Jennifer Charlesworth recommended to be B.C.'s new children's representative

A legislative committee has unanimously recommended Jennifer Charlesworth to be British Columbia's new representative for children and youth, as Bernard Richard prepares to leave after 18 months on the job.

Richard announced in April that he wanted to return to New Brunswick to be near his family and his French-speaking community, and promised to stay on until August so a replacement could be found.

A special committee was struck to find a new representative and in a report released Monday it says members were impressed by Charlesworth's breadth of experience in social care and perspectives on advocating for children and youth.

It says Charlesworth has worked in the B.C. social and health care sectors since 1977, including positions in frontline child welfare, social policy, program management and executive roles within government.

She became executive director of the Federation of Community Social Services of B.C. in 2006, where she worked with Indigenous groups to create new ways to support Indigenous children and families, and she began working with social research collective InWithForward in 2017.

A tweet from the official B.C. Legislature account says a motion to appoint Charlesworth is expected in the fall sitting.