If you carry a caseload in Manitoba, you already know the hard part of leaving care isn't the paperwork. It's timing, fit, and making sure the young person actually wants the move.
This guide walks through how a referral to New Steps Independent Living Program (ILP) in Winnipeg works today: who can reach out, what has to be true for a young person to move in, what happens on the first call, and what comes back to your agency afterwards.
The short version
- Anyone can reach out. A young person, their worker, a family member, a school or another service can all start the conversation.
- To move in, the young person must be involved with CFS. New Steps placements are funded and approved through the young person's agency, so a caseworker or agency has to be part of the plan.
- The next step is a joint call with the young person and their worker.
- Placement is by need, not age. We work with young people 16 to 21.
- Information is shared with the placing agency. Progress, safety and needs information goes to the caseworker and placing agency as part of the placement (see our privacy policy).
- It is not same-day. There is always a tour and a conversation first. When a place opens up, a referral can come together in about a week.
Call 431-444-2114 or use the referral form on our Professionals page.
Step 1: Start planning early
You don't need to wait for a birthday to call. Manitoba's CFS Standards Manual already expects leaving-care planning to start well before 18. Section 1.1.7 says: "The case manager is responsible for ensuring that all youth in care, regardless of legal status, at the age of 15, have a detailed transition plan with a view to them leaving care." It also says: "All transition plans must include evidence of consultation with the youth."
An ILP referral fits naturally inside that plan. If the young person is 15 and you're thinking ahead, a first conversation now is normal.
Step 2: Check CFS involvement and the agreement picture
The first question on our referral form is: "Is the young person currently involved with CFS (has a caseworker or agency)?" The answers are Yes, No and Not sure.
- Yes: the form continues.
- Not sure: it still goes through, and we follow up to confirm.
- No: we can't offer a place, because placements are funded and approved through the agency. We'll still point the young person to the right help, including the 24/7 crisis lines on our Get Help page.
For young adults, it helps to know what agreement is in place or in progress. Since June 1, 2026, section 50.1 of The Child and Family Services Act lets the director, "or an agency with the written approval of the director," continue to provide care and maintenance to a young adult, for the purpose of "assisting a young adult with the transition to independence." The amending Act expanded who that can apply to; the Bill 36 explanatory note says eligibility "is expanded to include young adults under 21 years of age who received care through additional arrangements."
Agencies usually call this written agreement an AYA (Agreement with Young Adults). How long these agreements and other post-majority supports last varies by agency and agreement, so check what applies to your young person. Our post-majority support page has more detail for referrals after 18.
Step 3: Make sure the young person wants this
We won't take a referral over a young person's clear objection. A move nobody chose doesn't hold, and when it fails, it lands on them.
So before you call, have the conversation with them. The referral form asks you to confirm that the young person knows about the referral and agrees to it.
Step 4: Reach out
Call 431-444-2114 or send the referral form. A first name or initials is enough on the form; we get the rest on the phone. You can send it with half the information and fill in the rest on the call. If you'd rather talk first, call.
Useful to have ready:
- Whether an AYA or extension of care is in place, in progress or not yet raised
- Case plan goals: school, work, identification, family contact, health
- Health and accessibility needs the young person wants us to know about
- Your name, agency, role, and the phone number and email you actually answer
Step 5: The joint call
After first contact, we set up a joint call with the young person and you. Within two business days you get a real answer from a person, including whether a place is open. If one isn't, we say so then, rather than weeks later.
Step 6: Tour, then a planning conversation
The young person comes to see the place and meet the Youth Life Skills Coaches they'd be working with. After the tour, we go through fit, supports, school or work, health needs, and what the first month would look like. This is where your case plan and our module plan get lined up, and where we're honest if what the young person needs is more than we provide.
If an AYA is part of the picture, the 2022 manual's description lines up well with this step. Section 1.1.8 describes a written plan covering the length of the agreement, goals and contact, and says: "Both parties then sign the contract." It lists supports such as "education goals", "transition to independent living" and "training".
Step 7: Move-in, when a place opens up
When a place opens up, a referral can go from your first call to move-in in about a week. The usual path is the young person's own furnished apartment, with 24/7 support and assistance. There is no cost to the young person or their family.
What comes back to your agency
A referral isn't the end of your file. Once a young person moves in, you get:
- Regular written updates: what happened, what changed, what to watch, and anything you need before your next visit
- Concrete milestones written into those updates, such as ID obtained or a bank account opened, underneath the writing and never instead of it
- Notification of incidents and significant changes under our reporting obligations, on the timelines your agency requires
- A direct line to the staff who work with the young person
When New Steps isn't the right fit
- Somewhere to be tonight. We don't do emergency or same-day placement. Use the 24/7 crisis lines on our Get Help page.
- Clinical or medical care first. If the young person needs treatment, detox or medical care right now, an ILP isn't a substitute. We'll say so and help you think about sequencing.
- A move the young person doesn't want. See Step 3.
Questions workers ask
Can someone other than the worker start a referral?
Yes. Anyone can reach out: the young person, family, a school or another service. To move in, though, the young person must be involved with CFS, because placements are funded and approved through their agency.
Does the young person need an AYA?
Not necessarily. They need to be involved with CFS. Whether an AYA or extension of care is in place, in progress or not yet raised changes how we plan, so tell us on the call.
How fast can it happen?
When a place opens up, about a week from first call to move-in. It's never same-day.
What information do you share with my agency?
Progress, safety and needs information goes to the caseworker and placing agency as part of the placement, because the placement is arranged and funded through the agency.
How do I check if a place is open?
Call 431-444-2114. We don't publish a live count because it would be wrong within a day.
Ready to start one?
Go to the referral form on our Professionals page, read the full referral process, or call 431-444-2114.
Sources
- The Child and Family Services Act, C.C.S.M. c. C80: s. 50.1
- The Child and Family Services Amendment Act, S.M. 2026, c. 29 (assented to June 1, 2026) and Bill 36
- CFS Standards Manual 1.1.7, Preparing Youth for Leaving Care (approved 2022/06/30)
- CFS Standards Manual 1.1.8, Agreements with Young Adults (Extensions of Care) (approved 2022/06/30)
- New Steps program facts: /professionals and /professionals/referral-process, as live on 2026-10-12
