I am aware that in a number of other jurisdictions, the approach has been one of making sure that they have social workers available to spend time in the home with the family assisting the family to work better together. While alcohol and drug workers are essential parts of the mix, that's only really one small segment of what sometimes needs to be addressed in a dysfunctional family. I think social workers are still keen to do a lot of the healing and recovery that we need to see take place in the Northwest Territories. What's considered to be best practice now is one that sees much more direct intervention and has the social worker spending more time right within the home with the family. Unless we are able to invest in more social workers though, we are not going to see that kind of approach taken as broadly as it should be. So I would like to, again, encourage the Minister to examine what we could do with savings if we were to cut down on the numbers of apprehensions, if we were to cut down on the numbers of families in crisis, by getting first involved with the family and to do that, we would have to have more social workers. I think if the Minister takes a look at that, there may be a way to approach the FMB and say you have found a way to offset the cost of those social workers. I hope the Minister will take a look at that.
Charles Dent on Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
In the Legislative Assembly on February 17th, 2003. See this statement in context.
general Comments
Bill 3: Appropriation Act, 2003-2004
Item 20: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
February 16th, 2003
Page 112
See context to find out what was said next.