Statement about the Living Wage for Families Program November 1, 2022 After fourteen years, First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society is winding down our operation of the Living Wage for Families BC employer certification program. We have reached an agreement with Vancity Community Foundation and as of November 1, MORE
The purpose of this toolkit is to support individuals and community groups in their advocacy for legislation, policy and practice that benefit children and youth and their families in the lead-up to the 2020 provincial election. First Call member organizations with expertise in different areas contributed many of the facts, MORE
Annual BC Child Poverty Report Cards The Issue When one child lives in poverty it’s a tragedy. However, when one in every five children in BC are poor it’s a crisis. Every November, First Call, with the support of the Social Planning and Research Council of BC (SPARC BC), MORE
Update May 2022 The BC Ministry of Labour is consulting the public on developing regulations that will prohibit youth under 19 from working on hazardous worksites. First Call has developed this guidance to assist you in filling out this online survey. The survey will close on June 10, 2022. Advocacy MORE
Visit the Fostering Change website. Update January 2022 First Call Child and Youth Advocacy Society is committed to convening and raising the voices of youth in and from care through the Fostering Change program. We know that policy change for youth is the result of collective self-advocacy, and many MORE
The Issue For many years First Call has been advocating for a repeal of section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada. Section 43, also known as the “spanking law,” permits the use of force for disciplining children by parents and persons standing in the place of parents. It reads: MORE
Policy victories: Clawing back the clawbacks First Call celebrated the BC government ending the clawback of child support from single parents on income and disability assistance. This reduced the depth of poverty for more than 5,400 BC children annually in September 2015. Another 50 to 100 children have benefited from MORE
The Issue Early years is a crucial period of human growth. Yet, in BC, young children’s vulnerability rates have risen. Families in need of quality child care face a crisis of affordability and access. Wait times for support for children with special needs are unacceptable. Family support programming is fragile MORE