs of post-secondary education - a $2 million increase.

Maintaining and enhancing programs and services for the most vulnerable children, youth and families…

• Supporting people living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) – funding maintained at $18 million.
• Maintaining funding for emergency shelters for women - $28 million.
• Supporting foster families, kinship homes and the children they care for – a $4 million increase.
• Supports and services to protect sexually exploited children - funding maintained at $6.4 million.
• Continued funding for Family and Community Support Services, which assists municipalities and Métis Settlements in delivering preventive social service programs - $76 million.