Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like other Canadians, the residents of the Northwest Territories are concerned about the lack of local, accessible, capable and affordable child care. This shortage is reflected in several ways.
We heard that student mothers or older children stay out of school in order to care for the young. In fact, staying home to provide such care was called one of the leading causes of absenteeism from educational programs. We also heard that the lack of child care affects attendance in the workplace as well, particularly among single mothers.
People support the creation of local child care facilities as one solution. Another proposal called for suitable space to be found inside the school and workplace to enable women to continue with their jobs or education.
Foster Care Must Be Monitored More Closely
Mr. Chairman, we heard a number of concerns about our system of foster care. We were told that there is already a lack of foster homes throughout the north. There is a particular shortage of aboriginal foster homes. But people said that the criteria used in the selection of foster homes may be beyond the reach of many potential candidates.
We were told that foster parents are often provided with little or no information about the young people they take into their homes. People also mentioned the tension that accompanies the placement of a child into a foster home of a different culture. Finally, we heard that there is very little follow-up, monitoring, training or support provided foster parents once a child is placed in the home.
Recommendations we received during our review included greater initial screening of foster parents, the involvement of local committees in the selection process, providing more and better child-specific information and improved monitoring to ensure that the best interests of the children are being served.
We must note our disappointment over the government's delay in proceeding with the implementation of the recommendations of the Family Law Review. Action should have been taken long ago in such important issues as custom and private adoptions.
Earlier Intervention Is Necessary For Children With Special Needs
Mr. Chairman, we were told about one complete gap in authority, in that no department has the responsibility for providing services to special needs children, especially preschoolers. In 1985, a report was prepared, suggesting clarification of departmental roles and financial obligations and recommending early intervention with children with special needs. This recommendation arose, in part, out of the evaluation of a successful early intervention pilot project conducted in Pond Inlet. Despite this project's success, the government took no action to allocate the responsibility and funds for such programs.
Six years later, a tri-ministerial committee of Education, Health and Social Services was formed to review this issue. The committee made further recommendations but still no action was taken. No one department had the legislative mandate for such services so no funds were allocated, despite the continued acceptance that early intervention was crucial to helping these children.
The Pelly Bay early intervention pilot project happened because the regional board of education and the regional Social Services staff saw the need and worked with department program staff and Stanton Hospital professionals to scrounge the money and staff time to make it happen. They made it work, despite the continued government in action, and some children benefited tremendously. Unfortunately, a planned formal evaluation of the project did not happen, due to lack of funds.
We also heard of constraints within current child welfare legislation that can preclude or delay timely intervention with families where children are in need of protection. In light of these problems, it is easy to understand why the family law review determined that our child welfare legislation is out of date and needs to be replaced.
A Lack Of Self-Esteem Cannot Be Left Unchecked
Mr. Chairman, a lack of self-esteem cannot be left unchecked. A number of factors contribute to a lack of self-esteem on the part of children and young people The belief that no one is listening to or acting on their concerns can reduce their sense
of self-worth. This may lead them to conclude that they only receive attention when they get into trouble.
We heard that a lack of self-esteem may be reflected in less communication with parents, the acceptance of violence in our community, absenteeism from school, a lack of employment and a pessimist view of the future.
We were told that these factors can lead our young people to attempt the most self-destructive act of all: suicide. This is a disturbing and tragic reality among this important segment of our population. We heard requests for help in recognizing and treating the symptoms of this behaviour. People called for training in early awareness and intervention methods, especially in those communities that may only receive a couple of visits each year from mental health specialists. We also heard requests for suicide prevention workshops and for follow-up support for those who have tried to take their own lives.
I will let Mr. Patterson continue on page 60.