The Community Care Licensing Branch

The Community Care Licensing Branch is part of the Health Protection Division of the Ministry of Health, and is responsible for the development and implementation of legislation, policy, and guidelines to protect the health and safety of people being cared for in licensed facilities. The Branch provides provincial stewardship for the operation of the community care licensing programs under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act.

The Community Care and Assisted Living Act names the Director of Licensing and the Medical Health Officer and outlines their powers and duties. 

The Director of Licensing is appointed by the minister to carry out specified duties and holds explicit powers under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act and has an overall stewardship role for the provincial community care licensing program

A Medical Health Officer appointed under the Health Act; has explicit duties under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act such as issuing licences, inspecting licensed facilities and investigating complaints that an unlicensed facility is being operated. The medical health officer delegates these duties to be carried out by licensing officers on a daily basis.   
 
There are approximately 6,000 licensed child care facilities and 1,050 licensed adult and child residential care facilities in British Columbia.