Sad boy in sneakers sits alone in his room.

CBC: Manitoba’s new policy to charge CFS agencies for long emergency stays creating ‘chaos and confusion’: expert

December 9, 2025 —

Dr. Jennifer Hedges, an assistant professor in the University of Manitoba’s faculty of social work, said while it’s not ideal for kids to spend long periods of time in emergency placements, she wonders what kind of outcomes the “one and done” policy the province is enacting will achieve without examining the root issues that lead to kids ending up in those placements long-term.

To read the entire article, please head to CBC News.

Faculty of Social Work

Master’s research: Using theatre to help rewrite stories of traumatic mental health hospital stays

Eden Middleton, recipient of the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) 2025 Canada Graduate Scholarships-Master’s (CGS-M) award, shares more about their research and vision for the future. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? My name is Eden Middleton (they/she) and I am a Settler Canadian from Treaty 7, Moh’kins’tsis. I come from a farming family, grew up camping in the Rockies, and studied English and Drama at the University of Calgary. This sparked a love for critical theory and the arts-based research that I’m translating into my Master in Social Work program here at the University of Manitoba. I’m also a practicing theatre artist, working as a playwright, dramaturg, producer and theatre-maker.

Graduate student Emma advocates for reproductive justice for all by exploring the experiences of 2SLGBTQIA+ people in abortion care

Emma Cowman, recipient of the Research Manitoba Master’s Studentship Award, shares more about her research and vision for the future. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? My name is Emma Cowman (she/they) and I grew up in Treaty 4 & 7 territories, in Regina, Saskatchewan and Calgary, Alberta. I have a BA honours in Psychology, and a BA in Women & Gender Studies from the University of Regina, and I am a volunteer with the Regina Abortion Support Network, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, and am a board member on Action Canada’s National Youth Advisory Board. Currently, I live in Regina, with my partner, cat, and two dogs. I moved to Winnipeg to attend the University of Manitoba’s foundational MSW program. I have since completed my coursework for the foundational and advanced years and returned home to Saskatchewan, where I have been conducting my research virtually. I am deeply interested in Reproductive Justice research, specifically relating to the topics of abortion, reproductive coercion, and 2SLGBTQIA+ reproduction.