Manitoba kids in CFS care 3x less likely to graduate high school

Kids in Manitoba's child welfare system are having much more trouble at school than kids who remain with their families, and now, the province has formed a task force to address the issue.

A new report released on Tuesday found kids in care were much less likely to graduate high school and were significantly less likely to be ready to enter school as children.

The Manitoba Centre for Health Policy report found only 33 per cent of children who had ever been in CFS care graduated high school — that's compared to an 89 per cent graduation rate for kids who had never spent time in care.

The report, Educational Outcomes of Children in Care in Manitoba, also found problems with how ready CFS kids were to enter school.

Only 47 per cent were ready to enter school, compared to 76 per cent of kids who didn't have contact with the CFS system.

Kids in care were also less likely to do well on math and reading assessments in elementary school and junior high, as well as on Grade 12 achievement tests.

The report didn't provide reasons for the disparity, but it did say the more than 10,000 kids in care in Manitoba were more likely to have a developmental disability like autism or a mental disorder like ADHD.

They were also much more likely to be born to young moms who admitted using drugs or alcohol while they were pregnant — all of which can lead to being less ready for school, performing poorly on tests and being less likely to graduate.

Province forms task force

The report was commissioned by the Province of Manitoba, and shortly after its release on Tuesday, officials said they were launching a task force to implement recommendations in the report.

Tammy Christensen, the executive director of Ndinawemaaganag Endaawaad Inc. and Kevin Lamoureux, an instructor at the University of Winnipeg will co-chair the task force.

It will include representatives from departments of education and family services and from a number of organizations in the community.

Provincial officials said they'll consult with experts, teachers, people who provide services to develop an action plan to improve outcomes for kids in care.

Anti-poverty measures could help, authors say

The report cautioned not all kids in care do poorly in school, and it said fewer absences, being in the care of a family member and having fewer episodes of care meant kids fared better.

The study looked at kids of all ages who had any contact with CFS from 2009 to 2012.

The report's authors said why CFS plays an important role in removing kids from dangerous situations, nearly 90 per cent of kids in care in Manitoba are indigenous and removing them from their homes does not eliminate issues of racism, insufficient housing and the poverty their communities face.

The report's authors said more needs to be done to prevent kids from going into care, including anti-poverty measures and providing more family supports.

Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said the province has already been working to shift emphasis from protection to prevention and support.