The two-year process of preparing a new Child Welfare Act for Manitoba begun in 1922, partly in response to the Manitoba Social Service Council's call to the provincial government: that the Government of Manitoba take early steps to establish and adequately support a Child Welfare Department for the province, shaped on modern lines and provided with facilities which will make possible proper classification of the children cared for, efficient supervision of them all, and a comprehensive survey of the needs of the province in this most important of all fields.The Government created the new Department of Public Welfare in 1924 and added it to the existing responsibilities of the Minister of Education.
[1] The Department of Families in Manitoba is overseen by the Minister of Families (French: Ministre des Familles),[3] which was assigned to Nahanni Fontaine in 2023, replacing former Minister Rochelle Squires.
[3] In 1990, the Minister of Family Services is a cabinet position in the Government of Manitoba.
[6] In 1999, the responsibilities of this portfolio were assigned to the new Minister of Family Services and Housing.
In 2009, the responsibilities of the portfolio were split into Family Services and Consumer Affairs and Housing and Community Development following the announcement of Premier Greg Selinger's new cabinet in 2009.