A Manitoba child welfare agency hopes a new placement will help turn around the life of a troubled boy with a violent past.

Billie Schibler, CEO of the Métis Child and Family Services Authority, says her agency plans to move the boy into a placement with more "intense therapeutic services."

"At this point in time I think we're all desperate, we're all wanting to ensure the safety of this young man," she said.

CBC reported on Wednesday that Winnipeg police are worried the boy may end up hurting himself or someone else if he does not get help.

The boy, who is under 12, has managed to skirt authority and sidestep institutions since he was five. He is reportedly connected to a number of criminal acts including theft, arson, break-ins and even a stabbing.

"He doesn't want the involvement of the agency. He doesn't want the questions asked that we have to ask of him," Schibler said.

She called her agency's work a "delicate walk" — making sure rigorous interventions are in place without turning away the "the street smart" boy.

Métis Child and Family Services took over the boy's custody in February.

Since then, the boy has been placed with the same foster family in an attempt to build a trusting relationship between him and his caregiver, said Schibler.

The effort does not appear to be working, which is why the agency is exploring a new option.

'We've got a young boy who's very vulnerable'

The boy didn't have a stable home or nurturing environment in his early years and his education was also inconsistent, according to Schibler.

"There are some needs there that haven't been met in his development," she said.

Some of the boy's family have a history with the justice system and have spent time behind bars, Schibler added.

"We've got a young boy who's very vulnerable," she said.

Despite the boy's own troubles with the law, it's important not to label him a criminal, Schibler said.

"I really believe that if he's in the right type of environment, if we can go at it slow with him, if he's removed from a lot of the influences that keep pulling him out to the street and if he learns how to trust people," Schibler said. "I think that there is a way for relationships to be established with him."

When asked about the boy's future on Wednesday, Manitoba's families minister said the province isn't looking at developing any new policies, such as creating a secure facility to detain children under 12.

"We're obviously going to work with the authorities, we're going to work with all the partnership agencies that are involved in this," said Minister Scott Fielding.

"We're not in the process of making policy on the fly."