Children and Family Services

Yes! The Alberta Ombudsman can investigate complaints about the  Children and Family Services  (CFS) Ministry. Before you make a complaint to us, we want to make sure you’ve tried to resolve your complaint directly with the people involved. Here’s the information for you and some tips on how to make your complaint.

How to Complain to CFS

Visit the Dispute Resolution for Child Intervention webpage for options to resolve child intervention decisions you disagree with.

Court matters

Please note, the Alberta Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to investigate matters decided by the court, including apprehension orders, permanent guardianship orders, and more. If you have concerns with a matter decided by the court, you may wish to seek legal advice .

Delegated First Nation Agency (DFNA)

The Alberta Ombudsman does not have jurisdiction to investigate complaints about a DFNA.

For complaints, contact the  DFNA directly. If you have exhausted your review options with the DFNA, you may be able to raise your concerns to the Government of Alberta. For more information, please contact us.

Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA)

If you are seeking advocacy for a young person in relation to CFS, contact the OCYA.

Already have a final decision or response?

If you have tried to escalate your concerns or complete this organization’s complaint process and want to make a formal complaint to us, you can make a complaint to our office by writing to us:
Make a Complaint

Not Sure? Contact Us!

Please contact us directly if you’re still not sure what your next steps are.

Need Assistance?

Do you need advocacy, support or legal advice? Click here for a list of links to organizations which may be able to help.

These links are provided for your information and convenience. The Alberta Ombudsman’s office does not assume any responsibility for the content of external websites.