Mr. Chairman, I am sure the department shares those same concerns. The need to have a balance between the number of social workers and the programs that they have to deliver to make them effective social workers.

Mr. Chairman, maybe I will ask if the Minister of Health wants to comment on this, since it is getting into the programs that are delivered through that department.

Thank you. Mrs. Groenewegen, would you like to respond?

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I do not have a lot to add to what Mr. Handley has already has said. The response to the Child Welfare League Report was identified as a three-year implementation plan. Year one of the plan did call for ten social workers, and a significant investment in training program development. The need for the training and development does go hand-in-hand with the employment of workers in this field. We feel it is an important component as well. I do not have a lot to what Mr. Handley has already said. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I certainly hope that we do not hear about a child that has had to undergo a crisis because we could not get a worker to deal with the family. I really think this is something that we need to take a look at. I think that Minister Handley has talked about the need for us to invest, for instance, in training and jobs, and how important that is given what is happening in our economy. I have no doubt that the Minister has also heard about the developing social problems in those communities that are impacted by an increasing number of jobs, particularly in the resource sector.

I think that if nothing else, if we cannot use this money to get more social workers, then I hope we are going to hear that some of that $3 million he was talking about still to come for Maximizing Northern Employment is going to be used to make sure that we get more social workers in the field, because we really need to see that happening and we cannot wait. Three years is too long to respond to the recommendations of the Child Welfare League report.

Mr. Chairman, I think I have said my piece on that. I have one question now that I would like some detail on. In the explanation for this $1.2 million, we see that one of the reasons for the expenditure is for child advocacy. Are we moving towards instituting a child's advocate in the Northwest Territories?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Madam Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Yes, we are, and that is part of this funding allocation, to do the research and development of a proposal for a child advocate, so yes we are.

Thank you, Madam Minister. Mr. Dent.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am very happy to hear that. By the way, I am surprised. Being a member of the Standing Committee on Social Programs, I would have expected that committee would have been informed that we were moving that way. Can the Minister give us some details about the plans to move towards having a children's advocate in the Northwest Territories? For instance, what is the timetable? Is it seen as a full-time position? Where will the position be housed? Will it operate at arms length from government? Could the Minister give us some understanding of just how it is that we are headed towards this program but we are hearing about it the first time now?

Thank you, Mr. Dent. Madam Minister.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The department has begun the preliminary work necessary to determine the viability of creating such a position and determining how the advocate would function most effectively. Information is being gathered on various mandates and roles of advocates, potential options and costs. A variety of potential options has been developed. However, all potential options require legislative authority, and once the initial research has been completed and a proposed approach developed, input from MLAs and other key stakeholders will be sought.

Mr. Chairman, this work that is being done on a child advocate has been laid out as part of the implementation goals from the Child Welfare League report. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Minister. The Chair recognizes Mr. Braden.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like my colleague, Mr. Dent, I am concerned that the resources, especially the human resources, that we are to make available just are really not meeting the needs. It was indeed frustrating and heartbreaking to listen to people already on the front line in child care talking about situations they recognized which were spiraling out of control in problem homes, knowing that because they did not have the wherewithal to assist and intervene at an early stage, there were disasters and crises in the making. The need to be able to stream more people into that is right at our doorstep.

The question I would like to ask in relation to that, the budget amount that is being requested here is in the description of training and program development. I certainly cannot argue with that at all. What I would like to find out a bit more about though -- perhaps it is under program development -- is prevention and measures that we can take to do more of that proactive upfront work to help people, to help families, to help systems recognize early on the actions that can be taken that will make a difference before we have to get into the stage of active intervention and crisis management. What kind of resources or funds are within this budget allocation that could be said to be working for prevention? Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Mr. Braden. Mr. Minister.

Mr. Chairman, in the area of child protection training, development and delivery, there is about $490,000 out of this that goes into that. Most of that money is essentially training money. While some of the money that is included in program development, the $710,000 in child protection, adoption, foster family, family violence, children's mental health and so on, is also in the category of prevention. A good piece of it here is meant to begin working on prevention, but also to enable our social workers to be effective so that they have the tools and the training to be effective social workers.

Mr. Chairman, I think a lot of the discussion we are getting into here today is the kind of discussion that I expect will be happening next week when we get into the Social Agenda Conference, and we have everyone from front-line workers to officials within departments and with boards who are discussing these same issues we are talking about here as they go through the various reports that have been made available. I think we are going to have a lot of good discussion next week and, probably at the end of the week, be able to put a much finer focus on this as a result of the conference outcomes. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Minister. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I too have some real concerns with regard to the whole area of child protection and child advocacy. I think it is important that we do ensure that the people we have in those areas have the training and have the abilities and resources to try to keep families together, rather than pulling them apart and start institutionalizing our children. We have seen what has happened in the last 30 or 50 years with regard to residential schools. We have seen what has happened with regard to the young offenders programs we have out there. I think the number of children we already have in care, we have already budgeted or allocated some $9 million to that alone. I think just by using those numbers, that shows us the amount of resources we are spending dealing with the whole area of children who are presently in care, and the problems we see in our communities, especially where alcohol and drugs play a big role.

I would like to ask the Minister, is there a possibility that we can get a breakdown of that $1,200,000, as to exactly how it is going to be allocated?

You mentioned different areas; child protection, adoption, family violence, foster care, children's mental health and child advocacy. Do you have a breakdown of exactly where those dollars are going to go in those different areas?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mr. Handley.

Mr. Chairman, yes, if you like, I can just read through it and tell you what the breakdown is on each of the areas.

On social worker child protection training development and delivery, there is statutory training, child protection, $17,200; adoption training, $25,000. Then we have what we refer to as competency based training for our workers; for supervisors, $40,000 and workers $231,815.

Foster family training, $49,625; looking after children training, $40,535; child abuse protocol training, $12,075; search and reunion training, $33,750; family violence training, $40,000.

Under the area of program development, child protection, $70,000; adoption, $15,000; foster family, $150,000; family violence, $10,000; children's mental health, $240,000; child advocate, $225,000.

That totals up to social worker child protection training development and delivery, $490,000 and program development, $710,000.

Thank you, Mr. Handley. Mr. Krutko.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to the $225,000 for the child advocacy, how soon do you see that being established and implemented and enacted?

Thank you, Mr. Krutko. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That is a good question. I do not know how soon we would plan to have the child advocate position in place, but I have outlined the work that is being done at this point in time in a response to a previous question. However, I do not know the exact date of when a position like that would be staffed and operational.

Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. Mr. Krutko.