Temporary out-of-care arrangements

Extended Family Program (EFP)

The EFP program provides support for situations when a parent voluntarily authorizes a relative or close family friend to care for the child/youth when their parents are temporarily unable to care for them.

On this page

• Step 1: Call for help
• Step 2: Meet with a social worker
• Step 3: A background check is completed for the care provider
• Step 4: Enter into an agreement
• Step 5: Ongoing contact and support
• Financial support
• Additional supports
• Temporary custody order to a person other than the parent​

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​Step 1: Call for help

Parents can ask for support. Contact a Ministry of Children and Family Development office or Delegated Aboriginal Agency for information about the Extended Family Program as well as other community services that may also help.

• Contact a Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) office
• Contact a Delegated Aboriginal Agency (PDF)

Step 2: Meet with a social worker

After a parent requests support, a social worker will come to meet with the family and the proposed care provider to assess what’s best for the child or youth. The following criteria are considered:

• Are circumstances temporarily preventing the parent from caring for their child in the home?
• Have other services and supports have been tried to help keep the family together?
• Is the care provider a relative or someone with a significant relationship or cultural connection to the child (and is not the child or youth's legal guardian)?

Step 3: A background check is completed for the care provider

The screening process includes:

• A criminal record check
• A prior contact check for previous involvement with the Ministry of Children and Family Development or Delegated Aboriginal Agency
• Three written references, including two from family members and one from a non‐family member who has known the care provider for at least three years
• A home visit – to interview the care provider and everyone else living in the home and to ensure the environment is suitable
• An assessment of the care provider’s readiness, capacity and commitment to care for the child

Step 4: Enter into an agreement

An agreement is signed with the parent, the care provider and the Ministry of Children and Family Development or Delegated Aboriginal Agency. If the child is Indigenous, the child’s Indigenous community may also be a party to the agreement to offer additional supports to the family.

Working as a team, the family and social worker develop a plan for the child or youth that outlines the services and supports that are needed. Parents must agree to the plan – where possible, they also need to contribute financially to their child or youth’s care.

Step 5: Ongoing contact and support

The plan is reviewed by the social worker and family regularly to make sure it still meets the child or youth's needs.

Care providers may receive monthly payments to contribute to the child's care.

Financial support

The provincial government may provide monthly financial support for the child or youth’s care. Effective July 1, 2025, the financial support is as follows:

Additional supports

Additional supports are available based on the child or youth’s assessed needs and may include:

• Dental and optical coverage
• Child minding and respite
• Counseling
• Services for children and youth with special needs or mental health conditions
• Training/education needs of the care provider

If a child or youth has significant functional support needs, they may also be eligible to receive enhanced supports, if these supports are not available through other sources.

• Enhanced Out-of-Care Support Agreements Eligibility Information (PDF)

The care provider may also contact Canada Revenue Agency to learn about other benefits:

• B.C. family benefit
• B.C. early childhood tax benefit
• Canada child benefit

Temporary custody order to a person other than the parent

If a child or youth is removed from their family home because of safety concerns, a judge could order that the child is placed in the temporary custody of a person other than the child’s parents, such as a relative.

Care providers will become the child or youth’s guardian for the duration of the order, while the child or youth’s parents receive supports to resume care of the child. Care providers may qualify for financial assistance to contribute to the child or youth’s care.

Background checks

A background check is completed for the care provider. The screening process includes:

• A criminal record check
• A prior contact check for previous involvement with the Ministry of Children and Family Development or Delegated Aboriginal Agency
• Three written references, including two from family members and one from a non‐family member who has known the care provider for at least three years
• A home visit – to interview the care provider and everyone else living in the home and to ensure the environment is suitable
• An assessment of the care provider’s readiness, capacity and commitment to care for the child

Payments

Care providers may receive monthly payments to contribute to the child or youth’s care.