Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am pleased to present the Standing Committee on Social Programs report on our review of the Department of Health and Social Services. The concept of community wellness has been well promoted during the past year. The standing committee strongly believes that community wellness is the right approach to addressing the myriad of social problems in our communities. However, the standing committee would now like to see action. The standing committee would like the government to move quickly and aggressively on making community wellness a reality, not just a theory. The Department of Health and Social Services is clearly the lead on this.
The standing committee supports the idea of community wellness centres as a gathering place for resources. This would accomplish three important objectives: First, it would make it easier for residents to access services since they would be located in the same place. Second, it would provide a natural support group for the front-line workers. These workers -- nurses, CSSWs, teachers, alcohol and drug workers -- currently often work in isolation; this increases the risk and rate of burn-out. Finally, community wellness centres would facilitate sharing ideas and resources and would make it easier for a community to focus the limited resources where that community needs them most. The standing committee hopes to see these centres included in the community wellness framework.
Within the past decade, the department created a number of regional specialist positions. These are in areas such as family violence specialist, child sexual abuse specialist, and alcohol and drug specialist. While the idea was to provide these services closer to the communities, these specialists are still distant from the day-to-day problems. The standing committee looks forward to additional information on potential new direction in this area as part of the wellness framework.
The department proposed a very ambitious slate of reductions and program changes. A number of these reductions are interrelated and will require a planned approach, particularly in the areas of repatriation of clients in southern institutions; foster care, alcohol and drug treatment and medical travel.
The department proposed a number of initiatives which have a direct or indirect impact on foster parents. In most communities, there is a limited supply of foster parents. Some of the proposals from the department indicate a need not only for more foster parents, but for foster parents who will need specialized training. The department plans to develop the foster care base to repatriate clients in southern institutions. The standing committee supports the repatriation efforts of the department. There must be a clear plan outlining how this will be accomplished and how competent trained foster families or other placements will be located for these children. The standing committee also encourages the department to limit short-term referrals to southern institutions.
The misuse of alcohol and drugs is directly related to the other social problems the NWT faces; from sexual abuse and other violent crimes, to rates of STDs, to absentee problems.
The standing committee wants to see a new approach to alcohol and drug treatment which is more consistent with community wellness. Given the very large expenditures for medical travel, the standing committee is pleased to see a number of initiatives within the department to try to get these costs under control.
The standing committee is also satisfied with the new approach to funding for non-government organizations. This approach seemed to be consistent with the principle of community empowerment, community wellness and supporting local organizations.
The department has committed to a number of reduction initiatives with very tight time frames. The standing committee is concerned about the potential for slippage in the deadlines required to achieve the reductions that were identified. With the current financial situation facing this government, departments must achieve the reductions they have proposed in the business plans and budget. The standing committee will be watching the progress of this department, along with the other departments in the social envelope, in meeting the budget targets. In part, this will be done through a review of the quarterly variance reports.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes the report of the Standing Committee on Social Programs for the department. Thank you.