1.0.0 Agency Standards

This volume is divided into chapters that address general topics and sections that cover specific topics. For example, in Volume 1 is Agency Standards, Chapter 1 is Case Management and Section 1 is Intake. This is numbered 1.1.1. or Volume 1, Chapter 1, Section 1. It is common for people to refer to “Standard 1.1.1 Intake”, however “Section 1.1.1 Intake” is correct and is the language that will be used throughout the Agency Standards.

Volume 1 – Agency Standards has eight chapters. The introduction to each chapter includes a list of the sections in the chapter and brief statements about the legislation, policies and standards relevant to the chapter as a whole.

Most sections contain the following:

• legislation
• policies
• standards

• Legislation

  Each section of the guide contains references and hyperlinks to the provisions of the applicable laws and regulations.

  When you use the hyperlinks please note:

  • Laws (Acts) are in HTML format, which allows links to specific sections.
  • Regulations are in PDF format and links to specific sections are not possible. The link will go to the regulation, but not a specific section.

  The main provincial laws applicable to the provision of child, family and adoption services in Manitoba are:

  • The Adoption Act
  • The Advocate for Children and Youth Act
  • The Child and Family Services Act
  • The Child and Family Services Authorities Act
  • The Family Maintenance Act
  • The Fatality Inquiries Act
  • The Financial Administration Act
  • The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
  • The Intercountry Adoption Act
  • The Ombudsman Act
  • The Personal Health Information Act
  • The Protecting and Supporting Children (Information Sharing) Act
  • The Social Services Administration Act

  Federal laws that are applicable to the delivery of child, family and adoption services include:

  • An Act Respecting First Nations, Inuit, Metis, Children, Youth and Families
  • Youth Criminal Justice Act

  Regulations are delegated or subordinate legislation. They are an integral part of the laws under which they were established. Anyone who works in child, family and adoption services is expected to have a solid working knowledge of the laws and regulations that apply directly to their work.

• Policy

  All sections of the guide contain information about applicable provincial policies and hyperlinks to documents available online.

  It is important not to confuse policies with legislation. Provincial laws (Acts) require approval by the legislature. Regulations for the purpose of carrying out The Child and Family Services Act, The Child and Family Services Authorities Act and The Adoption Act must be approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council (Cabinet).

  Policies are the result of administrative or executive decisions. The rules established as part of a policy must be followed, but they can be changed by executive decision. Policy can be approved by the director or the director and the authorities (Standing Committee) together. The requirement to use the Child and Family Services Information Application is a policy.

• Standards

  The standards set out in this manual are derived from policies and reflect laws and regulations.

  The provincial standards are minimum requirements for the delivery of child, family and adoption services. They are compliance standards. They describe performance in specific and measurable terms. Quality assurance can be measured based on how closely service delivery meets the standard.

  The director is required to set service standards in accordance with section 4 of The Child and Family Services Act and section 5 of The Adoption Act. Under section 16 of the Child and Family Services Authorities Regulation, the authorities have the duty of the director to ensure that the agencies meet service standards. Under section 19 of The Child and Family Services Authorities Act, agencies also have an obligation to establish culturally appropriate standards and to ensure that they are consistent with the standards, objectives and priorities of the province.

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