Child in the Home of a Relative BC: Why CIHR Is Closed and What Replaced It

CIHR Closed to New Applicants on March 31, 2010

The Child in the Home of a Relative (CIHR) program was a provincial income assistance payment for relatives raising a child in British Columbia. It was administered by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction under the Employment and Assistance Regulation.

On March 31, 2010, the program closed to all new applications. Anyone enrolled on or before that date was grandfathered in under the Child in the Home of a Relative Program Transition Regulation (B.C. Reg. 48/2010), and those legacy cases continue to receive payments through the ministry. But no new caregiver can apply, and no application form exists for new cases.

This matters because word-of-mouth in kinship care communities moves slowly. Grandparents who heard about CIHR from a neighbour, a church group, or an online forum are still searching for it — and finding dead ends.

What Legacy CIHR Recipients Still Receive

Grandfathered CIHR rates are frozen at historical levels and vary by the child's age:

• Birth to 5 years: $257.46/month
• 6 to 9 years: $271.59/month
• 10 to 11 years: $314.31/month
• 12 to 13 years: $357.82/month
• 14 to 17 years: $402.70/month
• 18 years: $454.32/month

These amounts are reduced dollar-for-dollar if the parent makes direct financial contributions to the caregiver. Legacy recipients must submit monthly stub reports (HR0081) by the 5th of each month and are exempt from standard work-search obligations.

CIHR Was Not Replaced by the Extended Family Program

A common misunderstanding is that the Extended Family Program (EFP) directly replaced CIHR. It did not. CIHR was an income assistance benefit under the Ministry of Social Development. The EFP is a child welfare support agreement under MCFD's child protection legislation (CFCSA Section 8). Different ministry, different legal basis, different eligibility rules.

The practical consequence: you cannot walk into an income assistance office and ask for the "replacement" for CIHR. You contact MCFD or a Delegated Indigenous Agency to discuss an EFP agreement. The process involves screening checks, a home assessment, and a tri-party agreement — none of which existed under CIHR.

What New Caregivers Should Apply For

If you are a relative who has recently taken on a child in British Columbia, here are the current pathways:

Extended Family Program (EFP): Contact your local MCFD office. Monthly maintenance of $1,549.20 (ages 0–11) or $1,726.33 (ages 12–19), tax-exempt. Requires background checks and a Safe Home Assessment.

Canada Child Benefit + BC Family Benefit: Submit CRA Form RC66. At July 2025 to June 2026 rates, up to $7,997/year (under 6) or $6,748/year (6–17) in CCB, plus up to $1,750/year BCFB for the first child. Tax-free, with no effect on your pension. Caregivers in any care arrangement can apply if they meet the CRA's eligibility requirements.

The difference in money is stark. A legacy CIHR recipient raising a 7-year-old receives $271.59/month. A new caregiver under EFP with CCB and BCFB can receive over $2,250/month for the same child.

For a complete map of current programs, eligibility criteria, and application steps, the BC kinship financial help guide covers the full transition from legacy programs to today's support structure.

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