Funding Reduction Puts Parent Support at Risk
Important Update from Family SOS
March 2026
We want to share an important update with our community. Family SOS has received notice of a 100% provincial funding cut to our Parent Support Program. While this cut affects one program directly, it could have a broader impact on the organization over time.
Our Parent Support Program is a vital service for families across Nova Scotia. It helps parents and caregivers build stronger relationships with their children and develop the tools they need to create stable, healthy homes. More than 200 Nova Scotia families rely on this program every year.
This program is especially important because it provides specialized parenting support for families facing complex challenges. Most families come to Family SOS through government referrals, and 8 out of 10 families in the program are referred by Justice, Child Protective Services, the IWK, and SchoolsPlus. These referrals reflect how essential this support is and how few alternatives exist for families who need it.
Our Parent Support Program is rooted in early intervention and long-term prevention. It helps stabilize situations before they grow into deeper crises and reduces the need for more serious intervention later. Without this program, Nova Scotia could see reduced access to preventative family support, fewer community-based services for vulnerable families, and increased pressure on already stretched public systems.
For now, our services are still running, and our team is working incredibly hard to keep momentum going and continue supporting children, youth, and families in our community. We are also exploring alternative sources, partnerships, and collaborations to help sustain this work.
We need our community’s support. If Family SOS has made a difference in your life, or if you believe families deserve access to strong community-based support, please consider reaching out to:
Minister Barbara Adams at osdmin@novascotia.ca to share why Family SOS matters.
MLA Brenden Maguire at: brendan@brendanmaguire.ca to share why Family SOS matters.
Your voice can help show how important this program is to families across Nova Scotia.
Thank you for standing with Family SOS.
“This is heartbreaking. I am a family physician, and we have relied on this program for years to help our patients. ”
“I’m so glad I reached out and was given a second chance to retrain my brain and be reminded of how beautiful it is to give and receive love in my unit again. My children and I are forever grateful for the chance to start over, and for the hope it gave their mother of returning to what I thought I had lost. My ability to parent.”