For Professionals
Refer a young person to New Steps Independent Living Program
CFS workers, social workers, probation officers, and youth-serving agencies — refer youth for independent living or families for our reunification program. Call 431-444-2114.
Two programs, one mission
We accept referrals for both programs. Choose the one that fits the young person's needs.
Independent Living Program
Three-phase housing model with life skills training, cultural programming, and wraparound support for youth aging out of care.
Learn more →Back Together Family Reunification
Graduated reunification support — supervised visits, overnight stays, and full family reunification with 24/7 support.
Learn more →Placements under an Agreement with Young Adults (AYA) or extension of care
Once a young person turns 18, the route that keeps agency support in place is an extension of care — the arrangement Manitoba agencies usually call an Agreement with Young Adults, or AYA. New Steps is built to be a placement your agency can invest in under an AYA or extension of care.
AYA is a program label rather than statutory language. The authority sits in The Child and Family Services Act (C.C.S.M. c. C80), s. 50.1, “Support after age of majority”, which lets the director — or an agency with the director's written approval — continue care and maintenance for a young adult so they can make the transition to independence.
It is no longer permanent wards only
This is the part most reference material has not caught up with. The former s. 50(2) was repealed and replaced by s. 50.1, in force since June 1, 2026. Support after 18 is now available where any one of six arrangements applied on the day immediately before the young adult's 18th birthday:
- a kinship care agreement
- a customary care agreement
- a voluntary care agreement
- a voluntary surrender of guardianship agreement
- an agency was their temporary guardian
- an agency was their permanent guardian
If you are working from a checklist that says permanent wards only, it is out of date — and a young person you wrote off as ineligible may not be.
Where the age-21 ceiling comes from
s. 50.1 contains no age cap of its own. The limit comes from the definition of “young adult” in s. 1(1) — a person 18 or older but under 21. That is a detail worth knowing when you are planning a transition timeline, because it means the ceiling is fixed by a definition rather than by anyone's discretion.
The discretion itself belongs to the director and the agency. s. 50.1 confers nothing on New Steps and imposes no duty on us — we are not a decision-maker in your process. What we can do is be ready with a placement, a program plan, and the documentation your approval needs.
For a plain-language version written for the young person rather than the worker, send them to our guide on extensions of care in Manitoba.
Statutory references verified 2026-07-30 against the official C.C.S.M. c. C80 consolidation and S.M. 2026, c. 29. This is a summary for referring professionals, not legal advice — confirm against the current consolidation before you rely on it.
How to make a referral
We accept referrals from CFS agencies, social workers, probation officers, hospitals, and community organisations.
You Reach Out
Send the referral form below or call 431-444-2114. Either way it starts a conversation about the young person and what they need. The form takes about 5 minutes.
We Give You a Tour
Come see the home, meet the team, and ask us anything. The young person is welcome to come along — it's their home we're talking about.
We Work It Out Together
We go through fit, supports, and what the move would actually look like. Collaborative, not a gatekeeping interview.
Move-In, When There's a Room
Placement depends on vacancy. When a room is open, a referral can come together as quickly as about a week.
How fast this can move — and what we are not
When there is a room open, a referral can go from your first call to move-in in about a week. When we're full, we'll say so rather than leave you waiting on us.
New Steps is not an emergency placement service. We don't take same-day or overnight placements — every placement goes through a tour and a conversation first. If a young person needs somewhere to be tonight, the 24/7 crisis lines on our Get Help page are the right call.
What to have ready
None of this blocks a first conversation — call us with half of it and we will work out the rest together. It is here so you can send a complete referral the first time if you would rather.
Who you are
Your name, agency, role, and the phone number and email you actually answer. We call the worker back, not a general line.
The young person's basics
First name or initials, age, and where they are living right now — including if the honest answer is couch-surfing or unknown.
Legal status and who holds guardianship
Permanent or temporary guardianship, kinship, customary, or voluntary care, or an agreement already in place after 18. This drives which supports the agency can fund, so it is the field worth getting exactly right.
Whether an AYA or extension of care applies
In place, in progress, declined, or not yet raised. We can work with any of those answers — we just plan differently for each.
Case plan goals
School, work, identification, family contact, health. We build the module plan around what is already in the case plan rather than starting a parallel one.
Health, medication, and accessibility needs
Anything that shapes day-to-day support, including what has and has not worked in previous placements.
Consent
Confirmation that the young person knows about the referral and agrees to it. A placement nobody chose does not hold.
What your agency gets back
A referral is not the end of your file. Here is what comes back to you once a young person moves in.
- A weekly written summary — attendance, what moved, what did not, and anything you need to know before your next visit
- Concrete counts rather than impressions: identification documents obtained, bank accounts opened, benefits successfully claimed, budgets built, certificates earned
- A certificate per completed module that names what the young person can now do, in plain language you can put in a case file
- Notification of incidents and significant changes under our reporting obligations, on the timelines your agency requires
- A direct line to the staff who actually work with the young person — not a referral coordinator relaying messages
We report what the counts show and stop there. A completed module is a completed module; we will not inflate it into a claimed change in someone's life, and you should be suspicious of any provider who does.
Start a referral
Fill out the form below and we'll respond within 2 business days. All information is kept confidential. Or call 431-444-2114.
What professionals can expect
- Response to referrals within 2 business days
- Clear communication about availability and waitlist status
- Collaborative intake process — we work with you, not around you
- Regular progress updates (with youth consent)
- Warm, trauma-informed approach at every step
- Cultural programming that Elders and Knowledge Keepers lead — we host the container, we do not write or test the teachings