CYSP Alberta Cancelled: What Replaced the Child and Youth Support Program

What CYSP Was

The Child and Youth Support Program (also called the Child and Youth Caregiver Support Program) provided a monthly stipend to informal relative caregivers in Alberta — $105/month for children under 12 and $148/month for youth aged 12–17. It also included medical and dental coverage for the child. For grandparents on fixed pensions who were raising grandchildren outside the formal child intervention system, CYSP was often the only provincial payment they received specifically for the child.

Why It Was Cancelled

The Government of Alberta officially terminated CYSP effective September 1, 2025. Separately, Children and Family Services increased basic maintenance per diems by 2% effective April 1, 2026 — an increase of roughly $0.51 to $0.78 per day depending on the child's age.

The reaction from informal kinship caregivers was sharp. A grandparent raising a child on a pension lost $105–$148/month in direct provincial support. The per diem increase benefits only caregivers in formal CFS-managed placements, not the informal relatives who were CYSP's core users.

What Informal Caregivers Can Access Now

CYSP has no direct replacement for informal caregivers. The financial routes that remain are:

Federal benefits (your strongest option):

• The Canada Child Benefit pays up to $679.75/month for a child under 6 or $573.58/month for ages 6–17. File CRA Form RC66 to register as the primary caregiver.
• The Alberta Child and Family Benefit adds up to $1,529/year for one child, paid quarterly. It arrives automatically once the CCB is active.

Provincial supports (limited for informal caregivers):

• Alberta Income Support is available if your household income is low enough to pass the full means test. There is no child-only stream.
• Emergency Needs Allowance through Alberta Supports covers urgent costs (food, utilities, shelter) on a case-by-case basis.

Child support from parents:

• If biological parents have any income, you can apply under the Family Law Act for a child support order, registered with the Maintenance Enforcement Program for collection.

The Medical Coverage Gap

CYSP provided medical benefits and dental coverage for children enrolled in the program. Without it, the child's coverage depends on your arrangement. AHCIP covers eligible Alberta residents for medically necessary physician and hospital services. Under AHCIP rules, dependent children include children under 21 who are wholly dependent on a parent, foster children if an income-tax deduction was claimed, and wards of the court. If you are an informal caregiver without a court order, contact AHCIP or a registry agent to confirm the child's registration route and required documents.

Eligible children in low-income households may apply for the Alberta Child Health Benefit for dental and prescription drug coverage. The Alberta Adult Health Benefit is a separate program for eligible adults; contact Alberta Supports for current eligibility and application instructions.

Moving From Informal to Formal Care

Some caregivers who lost CYSP have considered bringing their arrangement into the formal child intervention system to access kinship per diems. This is a serious step — it means Children and Family Services becomes involved, the home is assessed, and the child is placed under a Temporary Guardianship Order. The trade-offs are significant and personal.

The Alberta kinship financial help guide walks through all three care tracks — informal, formal kinship, and private guardianship — with a comparison of what each one pays and what each one requires.

See more Alberta guides →