The Ministry of Families and Affordability is a provincial government department in
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The department is headed by a member of the
provincial cabinet, typically a
Member of the House of Assembly, who is chosen by the
premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of govern ...
and formally appointed by the
Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The department's creation was announced in April 2009, by the government of
Danny Williams. Before becoming a stand-alone department many aspects of the department were a branch within the Department of Health and Community Services.
Child and Youth Services is responsible for:
child protection services,
foster care
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family mem ...
,
adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, fro ...
, kinship, youth services, and youth corrections programs. The department is also responsible for the
disability policy office,
adult protection, and seniors advocacy.
The department was reconfigured as the Department of Children, Seniors and Social Development in 2016.
In a report released in November 2016, NL Auditor General Terry Paddon said 6,252 children — eight percent of the children in Newfoundland and Labrador — were being served by CSSD (Child and Youth Services) programs.
In 2021, the income support division of
Immigration, Skills and Labour was relocated into CSSD.
On May 9, 2025, Jamie Korab was appointed Minister of Families and Affordability.
Background
Up until 1997, the responsibility for child protection services in Newfoundland and Labrador was under the purview of the Department of Social Services (DSS). In 1997, DSS was renamed the Department of Human Resources and Employment (DHRE). On April 1, 1998, the
Department of Health and Community Services (DHCS) assumed responsibility for child protection services. The responsibility for child protection services was therefore devolved from the DHRE to a number of Health and Community Services (HCS) Boards. In 2009, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador established the Department of Child, Youth and Family Services (DCYFS). In 2025, the department was renamed the Department of Families and Affordability.
Ministers
Key:
See also
*
Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador
The Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador (in French: ''le Conseil exécutif de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador'', but informally and more commonly, the Cabinet of Newfoundland and Labrador, and in French: ''le Cabinet de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrado ...
*
Murder of Zachary Turner
Zachary Andrew Turner (18 July 2002 – 18 August 2003) was a Canadian child from St. John's, Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, who was killed by his mother, Shirley Jane Turner, in a murder–suicide. At the time, Shirley ...
*
Mount Cashel Orphanage
The Mount Cashel Orphanage, known locally as the Mount Cashel Boys' Home, was a boys' orphanage located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The orphanage was operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of ...
References
External links
Department of Families and Affordability website{{Newfoundland and Labrador politics
Newfoundland and Labrador government departments and agencies
Child welfare in Canada
Social work organizations in Canada