Manitoba Liberals seek child welfare changes

WINNIPEG – Manitoba Liberals are calling for major changes to the province’s child welfare system, including more supports for troubled families.

Liberal Leader Jon Gerrard said the system is focused too much on apprehending kids and not enough on helping families before their children are taken away.

Gerrard released a 60-page report Monday that calls for higher housing allowances for welfare recipients.

The report also calls for better diagnosis and treatment for kids with Asperger’s syndrome, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and other conditions.

Families should be given more government-funded support to keep their kids at home, Gerrard said.

That would cost more money up front, he said, but save much of the money currently spent on children who have been apprehended.