N.B. budget cuts to child welfare services will put pressure on all front-line workers: advocate

New Brunswick’s child welfare advocate is warning about cuts to social development programs.

New Brunswick’s child and youth advocate is sounding the alarm over a $47.1-million cut to the child welfare services in the Department of Social Development, which amounts to nearly 25 per cent of current program spending.

The cut was announced in the 2025-26 provincial budget, released in March.

“This is the most significant single-year reduction to services for vulnerable children in recent memory,” said advocate Kelly Lamrock in a news release.

“Our office has warned for two years that under-budgeting actual demand would eventually lead to damaging cuts. That warning was not heeded, and now we are seeing the consequences.”

Lamrock’s report highlights several concerns, including:

• No evidence has been provided to justify the assumption that service needs will decline.
• No modelling of future costs or the future impact of cuts was done by the Department of Finance and Treasury Board in the budgetary process.
• New responsibilities under the Child and Youth Well-Being Act have not been accompanied by new funding, creating an unfunded mandate.
• The Department of Social Development has been told to meet budget targets without assurances of supplementary funding, despite demand-driven costs.
• Real-world case examples show that children are already slipping through the cracks due to austerity-based decision-making.
• Cuts of this magnitude are likely to wipe out most of the new services that were created by the passage of the Child and Youth Well-Being Act.

The report urges the government to:

• Reconsider the $47.1-million reduction to child welfare services.
• Publish a mitigation plan by June 30, outlining the expected impact of the cuts and how children will be protected.
• Take immediate steps to improve integrated service delivery, including having a mechanism in the Executive Council Office to resolve funding disputes and expedite cases.

“These cuts will put pressure on every front-line worker to consider budget cuts first and the child’s needs second,” said Lamrock.

“Costs of child welfare programs have gone up mostly because of a record number of teenagers requiring crisis interventions and expensive help. The government’s ‘cut first, plan second’ approach will simply cut programs that keep the next 100 children at risk from falling into an expensive crisis.”

A statement from Social Development Minister Cindy Miles says many of Lamrock’s recommendations are incorporated into the work that her department is already undertaking.

“From the moment I became minister of social development, I began travelling the province to meet with children, youth and their families, who depend on various social development programs. I’ve listened to their stories; their successes, but also their challenges,” said Miles.

“When I meet with these families, I’m reminded that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to support the varied needs of the vulnerable populations that receive our support. Those discussions helped inform our path forward and will continue to be at the centre of everything we do.”

According to the minister, Social Development’s budget for child welfare and youth services is increasing by nearly 15 per cent year-over-year.

She says this includes significant investments, such as

• $10 million to ensure children and youth living with exceptional needs and trauma receive a consistent level of high-quality support
• nearly $8.7 million in the child-centred approach at the core of the Child and Youth Well-Being Act

“We will always fulfil our commitment to provide care to our vulnerable children and youth. However, we are also working to ensure that we can build a service model that meets the needs of the population today and into the future,” Miles said.

“In that light, the budget reflects a commitment to transformational changes in service delivery, including a focus on early intervention and solutions that can better support children and families. These approaches lead to better outcomes for children and youth, and often come with significant cost savings.”

Miles concludes her statement saying her team plans to review, analyze and assess the recommendations in the child and youth advocate’s report.

“We respect and support the intent of the advocate’s report, and we look forward to working across government, with our community partners, and with the advocate to ensure youth and their families come first,” she said.

Lamrock’s full report, including recommendations and a breakdown of the budget’s anticipated impact on child welfare, is available online.

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